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'

Te reo needs to be used regularly by all NZers

Tracey

Just to be part of a generation who are so proud of their reo and who they are. . My parents are from the era where they were scolded at kura for speaking te reo. Hence why I cant korero as well as my kids and Moko can, it wasn't around me.

Tottie Dal

To keep the reo alive

Totara North School

I love te reo Māori but struggle to have the confidence to try. This seems like a great opportunity to start.

Torri

My Background My Culture

Torrence

To teach my tamariki that te Reo is a taonga that we should learn, use and cherish.

Tori

Maori language is a taonga that needs to be learnt or we will lose it. It is special to New Zealanders.

Tony

For my tamariki future and my mokos

Toni-Marie

It's important because I hope to encourage more of our people to reconnect with and celebrate our culture and Reo Rangatira. Kāua e whakamā, e te whanau! Kia kaha ki te kōrero Māori!

Toni Bailey

My why is to be able to give my son the knowledge of having Te Reo spoken in the home. It’s to be able to gain confidence in knowing my native language, to become confident, to be able to Pass that on to him as he grows.

Toni

Te Tiriti o Waitangi Effort Compassion I live in Aotearoa The language needs us

Tom

I think as a country where the culture is rich, the language and tikanga is taonga and must continue to stay strong.

Tinae

Because I am proud to be born here in this beautiful country, Aotearoa, with this long beautiful history and culture. I need to get into gear and finally embrace this beautiful language - te reo Maori! .

Tina

Our indigenous language belongs to us, it is of this land. It is our right and our responsibility as a school to teach it and to pass it on to our future generations. Our language is a gateway to our culture, our practices, our history.

Tina

Because Māori is an official language of this country.

Tina

Tena Koutou, Ko Tim ahau, No Awheria ki te tonga ahua I have recently immigrated here and wish to understand the people and culture of Aotearoa Ma te wa

Tim

As one of our two National Languages, Maori awareness is an important part of our culture. This is important for all Maori, Pakeha and any other individuals in Aotearoa, because it helps us to celebrate diversity.

Tim

I would like to see wider integration of matauranga Maaori ( including te reo) in our society.

Tim

Te Reo is a toanga and unique to us in Aotearoa. We need to use it as much as possible.

Tim

Te Reo is an important part of NZ and should be included in our day to day lives. My dream is for New Zealanders to be fluid bilingual and I want to sow that foundation with my children. It is important to keep Te Reo alive.

Tiffany

One day I'd like to be confident in my Maori so that there isn't this cultural disconnect in my life. it's important I think for everyone to be able to confidently express where they come from and be connected to their iwi and ancestors. Maori culture is filled with beautiful traditions and beautiful language that isn't being fully appreciate by the world and there's this lack of knowledge that needs to be spread and needs to be more socially accepted.

Tia

I am sharing my own te reo Maori journey as I learn basic te reo for my students and whanau.

Tia

I am Maori from Te Rarawa & Te Aupouri

Tia

Because it is import to strengthen our reo here in our country, and make people aware of our culture

Thomas

Until te reo Māori is the primary language of Aotearoa New Zealand, we haven’t done enough to heal from the damage of colonisation. So I’ll do anything I can to help with that revitalisation.

Anthea

For my children

Teupoko

My whānau lost the language cause it was literally beaten out of my tupuna wahine when she was a tamaiti by ngā kaiako. As a kaiako now myself I want to ensure that each child's home language is recognised and celebrated. That they feel safe and confident to speak it. Our country is now multicultural so its important to help grow global citizens since NZ is very xenophobic.

Tessa

As a school and class we strive to celebrate the uniqueness and diversity we have to offer as a collective. Unfortunately we see our Maori learners shy away when it comes to being proud of their heritage in comparison to that of our Pasifika learners. Maori is an important part of New Zealands history and needs to continue to be celebrated and talked about. This week and moving forward as a class we are striving to actively make an effort to incorporate Te Reo into our daily lives and class routine.

Tessa

Te reo Maori was pushed out of Maori culture while my dad was growing up and being schooled. Although he used simple sentences and phrases in te reo throughout my childhood, I believe that if he had not been pushed to disconnect from Maori language we would not have been deprived of learning more te reo Maori. Language is the gateway to ones culture and heritage. I want our future tamariki to have endless opportunities to learn about our tipuna, and language is the first step.

Tess

Ko te reo te mauri o te mana maori

Terynne

Because Te Reo Maori is such a beautiful, unique and contextually significant language to learn, use and encourage the speaking of.

TeRito

Ki te whakamana i te reo Māori me te akiaki i te iwi whānui o Aotearoa ki te kōrero i tō tātou reo rangatira

Terewai

Our language is very important to myself, our culture and people. It’s a beautiful language which isn’t tainted and needs awareness so that others like myself can learn and become fluent in a language that will not be forgotten.

TeMihirangi

My dad spoke fluently, id love to, too!

Teddy

Keep Te Reo Māori alive for my tamariki and mokopuna!

Teana

Tukuna te reo kia rere!

Te Whare a Maui

To keep my reo alive and to teach my whanau so we can enjoy the experience as one

Te Waiwhakaataata waiahurangi wikitoria Tina Moeroa Aorangi

To keep our Māori language alive

Te Puke Primary School

Important because it should be my first language! Engari, ko taku reo tuatahi ko te reo ō nga tangata raupatu whenua. ❤️

Te Maemaerihana

It is who I am and who my kids Titokowaru and tãwhirimãtea are I would love for us all to be able to speak te reo

Te Hiroa

Te Reo Māori is everything to me

Te Ari

Ko tōku reo te taura wairua e tāpiri ana ahau ki te Atua mai I tōnā tama Kia puāwai tōku mauri kia tau.

Te Aomihia

Ko Te Aomihia ahau, No Aotearoa.

Te Aomihia

To finally reconnect to my Māoritanga and begin my Te reo journey.

Tayla

I work at a Kōhanga and I want to teach the children, I need to learn myself first.

Tayen

Connecting with my History

tawake matenga

I'm a new arrival to NZ from England. I'm aware that if I was to have moved almost anywhere in the world, I dcould not do so without knowledge and awareness of the indigenous culture, heritage and history of the country. I am not looking to benefit from generations of cultural harm and colonization that means I can avoid having to learn te reo Maori, but hope to be able to join the cohesive culture of the country by making efforts to experience and respect Maori culture and language.

Tasneem

Maori is a language that deserves to be celebrated - not forgotten, so by doing my part I am celebrating the unique language in whatever why I can.

Tasmin

Being Maori I would like to think that by speaking what little I know, here and there, that I am helping to get our Reo out in whatever space I am in.

Tashiana

Beautiful native language to my home country. It's unique and is and sounds beautiful and it should be celebrated and learnt

Taryn

As a maori this is fundamentally to feeling connected to my cultural identity and keeping my wairua full

Taria

I have a bicultural family. My husband is Maori and so are my children. I want them to grow up being proud of their culture, and by growing my knowledge it can help them with their journey.

Tara

I want to take part because I want to honour our heritage in New Zealand and be the role model I want others to be.

Tara
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To continue my quest to appreciate my country and dive further into my education on Te Reo and Maori culture.

Katrina

To give thanks and honour the people and language

Tanya

Its a beautiful language its part of who I am it should be compulsory

Tania

It’s a beautiful language for all NZer’s to celebrate. Whilst I’m still learning to speak it, I focus on ensuring that my pronunciation is correct as I believe it is disrespectful to mispronounce the words. I encourage others to do this too by setting a good example.

Tania

For myself, for my children and for NZ

Tania

Our people are still being suppressed today . . . . as we see in the news. . . To our culture , people, our way of life. . . stays ALIVE! . Most of all. . . My mokos!

Tania

I am a New Zealander and all of us need to understand and include Te Reo and and tikanga Maori in our lives.

Tania

So I know some simple greetings. I did take a online beginner course years ago but I have since suffered a brain injury.

Tania

It's our Mother language here in Aotearoa. I'm Sāmoan myself but my wife and kids are Māori/half so we need to teach them to always stand proud in their indigenous bloodline of their Tūpuna.

Tampy

Because it’s our culture, our heritage and so unique to this country and to keep it alive and thriving we need to nurture it

Tamara

He taonga tuku iho. Hei whakarauora te reo me ōna tikanga, hei kaihapai mo te kaupapa, ā, hei tauira mo tōku whānau.

Taina

I am a maori wahine and I want to incorporate my culture and reo more into my everyday life and I think this is a great start

Taigen

As an immigrant to New Zealand, I want to show respect to the tangata whenua who have welcomed me onto the land

Tabitha

This is who we are not only as Maori, but Aotearoa as a whole.

Tūmanako

It’s the indigenous language where I live, and a beautiful language. There are some things that don’t translate exactly (like manaakitanga) and it’s so good to have both languages.

Sylvia

Taking part because the more familiar Māori becomes in the workplace, the more confident New Zealanders will become in experimenting, learning and embedding te reo in their daily lives over time.

Suzie

Want to try to speak abit of te reo. . to and with my mokopunia . . I have 2 maori/tongan. and 2 Maori/nuieian mokopunia. . and 2 pakaha. .

Suzanne

I feel we all have the responsibility to keep this beautiful language alive.

Susan

I've never been taught my mother tongue or been encouraged to learn it, so it is wonderful to see Te reo Maori being promoted & revived.

Suri

Keeping the māori language thriving and alive is important. I can’t stress enough how important the language is.

Sunni

To recognise our tangata whenua and encourage young children to value to Te Reo Maori.

Sue

we need to practise what we preach when we claim to be a nation that has more than one language- teo reo is part of our everyday life it is everywhere we look and live and it deserves the respect of speaking and knowing it correctly and hearing it will build our nation to the best living organism it can become. It is something that unites people from everywhere on earth who visit or live in Aoteraroa, it is our history our culture and our future

sue

Maori language (Te Reo) is the language of the indigenous people of our nation. . . Therefore as a New Zealander, i need to learn more so I can gain a deeper understanding into this beautiful and noble culture.

Sue

I want to acknowledge the importance of the maori people.

Sue

It is important to recognise the official languages of NZ

Sue

Te Reo Maori is a foundational language of Aotearoa NZ, in fact, English has never become an official language by act of Parliament, only NZSL and TRM. It's up to all of us to join in, learn, grow, be challenged, and keep reo alive.

Suanna

It's important to keep Te Reo growing otherwise it will die. As more and more Kaiako & Speakers move on the new need to learn.

Stuart

Te reo is the grassroots of this country and it must continue to be passed down through the generations. Te reo should be taught in all schools, be present in all official names of New Zealand towns/cities/areas, should be on all signs, on all food produce packaging and in shops, on buses and other transport. Most definitely in more picture books! ! As a person who identifies within the white ethnic group, I feel that there is certainly not enough being done in all aspects - not just active sharing of te reo. . . and all of these must-do implementations listed above should not only be more prominent in our communities, but replace the English versions. Māori culture and māori people are beautiful, I hope they know that!

Stevie

I like te reo, always had. just time slipped away.

Stevie

Im a proud Maori myself, so I try and take as much part of alot of things that do with us "Maori". ❤️

Stevie

To be a part of and show support for the total "normalisation" of te reo usage in Aeotearoa New Zealand.

Jil

Ko te reo Māori te reo tuatahi o enei motu. Nō reira Kia kōrero ahau.

Stephen

As an immigrant, I feel that it is vital to learn some Te Reo.

Stephanie

I find Te Reo Maori a beautiful language and very fun to learn. I am grateful that I have the opportunity to learn Te Reo, through waitata, tuhituhi, pānui and noho marae and it connects me to my whakapapa and I am learning more about myself and Aotearoa.

Stephanie

As I am new to New Zealand and a teacher, I am trying to learn as much as I can as fast as I can.

Stephane

Our language is dying. More and more of our people aren’t learning their whakapapa, tikanga or reo. This is so important especially for our tamariki.

Starrett

Because we should all know where our country originated from, and everything that encompasses - language, culture, way of life, myths and legends. It is important to preserve Maori culture as it is our history.

Stacey

Because my spoken reo needs some word and every time I do speak my confidence doesnt allow the words to come from my mouth.

Stacey

We can't lose the language. It's part or Māori culture and we should all take some responsibility to see both (and therefore the people) thrive

Sophien

Te Wiki o te reo Māori is an opportunity for concentrated celebration, promotion and encouragement of te reo Māori across NZ – we want to be part of that! By incorporating even just a little bit of te reo (e. g. a ‘Kia ora! ’) during this week, our agency can contribute to the revitalisation of te reo Māori in Aotearoa. Te Wiki o te reo Māori is a fun and engaging way to introduce and begin our VMLY&R te ao Māori journey.

Sophie

I am pakeha and believe that we all have a part to play in the decolonisation of aotearoa, and making the effort to learn and use te reo every day is a big part of that.

Sophie

Since having my own children, I've wantedto learn te reo, having never had the chance at school. I hope that future generations of NZ speak te reo with joy and ease. I'm starting on my own journey with podcasts while I wait for spaces to open up in a local class.

Sophie

I am Sophia, 7 years old. It is important to practice Maori language as I am still learning.

Sophia

Te Reo Māori is a beautiful language and one of our national languages. As a 46 year old Pakeha women growing up in Aotearoa I did not have accessible opportunities to learn and celebrate te reo so I am embracing them now! Kia kaha te reo Māori!

Sophia

I want to acknowledge my grandparents who weren't able to speak Te Reo or learn because of the education system when they were growing up. I also want to learn and share more about my identity, and to learn the language that is part of it.

Sophia

My own indigeniety was taken away from our family (in the USA). I will do all I can to ensure this does not happen here!

Sonya

We want to have an authentic relationship with Te Ao Maori and this extends into how we are using language and traditions within our centre environment, our whanau and tamariki and our community.

Tash