Rotorua's newest cafe to operate entirely in te reo Māori

Rumaki Café in Rotorua is set to open as Aotearoa’s first full immersion te reo Māori café, where English will not be spoken.

Founded by executive director Miraka Davies, the idea was developed three years ago to create an everyday space where te reo Māori is naturally used.

Located on Fenton St in the former Kai Caff Aye site, the café will require both staff and customers to use te reo Māori for all interactions, from ordering at the counter to communicating in the kitchen. Davies says that while other cafés in New Zealand are bilingual, Rumaki takes things further by committing fully to the language in a commercial setting.

The café aims to be inclusive, welcoming people of all backgrounds and language levels. Customers will be supported through tools such as visual indicators showing their fluency level, ranging from beginners to advanced speakers, and QR codes linking to translations, phrases, and pronunciation guides. Staff will also help visitors practise and improve their reo.

Davies, who did not grow up speaking te reo Māori, said her own learning journey inspired the concept. After completing a year-long immersion course, she recognised the lack of opportunities to use the language in everyday life. Rumaki was created to address that gap and help normalise te reo Māori in daily spaces.

Opening on July 30, the café hopes to encourage more people to use and sustain te reo Māori as a living, spoken language.

This article was first published by the NZ Herald and is republished with edits here with permission.