Porirua’s Pacific Language Weeks will return next month, with a series of cultural events and celebrations planned across the city to honour language, identity and heritage.
Organised by Porirua City Council, the 2026 programme begins with Rotuma Language Week from 10–16 May. A community event is scheduled at Pātaka Art + Museum on Monday 11 May, marking the first of 12 Pacific language weeks to be observed this year.
The annual celebrations highlight the importance of preserving Pacific languages, as global concerns grow about language loss. The United Nations estimates that at least 40 per cent of the world’s 7,000 languages are at risk of disappearing.
Mayor Anita Baker said the events are an opportunity to recognise the city’s cultural diversity and strengthen community connections.
“Raising the flag at the Peace Memorial or hosting celebrations at Pātaka is one small way we can honour and recognise the vibrancy of the nearly 27 per cent of Porirua’s population who identify as Pacific,” Baker said.
“We have one of the most culturally diverse populations in the country and I love that we highlight it wherever we can.”
Baker said the council’s Pacific Strategy, adopted in 2023, aims to ensure residents from all backgrounds feel welcome and able to celebrate their heritage.
“I watch our residents, young and old, developing relationships and revelling in what makes their language so unique. We need to continue to support and applaud that pride,” she said.
The 2026 programme includes language weeks for Samoa, Kiribati, Vanuatu and Tonga, among others. Bislama, the official language of Vanuatu, was added to the calendar in 2025, bringing the total number of Pacific language weeks to 12. Māori Language Week will also be marked from 20–26 September.
Individual themes for each language week will be announced closer to the dates, with updates shared on council channels.
Pacific Language Weeks 2026 dates:
- Rotuma: 10–16 May
- Samoa: 31 May–6 June
- Kiribati: 5–11 July
- Vanuatu: 26 July–1 August
- Cook Islands Māori: 2–8 August
- Tonga: 16–22 August
- Papua New Guinea Pidgin: 6–12 September
- Tuvalu: 27 September–3 October
- Fiji: 4–10 October
- Niue: 18–24 October
- Tokelau: 25–31 October
- Solomon Islands Pidgin: 22–28 November
Residents are encouraged to take part in local events and follow updates as Porirua prepares to celebrate its Pacific communities through language, culture and shared identity.