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Tuvalu, a tiny Pacific nation near the equator, is celebrating its language this week.
Tuvalu's nine inhabited islands, which are at risk of sinking beneath the waves, are home to about 11,000 people and there are nearly 5,000 Tuvaluans living in Aotearoa.
So, in honour of our friends throughout te moana nui a kiwa - the Pacific - Te Gana Tuvalu speaker, and RNZ newsreader Marama T-Pole spoke to Midday Report's Michael Cropp.