My Language, My Inspiration

My Language, My Inspiration and Toku Reo, Toku Ohooho trace the journey between 1972 and 2008 to revitalise the Maori language. The books outline the determined struggle to bring the Maori language back from the brink, provide interviews with two dozen people who were active in the fight for the Maori language and include photographs of key events and people. The history explores the reasons for the decline of the language and charts its resurgence over the last four decades through initiatives such as Waitangi Tribunal claims, the petition and march for the Maori language and the development of the Rakau method of learning, and the establishment of institutions such as kohanga reo, the Maori Broadcasting Authority and Maori Television. The history is available in a Maori language version and an English version.