Celebrate the rich languages of the Pacific with the 2024 Pacific Language Weeks series, with vibrant community events and learning initiatives.
The Ministry supports each community in the delivery of their Pacific Language Week by providing resources, and coverage across our social media channels.
This year, two new languages are included for the first time –Solomon Islands Pidgin and Papua New Guinea Tok Pisin. These join Rotuma, Samoa, Kiribati, Cook Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Fiji, Niue and Tokelau to make 11 Pacific language weeks.
Keep an eye on our social media and sign up for our weekly Fetu newsletter to stay informed.
Download free Pacific language week resources to help you learn Pacific languages and celebrate at home, work, school, and with your community. 
Download the poster for print: Pacific Language Weeks Poster.
Download social media tile for Facebook and LinkedIn: Pacific Language Weeks 2024 social tile. [JPG:640 KB]
More resources for all language weeks, like social media graphics and posters, will be available on each language page before each week takes place.
Pacific languages are a key cornerstone for the health and wellbeing of Pacific people. History shows us that a loss of language leads to a loss of culture and identity.
Language Week celebrations had their origins in Samoa in 2007 with Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa, founded by Fa’alapotopotoga mo le A’oa’oina o le Gagana Samoa i Aotearoa (FAGASA). In 2009, the Human Rights Commission came on board to support the communities and the concept of Pacific Language Weeks was born.
Since 2010, the Ministry for Pacific Peoples has been supporting Pacific Language Weeks, promoting and raising awareness of the diversity of our Pacific languages in Aotearoa. Each year, the Ministry works closely with Pacific communities’ to maintain and promote indigenous languages across the country, encouraging their use in our daily lives to help them thrive.
While each language is highlighted with a dedicated ‘week’ of activities, each event is actually a yearlong celebration of the languages, with extended activities throughout the year. These activities and language learning initiatives are led by our Pacific communities throughout Aotearoa and supported by the Ministry.
