Reclaiming te reo Māori Kūki 'Āirani: Dr Akevai Nicholas on language, culture & hope

This year’s theme is: “Me kite koe i te tuatua i to’ou reo tupuna, e turanga rangatira tena nō’ou no te uki amuri atu" - With our language as our foundation, we will embrace the future.

Pacific scholar Dr Akevai Nicholas is sharing a powerful message with Cook Islands Māori living in Aotearoa: if you didn't grow up speaking your language, it is not your fault.

One of the Pacific's leading Indigenous linguists, Dr Nicholas has dedicated her career to the revitalisation of Cook Islands Māori and strengthening opportunities for future generations to reconnect with their language.

A senior lecturer in Māori Studies at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, she is among a small number of Indigenous linguists internationally researching their own heritage language communities while also teaching and developing language programmes.

Nicholas was instrumental in establishing the Diploma in Cook Islands Māori at the University of the South Pacific, creating new pathways for language learning from and within the Cook Islands.

Her work spans language revitalisation, Indigenous education, Pacific linguistics and emerging technologies, including collaborations with engineers and computer scientists exploring new possibilities for Indigenous languages through "Frugal AI" approaches. Designing AI that is not just powerful, but also responsible, sustainable, inclusive and fit for purpose.

Cook Islands Language Week is dedicated to strengthening te reo Māori Kūki 'Āirani and encouraging communities to use and celebrate their language.

Language is much more than words says Nicholas.

"People carry a lot of shame about not knowing their language," she says. "But if you are a descendant of one of these communities and you don't know your heritage language, that's not because of something you have done."

Her research argues that language loss experienced by many Cook Islands Māori families is closely linked to historical and structural forces, including colonial education systems and language policies that discouraged the intergenerational transmission of Indigenous languages.

"It is impossible to blame yourself for decisions that were made before you were born. Those choices about what language was spoken in homes, classrooms and institutions were made by others."

That message sits at the heart of her recent award-winning essay, Linguicide and the Realm of New Zealand co-written with University of Otago scholar Dr Jesse Koka'ua. It explores the constitutional and cultural realities of the Realm of New Zealand, encompassing Aotearoa New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau.

Through the essay, Nicholas examines why Indigenous languages spoken in Realm nations have experienced particularly significant language decline and asks what responsibilities governments have in supporting language revitalisation.

The essay received recognition not only for its scholarship but also for bringing attention to issues rarely discussed outside academic circles.

For many Cook Islands Māori families, the impacts are deeply personal.

Language loss can leave people feeling disconnected from culture, identity and community. Yet Nicholas believes that understanding the history behind language decline can help remove the burden of guilt and create space for healing and learning.

She sees this every day in the classroom.

Students eager to reconnect with their heritage language often arrive carrying anxiety and self-doubt. Helping them move beyond those barriers is an important part of language revitalisation, she says.

Cook Islands Language Week provides an opportunity for families, communities and institutions to reflect on the importance of language and to celebrate the resilience of those who continue to protect and revitalise te reo Māori Kūki 'Āirani.

Revitalisation is not simply about preserving the past says Nicholas. It is about ensuring future generations can speak, think, create and innovate through the language of their ancestors.

As new technologies emerge and interest in Indigenous languages grows globally, she remains committed to creating pathways for Cook Islands Māori to thrive in education, research and the digital future.

Her message for Cook Islands Language Week is both simple and hopeful: language journeys can begin at any age, and reclaiming Indigenous languages starts with replacing shame with understanding.

"You didn't choose the circumstances that separated you from your language. What matters is that the opportunity exists now to reconnect."