You've heard of Maori Language Week, or Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, but you may not know it's Cook Islands Language Week this week.
The two languages are very similar, but only 9 percent of Cook Islanders in Aotearoa actually speak Kūki 'Āirani.
Newshub went to check out a preschool that's trying to change that.
Swaying to the rhythm of the drums, and singing at the top of their lungs, the Cook Islands kids at Toru Fetu kindergarten love their culture.
"Our language and our culture is very important as it's part of our identity, especially for our children," said kindergarten teacher Alana No'otai.
Toru Fetu is a full-immersion preschool in Porirua. They basically celebrate Cook Islands language week, every week.
"This is probably the only place where they get to speak it and be exposed to the culture and language, because when they go home they speak English," No'otai told Newshub.
And the kids at Toru Fetu are the lucky ones, because of the 9 percent of Cook Islanders in New Zealand who can speak Kūki 'Āirani, most are adults
"So only 7 percent of those under 15 speak Cook Islands Māori, which suggests that parents aren't passing it onto their children," said indigenous education Professor Stephen May from the University of Auckland.
So experts like May are warning the language is now at serious risk of extinction.
"Given that most Cook Islands Māori people are surrounded by an English language-dominant context, it is in real danger unless something is done about it," Prof May added.
Salainaoloa Wilson-Uili from the Ministry for Pacific People insists they are working on a plan to curb this.
"We're looking at what ways we can create resources and pathways for our languages to be taught," she told Newshub.
But for now it's up to places like Toru Fetu to help keep the reo alive.
"For as long as they're here with us we want to instill all our culture and all our language into them," said No'otai.
To hopefully pass on the language to the next generation of Kūki 'Āirani speakers.
