Transcript
For the Pasifika Education Centre in Auckland it's not just Tongan Language Week ... along with others they've decided 2017 is Tongan Language Year.
The centre's Sio Kihe La'a Talakai-'Alatini says one week is not enough.
"The importance of having the Tongan language from January to December, I believe that its very important to speak Tongan language and to celebrate the Tongan language as it holds and carries values and so I believe that's really important, especially for my children growing up here in Aotearoa is to understand and know the Tongan language through the values."
The theme this year is Fakakoloa Aotearoa 'Aki 'Ae Nofo 'A Kainga.
It means enriching Aotearoa with family values.
Ms 'Alatini says Tongan values are what will help keep the language alive.
"Here in Aotearoa is now home and carrying those values is important, passing it down from generation to generation, maintaining and nurturing the language with our families is important so that it never dies, it continues on."
Otago University graduate Mary-Jane Kivalu says being able to speak Tongan has helped her immensely in her role as president of the New Zealand Tongan Tertiary Students Association.
Ms Kivalu says it all began at home.
"Well growing up, my dad had this rule that we were never allowed to speak English at home. That was like a really strict rule and at the time, I think it was confusing, but I'm really grateful now because I think if I were to be unable to speak Tongan now, I'd probably be disappointed."
A Tongan mother of four living in the South Island town of Oamaru Api Fifita follows the same principle.
"I grew up in a family back home that we value our culture. We valued very much back home and I think that with that strong background, I went with it and with the language, I teach my children to speak Tongan. I never taught my kids to speak English." 0:14
Mrs Fifita says that in her town, Tongan is still the most spoken Pacific language.
"There's something really special about Oamaru because over here it's just like back home for us. What I mean by that is just that location, you know, we're close to the sea. It's very laid back. It's very affordable for our people. It's a very small town, where everybody knows everyone."
Ms Kivalu sees New Zealand as the leading country when it comes to embracing Pacific languages.
"We need to embrace our indigenous languages and cultures and encourage and incorporating it in every day practice. I feel like only the Pacific can put the Pacific on the world map."
There are just over 60,000 (exact number: 60,333) people of Tongan descent living in Aotearoa New Zealand, making them the third largest Pacific group in the country.