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'

I want to understand more within our blended community

Janette

I have always wanted to learn te reo Maori. But for many reasons it didn’t happen. However, I am ready to learn my mothers language.

Maudie

Meri Kirihimete

Tarnea

I think for me it was so hard to understand why I couldn’t speak as fluent as those around me. Now i understand and hope to be the change that is needed for my people and where we whakapapa back too.

Lanessa

Meri Kirihimete, nga whanau

Donna Maraea

kei te ako tonu au - I am only learning

Manu

As a woman of pasifika descent, language forms a big part of my identity and anchors me in my culture. This movement and the gift of Te Reo is an honour. I have deep respect for our Tangata Whenua who are the indigenous people of Aotearoa. Learning Te Reo is my contribution to normalising the language and keeping it alive.

Ruth

Whakapapa heals, and breaks whakapapa. In this journey we call life, we all strive to go home "one day" but where is home? Its easy to say what your iwi are, but do you actually know the history of your iwi? And so begins the journey of self. Knowing where you come from, helps ground, and guides you where you are going and who you are meant to be. No longer should one feel lost and lonely when you know who you are, where you've come from and walk in the tapuwae of your tipuna.

Angelina

In solidarity with our brothers and sisters whose language and culture are the foundation of a nation. Let us all learn and grow.

Sarah

I was born in Auckland in 1963, went to school in Christchurch, have lived in England for 42years since 1980. I am thinking or returning to New Zealand, I think of New Zealand as a Maori country. To return to the land of the Maori I should try to learn some language of the Maori.

Stanford

As it has always been a treasured taonga of mine . With out the full knowledge and understanding of te reo . My life will never be complete

Dave

Kia Ora koutou, Ko Eulalia ahau. For a long time i had felt disconnected from my culture and embarrassed at the fact that i am unable to Kōrero Māori. My drive came from the beginning of my Whakapapa journey when i left the place i called home (Ōtautahi) in Te Waipounamu to go find the roots of my whānau in Te Ika-A-Māui. Along the way i met many who spoke of the need for more Reo Māori to be spoken in our home land and many that shared a similar shame as me, being Māori with only the bare minimum understanding of our Reo. I also met a few whom spoke our Reo fluently! My journey lead me to finally push my shame aside and sign up to learn Te Reo Māori through Te Wananga O Raukawa which ultimately gave me the tools to become a part of the revitalization movement of Te Reo Māori. I could and can feel the importance deep with-in my wairua as a Māori wāhine. I do not have any tamariki as of yet but i would love for my tamariki when that day comes to know our reo and not experience the same struggle that many of us share today. Te reo māori is a huge part of who we are and last but not least, i truly understand Kaua e whakamā i te reo māori. Ngā mihi.

Eulalia

I want to learn te reo so that I can uphold the mana of te reo Maaori and create space for te reo and te ao Maaori to flourish in Aotearoa.

Morgan

Knowing and speaking Māori will make me fully understand , value and enjoy this rich culture of my country New Zealand that I am citizen of and call this my home

Manoj

I am learning To honour my Tīpuna and my Tamariki. But mainly to give myself the rightful belonging in Aotearoa. To keep my mauri burning bright and fierce so I can be of service to my whanau and friends.

Julie

To participate fully in te ao Māori. To be able to connect via te reo. To understand more of the mātauranga Māori that is being shared via te reo.

Niki

This photo is a wero. The wero for me is to be focused on the future while remembering the past, an abstractdepiction of that state of mind. I wish to uphold the mana of my tupuna as I learn to speak Te Reo. My aspiration is to be able to converse intelligently and freely with other reo Māori speakers.

Raylyn

To bebable to have a conversation in te reo maori

Christine

As a current kaiako pitomata I very am excited to begin teaching in my own akomanga next year. I wish to uphold the mana of self and all ākonga, by honouring te Tiriti o Waitangi throughout my teaching practice as a (PCT) Kaiako.

Katina

At Manurewa Central School, we celebrated Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori by performing our school haka - Ko Putahi O Manurewa. Kia Kaha Te Reo Māori!

Kenyon

Te Reo is an Awakening for me and I shall enjoy the path I have chosen!

Graham

I want to take part in this movement for my tamariki and to make sure my culture is recognised, not just on this day but every day.

Corrine

Since beginning my te reo Māori journey at the start of 2022, I have gained so much more than learning to speak another language. I am learning about the culture, about the tikanga, about te ao Māori world view and I feel inspired to keep learning about the first language of my country and to step forward against racism and bigotry whenever I see it.

Cait

To be my best for my Māori partner and community

Jeronimo

Our tupuna hear us when we korero i nga wa katoa 🖤🤍♥️

Teresa

Te tangata, te tangata, te tangata

Sonia

Kokako Mt Bruce, Aotearoa Native Bird, only one in captivity.

Min

I'm learning te reo to help myself and my tamariki to grow in small steps , we are playing games and introducing more words every week to extend ourselves

Jill

Kia ora, 2 years ago my wife and I started learning (level 1) te Reo Māori at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa. It has transformed our lives to learn the language of our tūpuna. It was one of my goals to learn how to do a mihi whakatau for the significant purpose of welcoming and grounding manuhiri to a space or roopu of people. Such a taonga! This is an official whakatau I did at my mahi this morning ki World Vision Aotearoa for the new youth ambassadors joining us. As we awhi and tautoko our indigenous whānau o te ao katoa, it is tika that we embrace te ao Māori and te reo Māori as a more fuller way of supporting vulnerable children and families across the world. Ka rawe. Kia kaha te reo Māori! !

Matthew

He pai ake te iti i te kore - A little is better than none :)

Alyx

I want to be part of the movement that normalises and practices Te Ao Māori on a daily basis. I want to help destigmatize the use of Te Reo Māori in the workplace. I want to encourage my whānau to rediscover and reconnect with their heritage and right as a Māori to reclaim our language.

Dee Jay

I want to be part of making Te Reo Māori so normal that anyone can relax under its korowai.

Mike

Seeking a sense of belonging for myself and my students through the learning of te reo Maori, kaupapa Maori and our connection to the whenua.

Cherie

I attended a six week immersion Reo Maori course at Te Kuratini in Wellington in 1981 and have been a second language learner off and on since. Te reo was part of studies I did at Te Wananga o Raukawa. I completed a Diplona in Maori Health Mgmt there in 2000. I’ve attended iwi and hapū wananga and kura reo with Raukawa ki Wharepuhunga. I am currently a student of Te Putaketanga at TWOA this year. Te reo connects me to my whakapapa and identity. We have 4 young mokopuna and we are all learning together. Kia ū tonu ki te korero Maori. Nōku te whiwhi! !

Muriel

Why? Because it never should’ve been taken in the first place and we must ensure it is never in jeopardy of being lost again. For all of our Nanny and Papa who were punished for doing what was natural and right ❤️ With love for them. We have created a school wide competition for Te Wiki o Te Reo using this Tik Tok from our insanely talented Music Teacher Matua Tatana Tuari and his gorgeous tamariki for inspiration. Each day we will select four winners from across our school to promote Te Kupu o Te Rā. Will upload our daily winners on here as the week progresses.

Gisborne

Use Te Reo more, . . . more greetings and more in work emails.

Lucy

Kia ora kautou I was raised in a home where there was te reo Maori performing arts and a little bit of te reo spoken. At school there wasn't any te reo spoken. Now that I am in my 30s I feel I missed out on knowing a big part of my life. I have two children under the age of 5 and thank goodness my eldest is able to attend kohanga reo and live with her grandmother who is fluent in te reo Maori. But I would love to learn regardless of my age and my youngest being at a diverse daycare. This is why it is HUGE AND IMPORTANT TO ME because I would love for my children generation and the next generation to follow to be proud and not be ashamed of who we are and where we come from regardless of what stage of life we are at or where we are at in life. Aroha Mai NGA MIHI KAUOTOKA TOU

Krystal

I like to write about kia kaha te Reo Māori I love to korero Māori wa katoa I love to share a moteatea that I love is koia nei a rohe

Haylee

This is my moko kauae this means that all about Kia kaha te reo Māori I nga wa Katoa me to waiata moteatea

Haylee

I have been humbled by mana wahine throughout my life learning journey within tikanga me te reo Māori. I was also very honoured to be taught kapa by the late Major Alby Kiwi, while living in Burnham Camp Primary School, Christchurch. I want to be living in Aotearoa knowing te reo me tikanga Māori is at the fore front of all Governmental decisions and our tamariki, our reporters, staff (of main stream schools), communities are korereo te reo Māori i a ra, i a ra katoa.

Kathryn

To share our beautiful reo, to learn our beautiful reo, to normalise our beautiful reo. Arohatia te reo ataahua, te reo Māori.

Courtney

The inspiration of this piece came from the old pictures 50 years ago with our people holding a banner saying AKONA TE REO MAORI the use of the Tino Rangatiratanga haki adds to the sacredness of our language

Patena

This art piece depicts sacredness of each vowel which originates from our Atua Maori to our Tupuna to us the use of the Tino Rangatiratanga haki strengthens our hikoi of rejuvenation of Te Reo Maori

Patena

Continue to speak te reo and learn it alongside my pepi and mokos.

Pearl

It is imperative that I learn to speak this beautiful language♥️Love what I have managed to grasp so far but I want more - oh to be fluent♥️♥️

Linda

In my line of mahi, I greet people everyday by using the phrase “Kia Ora”

Tia

To learn and integrate Te Reo into daily life

Logan

With my beautiful grandaughter immersed in her culture, I too want to be a part of her journey it has given her so much essence and love

Janet

This is my favourite week of the year! Such a beautiful language

Danielle

Kurt

I have been learning for 7 1/2 years now and I am now the teacher of Te Ao Māori and Kapa Haka at Morrinsville Intermediate and can do the basics of whaikorero and speak intermediate level. I gained a bilingual scholarship and am enjoying my journey.

James

kia ora whanau, ko grace ingoa

gracey

Every year my goal is to learn more, know more, speak more than I did the year before. We have come along way but there is still some way to go. It is time for te reo Maori to be a part of our every day. As one person said already 'if we understand a language, we understand a culture', just beautiful.

Jadene

For my tama Tamati and the moko Emmit and Wolf who are Ngapuhi strong. ❤️🤍🖤

Sheree

Tame Iti and his Mahi for this exhibition reminds us that our tipuna were punished for speaking the reo. I was raised outside my culture and used to mourn the lost years but now that is the fire that keeps my passion to learn about MY culture and MY reo so I can be a worthy ancestor. #iwillspeakMāori

Sheree

Ma te ako ka mohio, ma te mohio ka marama, ma te marama ka matau.

Miriama

This is my why! To be able to carry on the mahi that has been done for years.

April

He aha au e hiahia nei ki te ako i te reo Māori? He hiahia nōku kia whāngaihia āku tamariki mokopuna hei oranga mō tātau. Kia kaua tō tātau reo me ōna tikanga e rite ki te moa. I have always wanted to be fluent in te reo Māori because I felt like a part of me has always been missing. I was disconnected & ignorant. Learning te reo Māori has been a journey of self discovery & acceptance. Im doing the hard yards of reclaimation & re-indiginising so that my children don’t have to. My ‘why’ is my tamariki & my mokopuna. My job is to reignite the fire of te reo Māori within my whānau so that I can one day converse with my mokopuna in te reo Māori. It takes 1 generation to lose a language & 3 to get it back. I am the first for my whānau & my mokopuna will be the 3rd so it will be thriving for our whānau in future generations. “Ko te kāinga te mauri o te reo”, nā Tīmoti Kāretu.

Hinewaitī

The inspiration for the art piece evolved from the pictures of the hikoi to parliament Akona te reo Maori The use of the Tino rangatiratanga haki compliments the kaupapa of Te Wiki o te reo Maori E kore e ngaro he kakano ahau i ruia mai i rangiatea

Patena

My one is to ensure our language stays alive and flourishing, within my whanau hapu and iwi. . Mo Ake Tonu atu, ka ora ai Te Reo. .

Miquelle

It's important to me as I've always felt like a piece of me is missing & Im so jealous of those that can speak te Reo as I was never taught it & I grew up not being able to form my own thoughts.

Rosemary

I Am The Epitome of Maori, But in The Pit of Me There's A bit of Me That Wishes I Was. I te timatanga o rua mano rua tekou ma rua, I began my journey to learn Te Reo Māori. My goal is to be able to speak Te Reo fluently, to teach my babies and to understand our cultures Tikanga to its fullest potential. Why? Because I want a Deeper connection with our tūpuna, our whenua, our tikanga, our whaiao and myself.

Jordana

Kia mahi tahi tatou katoa ki te poipoi i te kotahitanga mo te ahurea o Aotearoa

Andrew

IT is a language and culture, that should be treasured

Shaun

Diversity is paramount to greater engagement

thornton

Ko mātou ngā uri whakatipu o ngā iwi o Muriwhenua

Dallas

I need to learn Te Reo Maori, because it is the language of the native people of the land that I choose to spend the rest of my life at.

Tapaita

I want to honour my nga tupuna and connect with my heritage by learning more te reo Māori, and encouraging others around me to do the same.

Felicity

I will work with my team to share the resources on this site and uplift te reo Māori in our workplace.

Micah

Te reo Māori is a taonga of Aotearoa that needs to be treasured and protected. I want to do my part as a non-māori. It's up to all of us who live here.

Natasha

I learn te reo Māori to be a better part of my community and get back in touch with my lost link to my tipuna

Abigail

It’s important to be one in a million to ensure this lovely language stays alive and is familiar to - and used by - all people in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Jan

As a school, we want to provide as many opportunities for our ākonga to learn about and experience every aspect of te ao Māori.

Charmaine

I am learning because of the beauty of this language. Because there is knowledge to be gained through understanding. I am learning because I am humble to receive new knowledge and understanding. I am learning because I have Mothered a daughter of Tainui and Ngāti Kahungunu decent and I want her to know the beauty of this language, her culture, her people. I am learning so that she can teach me as we grow.

Jacinda

I am kiwi who lived in Australia for most of my adult life. Now I am back in NZ and a Primary School teacher, it is more important than ever for me to improve my te reo skills and understanding of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Fiona

Te Ao Maori is the reason I am the young woman I am today and the reason I'm able to be an amazing mama to my tama. I was fortunate enough to have both my papa (father) and my kuia (nanny) speak to me in the red Maori growing up. I learnt in a Maori environment. I went to Kohanga Reo kei Ngakawai, I then spent one year in Natone Park school where I learnt in a English setting before being moved to Titahi Bay North school in 2006, from 2006-2007 I was in the mainstream unit until I was then again move into our Maori unit that was at Titahi Bay North School called "Te Whanau o Te Kakano" from then right through too year 8 I was in a full learning Maori environment and I absolutely loved it, it installed so many strong beliefs that I have and so many morals that has guided me throughout my years of being a little girl right through to where I am at the moment in my life. I then attended Mana College and I was very nervous when going to college because I knew that not the WHOLE world was Maori, I had re-learn English, reading, writing was something I really struggled with during high-school so I was very thankful that I went to a Kura that could cater to my educational needs. Because my father installed so much of our maoritanga in us at an early age, I only want to be able to pass that on to my son, to teach him where he comes from, how to speak our red, learn about out history and how are we able to keep our red rangatira alive and thriving.

Jodeci

Mō aku tamariki te take e whakaako tonu ana ahau i toku reo rangatira. Kia tū rangatira ai aku tama me āku ākonga Māori ki tēnei ao hurihuri. Kia kore rawa rātou e whakamā kia tū Māori ake ki ngā wāhi katoa o tō rātou nei ao.

Jasmine

Visiting orthopaedic surgeon from USA. Partner is part Native American. I am Interested in, supportive of and wish to learn as much about indigenous cultures wherever I travel, especially because I am a rugby sports medicine surgeon and have many friends from Australia-New Zealand-Pacific Islands. Signing up for te reo Māori classes at night to learn language better, buying books and reading about Māori culture/mythology and hope to travel as much as my medical commitment in Blenheim/Marlborough region allow. Have been here a week, visited memorial to Māori in Picton about local Maori who served in NZ military in WW2, stopped and learned about Tuteurutira north of Kaikōura and plan to return there next week to hike an explore. Plan weekend visit to North Island to specifically explore Waitangi Treaty grounds. Much to do/see/explore/experience in 4 1/2 months between time in Wairau clinic & operative theatre. However, part of my semi-retirement is to work in traditionally underserved areas around the USA, Caribbean basin & now New Zealand. Same quality of medical care and compassion for all patients, players, etc. Also being open minded to learning from different medical traditions (e. g. , Native American, Carib, Asian, Māori). In a nutshell 🌰 😉😏🤣

Douglas

I have tried to learn reo and get involved in the culture but in the end it didn't really hold my interest, but I support anyone that wants to give it a go.

John

My own identity

Natasha

I want to speak to my Māori friends in their own language. I want to experience the joys and challenges of learning to express myself in te reo. I want to maintain my connection to Aotearoa while living overseas. Te reo Māori is the future of our country and I when I return, I want to be ready.

Victoria

Ko Tainui te waka Ko Tararua te maunga Ko Hokio te awa Ko Ngāti Raukawa te iwi Ko Pareraukawa me Takihiku ngā hapū Ko Sciascia me Bould ngā whānau ingoa Ko Lucy Bould ahau E noho ana au kei Te Whanganui a Tara I've always been so proud to be Māori and embraced my culture all through my childhood and teenage years, living and breathing Māori values such as whanaungatanga. After drifting from learning te reo in my final year of college, I found myself signing up to some reo and culture papers in my first year of university. This quickly reignited my passion and love for te reo me te ao Māori. Fast forward 6 years, I'm now a fully registered primary school teacher leading my kura in this journey. One of the best parts about my job is being able to teach a new generation of kids about our precious culture and reo, but also guide and awhi my colleagues to do the same. Tōku reo, tōku ohoho, tōku reo, tōku mapihi maurea!

Lucy

I have recognised that I need to find out who I am, my identity and my culture. I have blamed my culture for many years, for why I am not accepted, why my role as a leaders in corporate is hard and why I am not included BUT what I now know is it is not my culture it is those that don't accept me, dont accept my culture, dont accpet a women of colour. I need to learn my culture through Te Reo Maori and yes the Reo to be future of our Tamariki.

Julie

I'm participating in Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori in the hopes that one day the beauty of Te Reo Māori can be heard and used every single day.

Aidan

It is important to spread the culture of the original inhabitants of Aotearoa.

John

I love Te Reo Māori for its beauty and how it connects me to me tipuna. I love celebrating Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori.

Lee

Because learning about Te Ao Māori, Te Reo Māori, and Mātauranga is not just for Māori. I believe it is good for all New Zealanders and for guests in Aotearoa New Zealand to appreciate and respect our country's unique heritage.

Christopher

I am an early childhood kaiako and I think it’s important that we keep this language alive x

Courtney

It all begins with tamariki, I will work alongside tamariki and whanau to ensure that their language culture and identity survives.

Tania

For my Tipuna, my Tamariki, future Mokopuna and to stand tall in the revitalisation of our Reo!

Abbey

For my niece!

Josy

I am a part of Aotearoa and as a part I want to be involved in all the cultures :)

Paul

To be more connected to our culture and become more proficient in our beautiful language :)

Kate

Learning te reo Māori has not been part of my education as a youth due to living overseas during my primary and secondary schooling. Coming back to Aotearoa, I have not learned what I see as an important part of my heritage of being a New Zealander. I want to start my path into a teaching career and would like to enter it with the correct cultural understanding and language to be part of bringing these values to our tamariki and myself.

David

I have lived in NZ for over 30 years. I come from the UK. The founding languages of the Irish, Welsh and Scottish have been marginalised over the years - I could never understand why? Language is culture and so important we keep language alive. That's why I want to be part of the journey :-)

Teresa

Ko te reo tōku oranga ko te reo taku hononga ki tōku ao Māori. Kei te mahi ngatahi ai ngā tari kāwanatanga ki a ngai Māori. Na reira ma mātou ngā Māori e kawea ngā tari kāwanatanga ki te ao mararma nei ki te ao Māori.

Trevor

Our Kaunihera Te Reo group at Nga Ara Tipuna story telling journeys in Waipukurau.

Pam

I want to learn more about my maori side

kiaia

Learning Te Reo Māori has helped me see new perspectives and ways of understanding the natural world and people around me, and connecting with them in a different way. It is a beautiful language about reciprocal living and generosity and will help Aotearoa become a more sustainable and healthy place to live for us all.

Andrew

Kei te ako a Rangi! Rawe :)

Kosha-Joy

This post is in moderation. Only you can see this because you are the author.

Share your why

Kei te ako a Rangi!

Rawe :)