Salote Talagi says she was inspired to mark the week after seeing Statistics New Zealand figures showing that in 2013, only 25 percent of Niueans living in New Zealand could hold a conversation in the language of their home country.
“This wouldn't be a problem if there was a great population in Niue to help conserve of our beautiful language.”
Although the video project began as a way of promoting the speaking of Niue, Salote says the project grew bigger as she spoke to more Members of Parliament about various language week celebrations.
“The message in this video is that people should give speaking another language a go—if these people can attempt to speak the language, you can too!”
Studying towards a Master’s of Art, Salote was invited to intern at Parliament as part of her study course in Victoria’s School of History, Philosophy, Political Science and International Relations.