Te pae kōrero | Our why

There are many things that define New Zealanders and connect us to our home: and te reo Māori is one of them.

Everyone has their own reasons for wanting to learn te reo and see it become normalised and spoken nationwide. Explore them below and share your favourites to inspire others to get involved.


Add your 'why'

Because te reo Māori is the way we can create equality and what makes us unique as Kiwis.

Jimmi

Learning about history and culture is important. Respecting others is key

Jessie

Recognising our taonga that is te reo Māori. Seeing it as a unique piece of our culture within an increasing globalised and connected world. I love the beauty of the language and the way it makes me feel when I speak it.

Jeremy

I want to be able to speak fluent Te Reo so I can connect to my culture

Kristin

To make te reo Māori commonplace and make Aotearoa a truly bilingual country.

Ielyaas

I am proud to be Māori and believe that our language is beautiful. It is one of the constants that has survived the test of time, and I see it as a portal to connect on a deeper level with my tūpuna/whakapapa. I also see our reo as the way of the future, alongside many of our practices. I hope to raise my children in a reo speaking whare so that they know exactly who they are and where they come from.

Ngahuia

Tena Koutou. It’s a beautiful language, and such an important part of the social and cultural fabric of Aotearoa. I am a Canadian living here for some time, but I have just recently felt that maybe this is now my forever home. Speaking and understanding Te Reo Maori would tether me more strongly to this beautiful and unique land. Kia Ora.

Holly

I am Maori, and sharing my reo has always been paramount. Hearing Te reo Maori being spoken is a normal thing for me. Being the only Maori speaking member of staff, It is comforting for me to be surrounded by our reo. I think it is important to take part because I want our Reo to be normal, be part of the culture of our Kura and for tamariki to know about their turangawaewae, to have some solid understanding of Reo Maori and Tikanga Maori as they venture forth on their Huarahi Matuaranga.

Henry

To revitalise the indegenous language of New Zealand. I myself am from scotland and unfortunately our native tongue has dimished. What Aotearoa has is special in the passion likeminded people have for the culture and the way that the culture is part of the identity of nz.

Helena

My Dad & Mum always encouraged me to learn more about our Maori culture, food, land and whakapapa. My parents grew up in a generation (like many before them) where they were forbidden to speak Te Reo Maori at school. In their 50's & 60's they went back to school to learn Te Reo proving it is never too late! Today my parents inspire me to learn and as a new Mama, I want to teach my Pepi our next generation the beautiful Taonga that is Te Reo Maori.

Helen

because Te Reo is our national language and I know very little Te Reo.

Helen

it is a huge part of the country I live in

helen

I have recently been blessed with a great-grandson. His dad is Shane Young UFC fighter en route to Abu Dhabi with Israel Adasanya. Shane is of Ngati Kahungunu descent and finding his journey into his past and people. Hence I would like to honour him and my moko by becoming familiar with their language!

Heather

To reconnect with my tūpuna and to be a better future health care professional for my Māori patients - so we can have better rapport and I am able to better earn their trust so I can help provide better health outcomes for them and reduce inequities they face.

Hannah

Na aku Tipuna i takoha mai tenei taonga ki wau, na reira kia tika ana kia tukuna atu awau ki oku uri whakatipu hei taonga mapihi maurea ma ratou, ara ma tatou katoa.

Gary

I'm a hungarian woman and I'd like to move to New Zealand. I read a lot about the maori culture and it's important for me that I speak this beautiful language well. (I started to learn on Drop app. )

Gabriella

To help make New Zealand a more equitable society, so that everyone can have the opportunity to thrive.

Florence

The language is beautiful and understanding each kupu enables a better understanding of living in Aotearoa

Fiona

Because I believe Māori should be taught as a second language to everyone in school (made compulsory to learn).

Ethan

It was beautiful to share the waiata with our choir in a way that help to promote Te Reo.

Erin

It's very important to be connected with our local communities and culture. We should strive to learn and understand each other so that Aoteroa and its people can live harmoniously and prosper. Kotahitanga "Ki te kotahi te kākaho ka whati, ki te kāpuia, e kore e whati"

Eric

Any language is a treasure. . . language carries with it a history, culture and world-view which cannot ever be understood without it. Te reo Māori is *our* treasure, *our* history, and I choose to do what I can to help keep it alive. It's difficult to learn a language as an adult, but by learning now, I can make it easy for my children, and their children, and so on forever.

Emma

I'm a new zealander

Emma

I am a Pakeha, but I would like to learn Maori as it is an important part of Aotearoa's culture, history and future. I would like to one day be fluent and teach my future children.

Emma

Decolonisation is critical for healing. Language is crucial for the preservation and growth of culture.

Emily
Ella

Because it’s a shame and shameful not to take part ❤️

Elin

I am originally from Ireland and have lived in Aotearoa for 16 years, I love the Te Reo Maori language and have been learning it for a year now

Elaine

Kia ora whānau! ! ! My father was born and raised in Awarua in the far north and he was taught and grew up speaking te reo Māori. My father did not pass te reo Māori down to me & my siblings. Growing up in Kirikiriroa I went to primary and intermediate schools where I was a minority and few Māori attended. I was significantly disconnected from my culture & only started to learn about my culture when I attended Church College in which a signifiant majority of tauira were Māori. I started a more focused te reo Māori journey in 2017 through completing te reo Māori and tikanga courses through Te Wananga o Aotearoa, attending kura reo wananga's and personal ongoing study and learning. I recently completed my Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Waikato in June 2023 and am an aspiring Māori criminal lawyer. I hope to advocate for better and fairer representation for Māori in our justice system. I believe it is vital for me as a Māori & advocate for Māori to develop a competent understanding of tikanga & work towards becoming a fluent speaker in te reo Māori. I am currently pursuing further study in tikanga & te reo Māori which is a life long goal for me. Learning te reo Māori is a beautiful journey for me & is helping me to better connect with my iwi, whānau & cultural identity. I love the whakataukī Mā te kimi ka kite, Mā te kite ka mōhio, Mā te mōhio ka mārama. Seek and discover. Discover and know. Know and become enlightened. Ngā mihi nui Emmeline Sunnex

Emmeline

I understand and can korero some but need more interaction with fluent speakers of Te reo Maori.

Eddie

Being maori is a privilege, and not knowing how to speak te reo maori breaks my heart, its important to me to learn te reo maori as im sure it will complete me in my te ao maori

Donnell

I love so much about our indigenous culture and wairua and am enriched by everything I learn about it.

Dianne

I live in Melbourne, Australia and I have Kiwi/Maori students at my school. It is important that they continue to grow with the language.

Di

Because of my whãnau, I want them to be more culturally immersed

Desire'

I would like to be able to learn te reo maori, so that I can pass it on to my grown up children, who were all born here in Australia, hoping that they will pass it on to their children.

Derek

Acknowledge our whakapapa Role model for our mokopuna

Our beautiful bi-cultural nation of Aotearoa needs to embrace and support the growth and development of Te Reo Māori. With my educational background, this is a vital component to share for our tamariki and the next leaders of New Zealand. I am looking forward to developing my own kete of language to strengthen my capabilities and enhance my cultural capacity.

Dana

I want Te Reo to be organic and typical in all kiwi lifestyles

Crystal

To spread the awareness of te reo as a means to know your identify

Crawford

It's part of New Zealand's culture and its important we embrace that and honour it

Clare

I live in this country and it would be a shame (on me) if I could not even speak a few words of Maori and understood the history of this country. My grandchildren are already learning Maori at school and I am proud that they will grow up being able to converse and understand Maori.

Christopher

Language is the root of every culture. SO glad to see this effort, and wish we in Hawai`i would do the same. One of our language schools has its roots in Te Reo - and is called Ke Ala Leo. I've lived here in Hawai`i all my life, love visiting Aotearoa, and would love to honor Aotearoa and my Maori friends by being able to converse in the original language.

Christin "Chris"

Our unique indigenous language should be an integral part of being a kiwi. I hope the day comes soon that Māori is taught as a dual language in all kura and Aotearoa embraces our ataahua reo as second nature.

Cheryl

I'm a beginner learner and loved studying Te Ara Reo Māori last year and wanted to continue to improve my reo

Kristin

Because I live in Aotearoa

Charlotte

Because Aotearoa is the only country that acts as the repository for te reo Maori. It is everyone's responsibility to ensure the revitalisation and utilisation of this beautiful language.

Caterina

Because I love the Māori language and I would love to learn more and be a part of teaching more kiwis to speak our native language! :)

Carrie

he tangata māori ahau o Aotearoa. Just re-biginner in Te Reo me Ngāpuhi, ko Ngāti Manipoto raua ko Ngāii Tūhoe māori hononga. Kua hōki ano au ki te taiao o te kura. Inaianei kua pakeke ki te whakarongo me te pātai mo tetahi whakamārama. Kāore he purei i te kaute, ka oti katoa ngā Mahi kāinga. Tawhito me te whakaaro nui. Me whakanui i o maatau kaiako tae atu ki aku hoa whakaohooho i whakakao mai nei ki te whakakao mai ki te ako mo te waatea. Ngā mihi

Carl

I live in Canada, makes me feel closer to my culture and tupuna.

Candice

My children are Maori and my wife is fluent in Te Reo, I need to catch up.

Bryn

To promote Te reo Māori to keep it alive for many generations.

Awaroa

Because I want to be more confident in using Te Reo every day. Not just during celebrations or awareness weeks. Also to become more familiar with Maori customs and cultures

Anna

I want to join jag n and have fun

Ann

I am fascinated with the culture and the importance of te reo Māori. It is very important for te reo Māori to continue to be apart of every New Zealanders and visitors who are here in New Zealand.

Andrew

I am Maori. . . . . . . . . . my kids are Maori. That is reason enough.

Tatiana

To help me have structure to help me start my Te Reo journey.

Amy

I’ve always wanted to learn Māori—it is a beautiful language and connects me to the whenua, even living in the northern hemisphere. I wish I learnt it in school but it is never too late.

Alexandra

So I can learn more about my heritage and learn how to speak Maori

Alexandra

Te reo māori is important to me as a pākehā who is committed to the treaty. I am learning (and loving) te reo māori - now at level 5! Yay! It's connecting me to the people and the land of my birth.

Alexa

I believe te reo is important, and I want to show my support of this.

Alesha

I wish to understand what is being spoken and written. I will to become fluent and confident enough to hold a conversation.

Alan

to be one and a 1000, 000

Zoe

Because I care for my culture it takes a big part of my life and heart. My culture/language is a big deal

Zaric

Coz I want to.

Zap

I'm not a fluent speaker, but I try every day to use what Māori I have ia ra, ia ra. Being involved in kaupapa Māori eg: Farm committees, C Company Memorial House & Kura Pō it makes sense to strive for fluency in Te Reo Māori. In my day job as Reference Librarian at H B Williams Memorial Library, I assist people with whakapapa & Ancestry. com, along with the usual school assignment & general queries. There's been a growth in pātai nā ngā Kura Kaupapa me ngā Wānanga tauira over the years, so that keeps me on my toes. Recently COVID19 forced a lot of events to change tack. The New Zealand Book Awards for Children & Young Adults moved to virtual storytelling sessions online. In our efforts to promote not just the English nominees, but the Māori books too, I read & recorded stories for our library's website: https://www. youtube. com/watch?v=wU31RdK6FQY&feature=youtu. be&_open=1 https://www. youtube. com/watch?v=Xl8UwulV6mg&feature=youtu. be So in a nutshell, our grandparents didn't speak Māori to us, thinking that we needed English to get ahead in life. That was in the days before Māori TV, Te Kōhanga Reo, Kura Kaupapa & Wānanga, not to mention libraries, museums, local & national government - the list goes on! - where Te Reo Māori is an asset on your CV. But aside from all that, speaking Māori makes me feel connected to my whānau; those who are with us today, and those who have passed on.

Zandria

Maori is apart of me, it’s who I am and therefore understanding more of who I am is important for me not only now in the present but also for the future me too.

Zak

Celebrating te Reo Māori is a priority for me, to help recognise the rich culture and heritage we have here in New Zealand and so we can be proud of our national language

Zahra

Being disconnected from whakaapapa and culture, It's important for me to push myself to reconnect, restore and reclaim my Maori heritage so that my children and future generations won't need to go searching. I have one child and Whangai 3 so its really given me that drive.

Whuia te reo

Yvonne

I grew up in kohanga and kura kaupapa then when I was 8 years old I was transferred to a pakeha school to learn English. Over the years I have slowly lost my reo where I once was fluent to now being a beginner/intermediate speaker. I can understand more than I can speak. I would love to be fluent again and have committed myself to taking up te reo classes next year and to be involved with every movement there is towards reaching that 1 million target of te reo speakers.

Ysatis

It is important as I would like to embrace the culture we have in NZ.

Yifang

I wanna know maori causal language.

Xinyi

It's important to me on a personal level as well as a professional level. I want to get further on my Te Reo Maori and Te Ao Maori journey to gain an understanding for the land where I come from. On a professional level, the more Te Reo i can implement into my show, the better! I think this can be great practice and a way of normalising Te Re Maori everywhere.

Willow

The reason why I took part is that I believe that Te Reo Maori is NZ 's national language and we as New Zealanders should be proud to keep it alive! ! ! My children's nationality is Samoan, Tongan and Maori.

Willie

I grew up around a lot of Maori but never really had the opportunity to learn even though I was interested. Now I'm in my 30's and my work place has been offering free classes once a week which I was super keen to jump on board to do. We have a group of about 10 or so people here who have been learning and kōrero with each other most days. I think it's important to preserve our culture here and hope one day te reo will be spoken as a second language by all in Aotearoa. Tihei Mauri Ora!

William

It is important for me to take part because I am part maori and I use to be able to speak te reo when I went to kohanga. Since I grew up in a white dominated society I realised I lost all my te reo and I want to be able to reconnect with my language and my culture.

Whaia

To improve my understanding of te reo and hopefully be confident to use the language on a daily basis.

Wendy

New Zealand is my home now (since Oct 2000) and I feel closer to the land and to the people when I make the effort to speak te reo.

Wendy

Maori is a shared main language of Aotearoa along with sign language and English. I work at Finlayson Park School, Manurewa where te reo Maori and other Pacifica languages are taught in Bilingual, Total Immersion and Main Stream Units. Being able to speak your ethnic language is so important for identity and learning others languages and cultural ways expands the mind and hopefully leads to better understanding, empathy and caring for others. Bringing Maori on an equal footing with English is so important and needs to be done to right the wrongs of the past. Last but not least Maori is a beautiful language as is the concept of Tikanga Maori, Whakapapa and manaakitanga.

Wendy

Because the Maori language is part of our history and culture. My job is with predominantly Maori.

Wendy

I would like to be part of the journey, and learn more

Wendy

Te Reo is sadly missing in the workplace. I would like to be more aware of it and use it more often.

Wendy

I want children to be excited about speaking the unique language of te reo Maaori and this is just one way to celebrate our learning of it.

Roto-o-Rangi

As someone proud of my Māori whakapapa but not a fluent speaker of te reo (a regret I hope to rectify one day) I think it is great to celebrate te reo in this way. Have seen the small introduction of Maori words/sayings into business life which should continue to be developed.

Wayne

Constitutionally we're a bicultural nation, so being bilingual seems appropriate . . .

Walter

Important to learn our reo so it won’t be lost.

Waiora

I strongly believe that we need to continue to lift the Maori language throughout NZ. After too many years when te reo has been underused and not valued we MUST learn it and use it!

Waimarie

I love hearing people speak te reo and always shy away from learning it myself. Our reo is part of who we are where we're from. I have slowly begun greeting in reo and hope to further my kupu.

waimaria

I think ancient languages and tūpuna have so much to tell and teach as humans, no matter what part of Earth we were born and live. I am brazilian and my country is Pindorama, land of Tupis, brave warriors, owners of the land. Unfortunately, white man and religion made their language vanished and my heritage and sense of belonging gone together. Studying Te Reo Māori is my way to connect my heart with my past somehow.

Wagner

My mum and her whānau were punished at school for speaking Te Reo which was brutal considering that was all they knew. Fast forward to us kids wanting to learn te reo & mum's reluctance. The difference in dialect and what our school taught us often differed to what she knew which created more angst and our learning faulted. Fast forward to the next generation & fortunately my daughter sent her son to kohanga & now kura kaupapa, and we are learning te reo ano. It's been a struggle sometimes, but I'm glad we are persevering to pass on this taonga mai i tô tātau tipuna ki tô tātau mokopuna.

vivienne

Because it's important to keep traditional languages alive and I'd like to encourage younger people to learn Maori.

Vivien

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vita

Te reo should be used everywhere. People go to Spain and try and speak Spanish or go France and speak french. Same attitude for here would be awesome

Vishal

It's an important part of being a New Zealander. I want us to show the world that Māori culture and language is valued and treasured by all kinds of New Zealanders.

Virginia

It's important for me to take part because I live in NZ where Maori is an official language. It is important for me to take part because I didn't learn Maori at school when I was growing up.

Viki

As a Maori in Aotearoa/NZ this is an important part of everyday life

Victoria

I think the Maori language is beautiful and I think it's important that all children learn the basics at school, which I did and find very valuable and still remember even though I'm in my 40's!

Victoria

To connect with the people, land and language of Aotearoas ancestors.

Victoria

I respect Maori people as tangata whenua of this land and the language as their identity and taonga just l as I respect my culture and my language.

Vesi

I would love to speak te reo.

Verbinia