Share how you celebrated

Share what you did for Te Wiki o te Reo Māori 2023. This will go on to become a showcase of how we celebrate te reo as a nation.

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Ben

Ben Stagg

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Te Wiki te Reo Māori 2023 pledge

Ako | Learn

Learning more sentences to use at mahi with ngā tamariki

Individual profile pages show some of the contributions you make to the Māori language movement. You can make your own profile page and share your Māori language journey.

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Ben

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I work in ece, and have found majority of tamariki Māori are attending english-medium services. Its important to me because if I dont increase my ability to speak te reo and connect with te taiao through a Māori lense, then those tamariki will miss an opportunity to connect and be exposed with their culture and language. I cant imagine what it feels like to be where Māori are currently, not owning their identity as Māori, if I can influence one tamaiti to learn and be proud to be Māori then I know I've done my job properly. Also I'm very passionate about te ao Māori me te reo me te matauranga so it makes sense to keep on going and to never give up.

Ben

I grew up knowing that I had some connection to the Māori culture but didn’t know how deep. I’ve been isolated through fractured relationships with whanau that has prevented me from knowing my whakapapa. My why is ko tōku reo ko tōku ohooho. I linked in with an amazing kaiako to start my journey of learning our ataahua te reo and break the whakama of knowing very little of our culture. I am proud to stand as a Māori tane connecting with my whakapapa and understand the sacrifices of our tūpuna who fought for us to koreroreo! He waka eke noa! Mō ahua, mō tōku hoa wahine, mō tōku tamariki!

Ben

Because after working with both ends of child development from birth to adolescents, ive seen the affects that lack of identity has on the rangatahi of Aotearoa so for me to keep Māori alive by using te reo Māori, practicing tikanga its important for the wellbeing of Māori to have their mauri and stand strong as Māori. Also since ive gone into depths of te ao Māori and understanding maramataka and other practices I've realised how beautiful the culture is. And as a 2nd generation Pākehā I feel its my obligation as a New Zealand citizen to korero i te reo Māori.

Ben
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