The Warehouse’s limited edition “Kia Kaha Te Reo Māori” clothing collection has returned for a third consecutive year, timed perfectly ahead of Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori.
“I actually looked up the date to see what date it’s being released because I’m very keen,” says customer, Gretal Mac.
Kirikiriroa local Gretal Mac has purchased the clothing from the “Kia Kaha Te Reo Māori” collection annually since it first launched in September 2024. She emphasises the importance of learning and speaking te reo Māori.
“I just think it’s such a taonga for this country and you know there’s nowhere else in the world that you can… it’s hard to put into words. I just think it’s so important for us. I can’t understand why it wouldn’t be important to anyone else. This is where we live, this is our country,” Mac says.
The Warehouse Te Rapa staff noted that the initiative has helped normalise the use of te reo Māori within the workplace and in daily life.
“At The Warehouse, we already do encourage the use of Te Reo Māori amongst the team and with our customers as well. Of course there’s always a classic ‘Kia ora’ line that you get from a lot of the team when you walk into stores. So we do encourage it with the team, with the customers amongst each other,” says The Warehouse Te Rapa worker, Kira-Chez Hawkins.
Hawkins, her colleague Kasiti Taikato and The Warehouse Te Rapa team have prepared the clothing within a three hour period with Taikato saying the pricing was the longest part to do within the preparations. Taikato acknowledged that the popular kākahu was a conversation starter for customers and store workers.
“It just starts conversations aye, especially with other cultures. I see them engaging more with this wondering ‘oh what is that, what is this for?’,” according to Taikato.
Carmen Mackey-Morgan, Apparel Manager of The Warehouse Fraser Cove in Tauranga Moana acknowledges the clothing is extremely popular and that was proven by the amount of online orders processed last year and how fast the clothing sold out.
“Last year it was extremely popular. We had a huge amount of online orders come through, our online team were picking orders throughout or within the first couple of days it really sold out and then we only really had a few items leftover,” Mackey-Morgan says.
This year customers were able to order the clothing online from 12am onwards on September 9th 2026. Mackey-Morgan says the merchandise is becoming well known and many are getting involved with Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori because of it.
“Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori is just becoming more known to everyone like this merchandise along with other things, people are getting more involved in it, schools are getting more involved in it. It’s not just our people, like Māori people. Everyone is being involved,” according to Mackey-Morgan.