Photo: RNZ / Richard Tindiller
A petition has been launched to establish an officially recognised Moriori Language Week, in an effort to save the language from extinction.
Moriori are the original inhabitants of Rēkohu, the Chatham Islands, although most live on mainland New Zealand.
There are an estimated three to six thousand people of Moriori descent, but the language has no native speakers left.
The Hokotehi Moriori Trust is hoping to revitalise the language of the Moriori people, as well as celebrate and showcase their traditions. Susie speaks with the petition's creator Chas Taurima, a Hokotehi Moriori Trustee.
