The wait will soon be over for the 33 finalists vying for honours in this year's Maori Language Week Awards.
The awards celebrate the regeneration and innovation of the Maori language during Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori.
The 33 finalists are vying for awards in 12 categories, including education, broadcasting, print, information technology and communications.
One of the finalists is Radio Ngati Porou, which has been nominated twice for in broadcasting and is up against Television New Zealand. One of its entries is about its Maori songwriting competition, while the is other a joint entry on the tangi of Maori MP Parekura Horomia.
Radio Ngati Porou programme director Darylene Rogers says the staff are proud to be named as a finalist but are going in expecting not to receive the award.
About 600 people are attending the awards ceremony in Gisborne on Friday night, which Ms Rogers says is an occasion to celebrate Te Reo Maori.
