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'

It is my responsibility to show respect and take up the challenge

Paul

kia ora, kia orana, ia orana, ko tangata tiriti ia au ae, pakeha, papa'a, popa'a no mai avaiki tamaiti angai ua me kore? . . i roto te tuatua o te 21st mirenia, no mai rarotonga * kite kore roa ia au te tuatua maori mako kare pono kare tika kare kite kite meangiti ua au ma'ata ro'a te akama ^ tena tutu ? i roto 'grafton' urupa? te ta'i me'a aroha, te ta'i manga aue te #mekameka e tatou e, teia ia toku patipatianga ka patipati ia au ? please help!

jason

"He ao te rangi ka uhia, a, ma te huruhuru te manu ka rere" "Clouds adorn the heavens, and with feathers a bird can fly" Paramount Chief Tamaterangi of Ngāi Tamaterangi, Kahungūnu. As my ancestor has described, I too will adorn myself with my Tūhoetanga, my Kahungūnutanga and my Ngāti Tokitanga, so that I might fly to the Panekiiretanga o te ao Māori.

Tamaterangi

As a primary school teacher from a very racist pakeha family other than a marae trip when I was 10 my exposure to our deep rich Maori heritage, was limited. A number of years ago I was privileged enough to go to Waitangi and share time and conversations that will forever mean the world to me. A couple of years later my husband and I were able to take our children to Waitangi over Waitangi and immerse them in not on the history of such an integral part of NZ but also in the customs, culture and language. This is something that we now have set as a bi-annual trip so that they will not grow up ignorant like I was. I believe that the Tamariki and Rangatahi in NZ need to be part of the movement and it starts with us the parents.

Lizzie

As an ece teacher I feel it's important for our tamariki to see and hear te reo māori

Rebekah

I work in Health

Tania

One of my biggest regrets is not learning my whanau language when I was younger.

Francis

My whānau is on the journey to rediscovering their Reo and I want to continue to improve my use and understanding of the language to continue to connect with my whānau and my heritage.

Marcia

My why is to one day whaikōrero fluently, to honour my tūpuna.

Tipene

I am inspired to ensure that myself, and my tamariki become fluent in te reo Maori, and te ao Maori, as we are part of the future of Aotearoa.

Julie

Raising my tamariki has inspired me to learn my language. As I grow older, and watch them grow older, I feel a pull towards my culture that I wish I had when I was younger. Hei aha, you're never too old to learn!

Kylie

I am wanting to be apart of keeping te reo Māori alive because it is a beautiful language and I want to be able to teach my young son the importance of Māori in Aotearoa. I also want to make sure my son (and myself) learn the CORRECT history of Aotearoa, not what my ancestors wanted to hide/destroy.

Larissa

When hearing others speak Te Reo I am envious and would love to be able to korero as they do. I have attempted many times over the years to learn the language but time has always been an issue. As a person of Maori descent, I want o learn the language.

Ann-Maria

I’m Kiwi, not iwi, however i’m proud of who we are as a nation. Have come to realise it is important to not only respect, but also learn about our nations Maori heritage. Learning our reo and understanding of our culture ensures we maintain our links with the past and bring it into the future. so its not lost. Thanks for your time, Regards.

Anaru

I want to be one in a million for my children and my whanau.

Maree

My name is ArohA

Aroha

I'm learning reo Māori to support my tama as he's in his second year at kura kaupapa, and I want to support him to grow and develop as a fluent reo speaker with a strong connection to his whakapapa and whenua.

Nick

i teeraka atu wiki i whakaritengia e ngaa taamariki o Te Arapeta Koohanga reo, ngeetehi kaari me ngaa taonga moo ngaa maamaa atawhai. ko te ngako o te kaupapa nei, kia whakanui te raa whakahirahira, araa ko te raa maamaa. i ako ngaa taamariki teenek in rerenga koorero, “hari raa maamaa, ka nui ake te aroha moou e maamaa”. e hiikaka ana raatou ki te haere atu ki o raatou kaaing ki te hoatu ngaa kaari ke ngaa taonga ki ngaa maamaa. Ko te mea nui rawa, ko te whaanau, ko te aroha, noo reira e moohio ana aaku taamariki teeraka. Ko Te Arapeta ki te hoe, huroo! ! huroo! ! Ngaa manaakitanga e te iwi.

daniel

I want to be part of the movement that helps keep te reo alive and thriving and growing.

Claire

I want to part of the movement that normalises and practices Te Ao Māori on a daily basis; I want to help destigmatize the use of Reo in a workplace; I want to encourage my whānau to rediscover and reconnect with their roots, heritage and right as a Māori; I want to learn more and pave a path for future generations

Chanelle

My Nana said they used to get the cane everyday at school for speaking Mа̄ori. So she never taught us how to speak Mа̄ori, but I'm glad most of it stuck with my older sister. I grew up lost around my own whānau not knowing what they were saying. I still find myself getting lost when i'm on my Marae, but I'm happy I know more reo now than I did before. I learn for my whānau who couldn't speak in those days. I want to become fluent for those who had it beaten out of them. I used to get shy for saying who my Nana was especially when I used to go to Hoani Waititi Marae, cause once someone found out who she was they'd start speaking Te Reo and I'd freeze. I felt like I was letting her down for not knowing my own reo. I found an interview my Nan did and it fueled a part of me, and made me want to learn Te Reo Mа̄ori. Not just for Nan but for my future kids, my nieces and nephews who are fluent. My Nana is an inspiration, to me and to many others. For you Nan (Reitu Cassidy Robson)

Aketainga

I remember when I was 9 years old, and the idot Goverment at the time stopped Te Reo Māori being spoken and no more Carving or weaving was allowed. Just think I may not be writing this if we had not been stopped, I could have been fluent and a Master Carver? I'll never forget our Headmaster at Maketū School Mr Ian Gibson telling us no more Māori is to be spoken, he was crying as he told us. We would sing the National Anthem in Māori and English and I might add he was Pakeha and an awesome Teacher. We had a mixed school at the time and everyone loved learning all to do with Te Reo Māori. My koro would not teach me, he was a Hero in the 1st World War, his reason I later found out was they were whipped or put in Jail. My mother was fluent and she would not teach me thats how scared they were. My wife is Pakeha and we decided to move to the Hawkes Bay and send our 3 Sons to Te Aute Kāreti so as to learn their Reo. Last year I enrolled in Level 2 Te Reo Māori in Maketū, this year I would have done level 3 but have been unwell so I pulled out. I Passed last year but I did miss a few classes thru sickness so I may have struggled this year? Kia pai te rā hai konā.

Comrie Anthony

My dream is to kōrero māori i ngā wa katoa. To take back what should be mine by birthright and normalise te ao māori for me ōku whānau katoa 😍 I am so thankful for safe environments to learn and amazing kaiako.

Sariah Abish

It is important to me to learn to speak my language, learn my culture and share what i am learning with my whānau. I want to be able to apply what i am learning in my work and role as Change Manager and encourage those around me who are interested in learning and joining the journey in revitalising te reo māori.

Tania

My why is to embrace and re-ignite what was lost and discover and express the beauty of te ao Māori and taonga o te reo now and in the future

Mark

To learn this beautiful language and understand the culture, i did one year at Te Wananga learning but i feel I've only touched the surface of both the language and the culture. To know that more and more people are wanting to learn to speak maori gives me hope. . nga mihi

Michelle

My why is to learn Te Reo and pass it on to our future generations. By learning and speaking Te Reo in daily life, we can become more connected to our roots! So I am embracing this language by learning Tikanga (Origins of maori, karakia & mihi acknowledgements). From background, I am an Immigrant from India but I like learning Te Reo.

Harsh Singh

I have reconnected with my language to tautoko my Husband and daughter and connect with there whakapapa. Teaching my husband pronunciation through songs, and listening to maori television has helped him with the basics.

Ngahina

Because language is fundamental to culture and if Te Reo thrives Māori will thrive - that is good for all of us. It is a joy to hear Te Reo more in everyday life in Aotearoa.

Diana

Kia ora, Ko Kaya Tiana Williams Cash Waipouri toku ingoa Ko Mt Tu ta moe te maunga Ko ngatokimatawhaoura te waka Ko Nga puhi, Ngati kahu and Ngapuhi te iwi Ko kaihu te awa Ko Tama te ua ua marae No reira, kei aku rangatira, Tena koutou katoa. I am Maori/Pakeha, Mandarin when I was kid I went to a Maori kura and learnt how to speak, understand and response in Te reo maori but since I left due to personal reasons. . . i lost my way from home so I started to lose hope but this year I got back up and enrolled myself into a programme with Te Tau Here the best experience I felt more connected and amazed by the things that I learnt I believe as long as I know where I come from, that's all that matters. :)

Kaya

my son is Maori and grew up in Hokianga. I took him to Kohanga Reo at two weeks old but once he went to school, language was English. He is not fluent, but intends to speak te Reo Maori to his future children, his partner is also Maori, so if I speak more, my mokopuna will be a more rounded person, with both sides of their ethnicity.

Barbara

I want to be part of this because te reo is rich and beautiful, because it carries and imprints the history and cultures of Aotearoa including within the reo names of the landscape, and because I feel the inability to operate in te reo as a kind of disability. Like trying to walk on one leg - you can do it but two legs, even if one is prosthetic, opens up so many more possibilities. Kia kaha te Reo Māori.

Peter

I work on conserving NZ native species, preventing them going extinct. To me te reo Māori is a precious native species that must not go extinct. It's the keystone of our cultural ecology, vital for Māori but also precious to Pākehā.

Sue

Kia whakapikia te hauora ai o taku whānau

Mel

If we can understand a language, we can also understand a culture. We are in partnership in Aotearoa and it is our responsibility to understand each other and be able to work together. When we really engage, we can make magic happen.

Belinda

Mā tōku reo e mōhiotia atu ai e te ao ko wai ahau, nō whea ahau

Ropata

I love to learn a new language

Etha

Manish

I am a teacher who tries her best to teach basic Te Reo to my students. I love our language & want our Tamariki to feel the same. Most in my class enjoy speaking it. I need to become for confident when attempting to speak Reo.

Tanya

Ko toku reo, te pou e whakaatu ana i te mata o toku ngakau. Ko te uho i heke mai i oku tipuna, e mau ana i nga wawata kia tika ai toku tu i te ao hurihuri nei. Ko nga auaha i runga o taua mata i ahu mai i te mahi tahi o oku kura, ara toku whanau, oku kura- 1, 2, 3, oku mahi hoki. Ko nga tauira he tohu atu ki nga akoranga i whakaauha mai i a au. Engari ko te reo e whakanikoniko ana i toku wairua, ko te reo Maori tena.

Kura

Arahoe Team Teina are paddling our waka under the banner of our school whakataukī 'He waka eke noa' to support the movement to normalise Te Reo in Aotearoa. We love kai and we thought it a simple and fun excuse for us to have a virtual kaitahi/shared kai, say karakia together, have some online whanaungatanga and practise Māori words and phrases. Our goal is to set an example for our tamariki, role model how Te Reo can be used anywhere, and that its fun to learn with friends and whānau. Let's break that world record together on our waka eke noa! Kia Kaha Te Reo!

Lois

Sophie

Te Reo is an important part of who we are and the value it places on the Maori people is key to their identity.

Ruth

Te reo Māori was the first language spoken in our country. It is a beautiful language and a living taonga, one that was taken from the indigenous people. I want to keep learning more of the language and I want others to experience and learn more too, so ultimately we become a truly bilingual nation.

Debbie

I love languages and words. . . te reo Māori is a reflection of Māori world view, how people relate to each other.

Lee

We want to take part to celebrate the beautiful indigenous language of New Zealand.

libya

Noel

We are committed to te reo Māori and kaupapa and have just employed a Director - Ngā Toi Māori to help guide us as an organisation with all our festivals such as CubaDupa and Fringe Festival. At CubaDupa 2021 we dedicated a creative zone purely for kaupapa and reo Māori with 65% of performances in te reo Māori. We look forward to the 2022 festival season to increase reo and kaupapa Māori and ngā toi Māori.

Noel

Ahakoa he iti he pounamu

Taiarahia

Kia ūkaipō te reo Māori ki ngā kāinga, kia tupu te hiahia me te ngākau nui a Aotearoa whānui ki tō tātou reo Māori.

Whatumairangi

Encouraging my students to share their learning of te reo Maori, to normalise te reo Māori, to be the change that they want.

Kylie

Michelle

Hei whakakoakoa i te reo mo nga reanga katoa

Taiarahia

Ko te reo maori te reo o aku tipuna no Aotearoa. Ki oku whakaaro me korero maori katoa a Aotearoa

Turiana

We are committed to te reo Māori and kaupapa and have just employed a Director - Ngā Toi Māori to help guide us as an organisation with all our festivals such as CubaDupa and Fringe Festival. At CubaDupa 2021 we dedicated a creative zone purely for kaupapa and reo Māori with 65% of performances in te reo Māori. We look forward to the 2022 festival season to increase reo and kaupapa Māori and ngā toi Māori.

Noel

We are always striving to develop our te reo Māori and as a school feel that the more we integrate it into everyday language the better and more knowledgable our Tamariki will be.

Rowena

Na te mea Te Tiriti me tōku arohanui mo te tangata o te whenua.

Trudy

Ki te whakamana i te reo Maori hei reo mo nga reanga katoa

Taiarahia

I love to learn Te Reo Maori. My daughter is 5 and she usually speaks Te reo Maori with me and this is a great experience for me to speak and learn the language with her.

Divijaa

Gretta

Kia ora koutou katoa. Ko Belinda ahau. No Ōtautahi ahau.

Belinda

It is important to me to learn Te Reo Māori because I believe that in doing this is pay respect to Tangata Whenua and their indigenous connection to Aotearoa. As a person whose tupuna are diverse and hailing from the Pacific (and afar) I believe that we must all embrace Te Reo Māori in order to stand in solidarity with the indigenous people of Aotearoa.

Emily

Te reo Maori is a taonga, that helps to revitalise the identity for Maori people, my humble appreciation goes to those who have past and those who are present for the selfless sacrifices made to lead and re-establish our reo, te reo Maori, te reo o te Iwi whenua o Aotearoa, kia kaha!

Charlie

Te Reo is important to us Kiwis and Speaking Te Reo is important everywhere so I think everyone should speak Te Reo!

Senolee

We celebrated as a team by asking each other how we were feeling in te reo Māori before playing a kahoot together which looked at kupu we knew. We also did a karakia before our meeting and a karakia mutunga at the end.

William

I think it is what makes Aotearoa (NZ) unique. By having more people speaking te reo Māori, we can all share the cultural lens through the language. We can normalize te reo Māori in public spaces where it will be the norm to be welcomed with a "kia ora" along streets, in shops, restaurants and the likes, and even order in te reo Māori. When you're at work, there is a hum of te reo Māori being spoken at the water coolers, kitchens and in hui. Tamariki respond, understand and speak te reo Māori. What a world that will be.

Makere

Kotahitanga

Alice

I love Te Reo Maori it is my passion I have done level 2 and level 4 Te Ara Reo Maori The reason why I want to be part of the Maori Language Movement it is part of my wairua

Christina

Important as our identity as people and future generations of Aotearoa.

Asha

It ultimately fills my wairua cup reconnecting with our culture and people.

Tamzin

Ko te AROHA, te matapono o Foxton Primary School, Te Kura o Te Awahou. Ki roto tonu i te matapono nei, ko te uara o te reo (R = Reo). Ko te tino kaupapa/tikanga o tēnei uara, kia whakanui te tamaiti i tōna reo rangatira, nā te mea ko te reo te mauri o te mana māori. Ki te kōrero tātou katoa i te reo Māori ki roto i te Kura, ki waho hoki o te kura, ka ora rawa atu tō tātou reo.

Te Rahera

As a kindy whanau we treasure te reo Maori and include it in our day to day interactions and Waiata. We would love to be apart of this movement as we believe it is important to our identity as well as our country New Zealand.

Bethany

Allanah

To help ensure our language continues to grow.

Sharon

Language is a tāonga! It is important we honour this.

Kaitlyn

Te Reo is a tāonga and it is our duty to protect it

William

Revitalisation of our reo is paramount. It is important that our tamariki have opportunities to learn Te Reo Māori so that it may never be lost. It is important that we have generations of rangatahi that know who they are and where they belong. Without our reo, we lose our culture, without our culture we lose our identity - Whaea Anahera It’s important to learn Te Reo Māori because it is apart of who we are - Kivarne, 8 It’s important because we carry on what our ancestors taught us - Avah, 10

anahera

I am a perennial language student and have completed Te reo Level 2 and am interested in anything to do with language and languages.

Sai

It is one of the three official languages of Aotearoa New Zealand. I am encouraging the use of te reo because I want to see the language thrive and be passed down to our ākonga. As part of the treaty of Waitangi, it is an official language to be shared and spoken for all. Though I am only a beginner in te reo the journey will be lifelong. I am up for the challenge!

Michelle

Too revitalise our reo, culture Te Ao Maaori. "Ko te wai a Rona, he manawa aa whenua, e kore e mimiti"

Dwayne

Trying to learn another beautiful language.

Harpreet

Kia ora My name is Rodney. I arrived in NZ , Hawkes Bay, from South Africa in 2007. My initial work experiences in Hawkes Bay included orchard apple picking, some work at Watties, mental health services and relief teaching. I recall first hearing the sounds of the Maori language - still foreign to me at that time. As my circle of Maori friends expanded, with their help I began to learn some Maori words - and my appreciation and interest grew. I often still feel jealous when I hear others speak the language so fluently. My te reo is still limited to single words and short phrases - but I do wish to become more proficient over time.

Rodney

Because it is the right thing to do. We must not let the language die.

Jennifer Morris

He Taonga tuku iho e rere ngaa mokopuna

Tainui Reweti

continue to grow together uniquely

Gaylene

It is one of the three official languages of Aotearoa New Zealand. I am encouraging the use of te reo because I want to see the language thrive and be passed down to our ākonga. As part of the treaty of Waitangi, it is an official language to be shared and spoken for all. Though I am only a beginner in te reo the journey will be lifelong. I am up for the challenge!

Michelle

Te reo is the language of Aotearoa and we should all be part of the revitalisation.

Teresa

I want to honour and celebrate Māori as tāngata whenua

Tania

I want to honour and celebrate Māori as tāngata whenua

Tania

Learning and speaking Te Reo helps me connect with the Taiao and Whenua that we call 'Home'.

Kurien

Kia ora koutou Ahakoa he Pākehā, me kī, ko te mea nui, te akoranga o Te Reo Māori, mēnā kei te ora te reo, kei te ora tonu te iwi, kei te ora te iwi, kei te ora hoki te reo. Nā reira, kia kaha, kū, kia manawanui e hoa mā, kōrero Māori i ngā wā katoa, i ngā wahi katoa! Heoi te mihi nā Paparoa

Jeffrey

Te Ao Māori should be important to all kiwis - its the foundations of NZ

Emma

Growing up , Māori unfortunately was not used often , as a Māmā of three I would love my own children to enjoy our culture and be able to speak in their language and continue to enjoy learning about it I also want to use my mahi platform ooh Lala styling to showcase our culture , it’s the little details that help others feel encouraged to try learn about our culture and being someone that is still learning more myself it’s awesome to be able to learn from others that I meet , small things like responding to emails I like to greet everyone in Māori it’s very nice when others feel comfortable using Te Reo when utilising our services , I love being able to creatively express myself and hope that through my mahi I will be able to incorporate more and more of our culture 🤎

Kia Ora

To support a resurgence

Rachael

Part of embracing and engaging in the culture of my new home - Aotearoa.

Seini

Out of respect for our adopted home

The Jacksons

"Ko Te Reo te Mauri o te Mana Māori" "The language is the essence of Māori identity" Ta James Henare (Prominent Māori leader & War hero) #reomāori

Kathleen

Te reo Māori is the language of Aotearoa. We all play our part to keep it alive

Katy

Because Te Reo is our Native Language

Jack

Because being Maori Matters.

Coral

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New Zealand

Because being Maori Matters.