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 the reo of my tūpuna, and pass it on to my tamariki. Keeping the reo alive is such a core aspect of retaining our cultural heritage, and I want to do my bit.

Arina

Im not 100% sure why Ive dedicated a huge part of my life to te reo, however, I was just so motivated to learn. To the point of becoming a te reo nerd, carrying around a notebook.

Mason

Tooku Reo tooku ohooho tooku Reo tooku mapihi maurea ~ I am currently on my Te Reo journey at TWoA, for myself, my whaanau and carrying the legacy of my tuupuna 💕 I teach my tamariki at home, Te Reo is apart of our everyday koorero. It is our identity, our whakapapa, it is us. Proud to be Maaori 😇

Jenny-Lee

Firstly, gratitude to the Land that welcomed my family and I with open arms. I Will never thanks enough to be part of this beloved Land of Aotearoa. Secondly is simple, te reo will be the mother language of my grandchildren and I want to be part of it. At the moment there is only Awanuiārangi who is teaching my first words , she is 2 years old 🙂 Finaly, why not? When I first arrived here I didn't speak any Enghish. I've learning it since then. I learned English with my head, now I want learn Te reo with my heart because te reo , the Māori culture is the soul of Aotearoa. I'm proud to be part of the reo Māori movement.

Claudia

I didn't know much about this language, until I met a guy from NZ . I thought NZ only spoke English, but he said to me that he's a native speaker of Maori , so I was so curious about this language . And I search and I search, found out this is a beautiful language that I want to learn, and I don't really wish this would disappeared .

Claire

I am learning te reo because it is such a huge part of being a kiwi and our cultural identity. As a teacher aide working with our tamariki I believe in being a positive role model and making te reo apart of my everyday practice including more and more te reo as I learn it. Showing the students this beautiful language in an every day context.

Julie

As a young boy I knew Te Reo Maori. Once my parents looked after me full time, as I was whangai to my grandparents, I spoke exclusively English. I want it back because it reminds me of my grandmother and I want to connect with my roots more.

Floyd

I'm on a journey to learn te reo Māori so I can better serve Māori in my mahi (digital communications) and engage on a deeper, cultural level with tangata whenua and community. I'm currently doing a home based te reo course with Whitirea and start He Papa Tikanga with Te Wānanga o Aotearoa in September. My son is learning with me, as I was displaced from my Māori whānau it's important for me that my children can connect to their culture through te reo and tikanga.

Kylie

Kia ora. The last 8 years I have learnt from many resources ie, kaumatua, all my friends, I enrolled online to a course learning te reo Maori, Tikanga, Correct kaupapa, Rawa, Karakia, and lots of Waiata. I'm so grateful, being adopted out as a child I was sick of just learning our colours, when I had kids, that started the ball rolling and now back with my real whanau I'm loving every minute, I study Rongoa which is also a huge part of my ambitions and was a big player driving me to learn, it certainly has increased my te reo Maori, plus learning the old school Maori not transliterated. I celebrate our culture as a community worker, its all the difference to approach all things thinking Maori, I was very ill, when I started with Cancer and It helped me to fight it off, I did Mahi ora and now I'm pretty equipped with alot of karakia, and waiata also. I will never give up at 53yrs old, having 183 first Maori cousins also helps, Nga mihinui koutou katoa ! ! Tihei Mauri Ora, oh my most favourite is Whakataukii I really love proverbs. "he waka eke noa" we are all in this together

Toni

I want to share my culture and language with my grandchildren. I made the mistake of thinking when I moved to Australia that I would return home with my children but I didn't. Now I have to try and relearn my te reo so I can korero effectively and in turn, I can teach my mokopuna.

Ana

Whats my why? My why is because I was adopted to a pakeha whānau who knew that learning our culture was something they could not do. Through out my life my parents placed me in education providers that could support my cultural identity. However their vision was not in time with society. I am 1975 child & yes we had opportunities at school but in the community you were shamed. If you didn't know your pepeha, your iwi you felt shamed & less Māori. It didn't help when the adult information act allows you to know your whakapapa when you are 21 years of age. By this time you are pretty assimilated & your focus is on being a young adult & enjoying the adventures of life. My pakeha parents gave me a Māori name & i could not escape my identity. I met my whakapapa whānau but this didn't mean I had a connection with Te Reo. The impact had woven into my life & its not until I studied at Te Wānanga o Raukawa, I learnt the importance of Te Reo, the history & the impact on my whānau. How my kui * koro were part of the Kohanga movement in Ötautahi. The constant barriers & challenges they fought & knowing our reo is important for our survival as a people. Knowing who you are, your kui & koro & whakapapa is the most important. My Te Reo journey has been a struggle & it still is now but its a life long journey. Its part of my life & I'm glad that i was able to see the importance. The first time I felt I know my identity was 2017, this is also the first time was able to acknowledge my iwi & tupuna cause I had gone to each marae. This was the year that I will never felt lost again. My why is identity.

Rua

I am learning te reo to be a better example for my children and the generations ahead in our whakapapa.

Sonny

It is vital that I learn Te Reo Maori because I am employed by a Maori Organisation here in NZ, called National Hauora Coalition a Primary Health Organisation. My role is a Kaimanaaki/Health Navigator/Well Being Support Worker supporting whanau needing various individual support in our local communities. Our Kaupapa: At the heart of our organisation is a vision of mana whānau, whānau ora and is cloaked in ō mātou tikanga (our values). 1. whānau whakataurangi – keep our word 2. whānau whakaaro tika – think like whānau 3. mahia kia ea, kia toa – a ‘can do’ attitude 4. whakanuia te whānau – celebrate indigineity 5. whānau whai hua – outcomes matter 6. whānau auaha – everyone an innovator So it is important for me to learn, practice, walk the talk and support our Kaupapa for the sake of our mahi and supporting our Whanau in our local communities.

Moana

My grand children are learning Maori and have inspired me. Also my employer is encouraging - cultural responsiveness and celebrating our place in New Zealand as bicultural.

Joanne

Continuing on my Reo Maori journey is important for my job working with kohungahunga in a childcare.

Karla

Ko te reo Māori te kākaha o te whakaaro, te huarahi i te ao tūroa. Kei te ako i te reo māori nā te mea kei te ako kotou katoa. Kei te ako i te reo māori nā te mea kei te akoranga. Kei te ako au i te reo māori nā te mea he reo ātaahua.

Michael

I need to show how proud I am and how lucky we are to have our own native language.

Lee-Ann

It's important to honour and respect our first people, to try to make things better after the ugly colonisation that my ancestors were a part of. And for me personally, it's about acknowledging the Māori who saved my great great grandmother's life in 1863 when she was living in Mohua - Golden Bay.

Polly

The taonga that is te reo Māori can be a living gift to our future generations if we all become part of this movement. On a personal level te reo Māori is a conduit into te ao Māori and to explore the wonderful wisdom of this, requires me to work at this which will be a lifetime pursuit. I am lucky to be surrounded by great teachers who are my guides and they have taught me that I too can stand with māori and contribute in this quest.

Haider
Marina

I'm a first generation NZer and proud to be part of this beautiful whenua with its rich and spiritual heritage. I am also culturally Lithuanian and Lithuania had to endure many years of oppression, suppression of language and land confiscation before gaining freedom in 1991. When my Mother became very sick she moved to live with my sister in Masterton and was greatly respected by the Maori community. I would like to honour the manaakitanga and aroha shown to my Mother by learning Te Reo and Tikanga, especially since Lithuanian is not easily accessible to me

Ray

It is one of our country's national language, we need to normalise it's use. My partner and son whakapapa Māori

Claire

Because I want to be at my Marae, listening to the stories of the days gone past and of the people who have passed on too but I want to be able to understand FULLY these stories. Not just pick out bits and piece together keywords to get a half pie version of the whole story. I want to get up and say my pepeha, where I am from and who I come from without rehearsing it in my mind nervously 100 times waiting for it to be my turn to speak. I want to laugh at the marae when a joke is told because I UNDERSTAND the joke, not because everyone else is laughing too. I want to speak to my children in Te Reo and for them to know exactly what I'm saying to them because this language is OURS. I get scared for our language to become extinct so I am attempting to be the change that I want to see in this world. I am PROUD to be a MAORI and I want to be a proud Maori speaking Mana Wahine too! ! ! ! This is my why.

Christie

I am not Tāngata Whenua but Aotearoa is my home. Te Reo is one of New Zealand's 2 official languages. It is in wide usage with place names and personal names and also with words in Te Reo which have come into common use. It is a beautiful language and I wish to be able to pronounce it correctly for a start. More than that, I would like to be able to have a conversation in Te Reo rather than just a basic greeting. I have wanted to learn for years. Now, finally, in my 60's I have that opportunity, that honour , and I am grasping it with both hands.

Rosalie

As a pākeha, it is my responsibility to not repeat the harm that my tīpuna created - out of ignorance or intent. It also is one way I can show respect to tangata whenua and invite a genuine connection. I need to do this mahi first - Māori have done their bit! Learning te reo Māori is not just about language to me, it's about whakataukī, empathy, storytelling, and identify for everyone. Plus, I LOVE the way te reo sounds. It grounds me a place of meaning in my own life, and sends me to new ways of connecting and feeling. Learing te reo Māori is both a political and a person act. Every pākeha must start and/or continue their journey. Enough is enough.

I want to be able to understand and speak (albeit a little) of the language out of respect for tangata whenua. I think it's important that we all do this to better understand our heritage. As a pakeha New Zealander of Scottish heritage I am also learning Gaelic to pay tribute to my ancestors. Language drives understanding!

Marion

Like so many other people my age we were taught that we needed to discard our Māori identity in order to make it in the pakeha world. I have drifted in and out of my Māori side as it suited me over the years. When I began working for different Māori agencies and them allowing me to continue my journey in an encouraging and non-judgemental way I have now made te reo and all things Māori a priority. I have begun to use my Māori lense and I am so glad that I have. I work for a Māori agency now and every year we celebrate Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori and every year I know I have improved. My goal is to be as fluent as others and to hold complete conversations with ease.

Ahlene

I have always felt a connection with, and great pride in Aotearoa's Māori heritage. Māori connects me to my spiritual side and the environment that is missing in pākeha culture. I have a Māori ancestor on my father's side; perhaps that is why I feel such a strong connection?

Rosemary

Learning te Ao Māori is for me being a complete New Zealander, ngā mihi ki a koutou.

Don

Te Reo Māori is apart of me myself and I. I am responsible for my own learning and grasping the knowledge. No matter how much I learn there is always something more to learn 💯✨🙏

Kathleen

Sociologically, Maori is our indigenous language so we need to protect and nurture it. I am Maori so want to learn my language too. Personally, Te Ao Maori, Tikanga Maori and Te Reo Maori make me feel normal - its weird but true - when i am in Te Ao Maori, i feel more like me.

Kane

My answer is. . . . . why not!

Marilyn

Kia ora e te whānau. Tōku whakaaro: This is the reo of this whenua, this whenua has nurtured tōku whānau for 5 generations. He tāwāhi mātou. We can't change the past engari ka taea e mātou to contribute to the restoration of te reo Māori ki Aotearoa ia rā, ia rā!

Andrea

Kia ora, Kaore au i te maia. he tino tangata whakama ahau. Kaore au i te pai te korero. kei te mohio au kei te manakki oku tupuna kei roto tonu i aku moemoe, He uri ahau. Kei te hiahia ahau ki te tatau na te mea he mea nui.

huhana

Kia Ora. This is important for me because I love being Maori, even though I’m only half. My mother is Maori and my father is pakeha. Although growing up I was definitely more exposed to things Maori and not learning pakeha protocols. I have grown up knowing only Maori tikanga. I grew up in the far north Kaitaia. And Maori was a huge part of the teachings at my schools. I came to Auckland when I was 12 years old and it was a huge culture shock. Growing up in Kaitaia, as a kid I thought there were only Maori and pakeha people, brown and white. I soon learned that there are hundreds of nationalities. And those different nationalities all have their own languages which most of them still speak where sadly a lot of us Maori have to learn again our native tongue. So it is very important that we as a culture and as whanau encourage each other to bring Te reo Maori back to life. Kia Ora

Cathy

I am a polyglot - someone who enjoys learning to speak other languages. You can't learn a language without learning something of the culture of the people who speak it, so Tikanga is part of the learning. So far I can speak 5 languages with various levels of fluency. I will always be who I am, but I would like to be able to communicate in Māori with the Māori students I teach. Although I was not born in Aotearoa, I am now a kiwi citizen, so learning to speak and understand Māori will be great! The NZ is where I am now, the ZA is where I came from. Its all there in the one image!

Ruth

E kore matou e ngaro ana to tatou reo i te mea oku nei whakaaro e ki mai te tiriti o tatou tupuna kia ora ai matou te iwi maori tata ake ki te iwi pakeha ara he mahi tahi tatou ki nga mea whakahirahira nga mea katoa kia tipu ake tatou tetahi ki tetahi atu ano hoki ki te hapai mai ki te whakatika aua korero aua panui hoki me ako tonu tena ka mahi tahi tatou

arnold

As an early childhood teacher, to honour our bicultural curriculum its so important our mokopuna are surrounded by te reo Māori.

Diana

I want us to be a community who works together and understands each other, respects each other. Learning Te Reo I think can help me with that.

Penelope

My great-grandmother kept her mātauranga like a secret as she wished to live as pākeha in her time. I feel sad that she was made to feel ashamed. So learning te reo for me at the moment is like finding something. Inconclusive as the finding may be, it could be a long walk :) I also just like language and communication. It’s humbling to acknowledge other worlds through languages & to pursue social connections /whakawhanaungatanga

Anna

Kia Ora as a Te Tiriti treaty partner and some one who has Maori and European ancestors. I feel that now I am retired from teaching I finally have the time to find out how to speak Te Reo correctly without being corrected for my bad pronounciation. As well as learning Maori protocols so when I go onto a Marae I don’t upset anyone by my lack of understanding of them. To be connected to my whanau’s ancestors past and present. Another goal , I have as part of the Rongamou Community Action group is to advocate and lobby as a Te Tiriti partner for equality for Tangata Whenua in local government and the community. By being able to speak Te Reo and understand Maori History and protocols helps with this. My father’s brother Sir Paul Reeves advocated for better Maori representation for Taranaki 11 years ago and we are continuing with his vision. Nga Mihi

Gail

My why is that I would like to be a part of making sure we don't lose our Māori language. To pronounce te reo correctly. To add to my vocabulary and maybe one day learn to speak the reo. In doing so have a deeper understanding of tikanga. I am a 67 year-old pakeha woman. I have worked for much of my career with māori and in so doing have been a part of developing a deeper understanding of historical events and what the resulting outcomes are.

Liz

Really only discovered my Māori ancestry while at Teacher's training college. My Nana and Dad never connected with theirs- my sister and I have taken on the challenge to learn te reo for them. By using te reo in my classroom- I am normalising and promoting our precious unique language for the next generation.

Kyla

It helps me understand ko wai au. My dad was born in 1921 and was going to Te reo at northcote college 60 yrs later when he died. He used words like pakaru porungi waipiro etc. Both his parents were fluent but they didn’t pass it on. My kids and now hire kids, my mokos are very keen to learn our whakapapa and our language. In fact, my 7 year old moko has a better understanding than me which he got from his preschool in Wanaka. For me that was the catalyst to indulge in our reo.

Gary

For our future

Tania

Unuhia te rito o te harakeke, kei whea te kōmako e kō? Whakatairangitia - Rere ki uta, rere ki tai; Ui mai koe ki ahau he aha te mea nui o te ao, mākū e kī atu he tangata, he tangata, he tangata. Ki te kore tātou e ako i te reo Māori, ka ngaro. Kei te ako au i te reo Māori nā te mea he reo ātaahua. Kei te pīrangi au i te reo Māori ki tūhono i te ahurea Māori. Kei te ako au i te reo Māori nā te mea he pārekareka, waihoki, ki te kore au e ako, ka ngaro te reo.

Ethan

Why I chosen to learn my own language again, now that I have my own tamariki and that they go to school learning its time I start learning and sharing to my own at home. . I love my language its help me understand who I am as a person where I belong and carrying on the legacy of our tupuna. I am currently a student at Te Wananga O Raukawa and loving the reo to help me become a better person in reo

Westeria

Ngā mihi nui koutou, It's my birth right to speak the language of my ancestors. My Aunty Hana TeHemara carried 30, 000+ signatures up the steps of Parliament 39 years ago to have Te Reo Māori in schools. She, my mother and her siblings were strapped for speaking Māori at school and my mother made a conscious decision not to teach us. I did a total emersion course 20+ years ago but haven't had the opportunity to use te reo Māori in my mahi. I am continuing my hikoi ki te ako te reo Māori as is my son Apera Woodfine. (who incidentally is launching an EP in Te Reo Māori 25th June 2021 - keep an eye out for it, it's great and I hope it reaches main stream radio) Ko taku hiahia au ki te kōrero Māori i ngā wā katoa. ) My desire is to kōrero Māori all the time and especially in my job. Joining this kaupapa is important to me and together we are stronger.

Wairereraki

It's a giant part of who I am and where I come from, it's part of my whakapapa - even if growing up I was constantly told by everyone else that it wasn't.

Ariana

He taonga te Reo; na te mea e hiahia ana ahau ki te maarama Ngā mea nui ki Maori ; me matua korero au i te reo rangatira, te reo Maori.

Mary Britton

I dont want our beautiful reo to be lost, our tikanga our who we are to be lost. Our tamariki need to know who they are why they do what they do, look like they do, sound and act like they do. For my babies

Rose

it's important to me because my mother was punished for speaking Māori and if I don't learn and encourage my daughter to learn then who will uphold our tikanga and run our Marae with the customs our tipuna fought so hard to uphold its up to us to keep it alive!

vickilee

I love learning te reo. It's my 5th year and I enjoy saying more than "Kia Ora" when introducing myself. I also like to show others that a pakeha middle aged lady can hold a simple conversation in reo. Kei te kaiako au i a rua reo akomanga and seeing my tamariki using te reo is a privelege.

Noeline

Learning Te Reo Māori to enhance myself with better understandings, teaching my babies our beautiful language, making sure we embrace, embark and encourage our babies that our Language is our Culture.

Jaleesa

As a Pakehaa born In Aotearoa - Te Reo Maaori has a special place in my heart and soul. I believe we need to recognise this more and learning Te Reo Maaori is one step of doing this!

Renei

I moved to Aotearoa from England in 2005. Learning the language of the country - te reo Māori - is how I can better understand my new home, the people of the land, its culture and the natural world. Every little step - even if it just being part of one day of the year - is a good step. However we have got a long long way to go - so hoea te waka tātou!

Clare

I want Maaori to be widely spoken. I have felt thus for many decades. Belief in "integration" and respect for Maaori may help explain the feeling. It brings satisfaction and pleasure to go to the library to use Maaori at last.

Puruuhi

Its about remembering growing up with a Nan that spoke in te reo - so understanding reo is easier than speaking it. The little intricacies 'ki' 'mo' 'i' 'e' 'a' 'o' knowing where they are used and having a better understanding. Its about honoring and acknowledging my whakapapa, my rangatiratanga, my mokopuna - speaking to them in their reo, telling our stories so that they may grow proud to be who they understanding where they have come from. . . . a long line of warriors, of survivors!

Tanyia

Nā te mea e pirangi ana au i te tuhi I ngā waiata i roto i te reo rangatira rawa atu.

Apera

I am definitely part of the Te Reo Movement because I did not learn Maori growing up. My Mum was one of those, her parents did not speak English. When the native school started, my Mum went to school and she was beaten for speaking Maori there. When she returned home, she was beaten for speaking English. She could see the evolvement of Te Ao Pakeha taking place, and as she started having children, she decided that she wanted to prepare her 9 children for the Pakeha World, which meant, go to the Pakeha school, Learn English education, and NOT LEARN TE REO MAORI! ! ! ! ! She did not believe that learning Maori was going to help in this ever evolving Pakeha World! ! ! I got to High School, there was a Maori Option class, I fought with my Mum in regards to learning Maori, she did not agree at first, however, I insisted that I WAS MAORI, AND IT IS MY RIGHT TO LEARN MY LANGUAGE! ! ! Eventhough this was going on with my Mum and I, I later learnt and understand where she was coming from, and I am grateful for the Pakeha Knowledge that I gained throughout my life! However, He Maori Ahau, No Aotearoa ahau, na te Whenua ahau, E kore au e ngaro, he kākano i ruia mai i Rangiātea. . . .

Te reo Māori has uplifted and strengthened my Māori identity and my wairua. It gives me joy in my life every time I learn something new and can share it with my mokopuna. I want my tamariki and mokopuna to feel proud of being Māori and to stand strong in their lives, so I learn it for them.

Ariana

Toi te kupu, Toi te mana, Toi te whenua

Shannon

I'm American and have lived in New Zealand for 23 years. My why is to understand Māori culture and people. To do this, I really believe I need to know the language Ko taku reo taku ohooho, ko taku reo taku mapihi mauria although not Māori myself, this language has helped me to connect with New Zealand it's people and it's culture and customs for the past 23 years

Mary Sue

My blood is red, my skin is white. My ancestors were "pioneers" who started to arrive here pre-Treaty. Although they weren't directly involved in stealing land nor killing "natives", their mere presence precipitated that. Now I get to enjoy living in Aotearoa. My blood is red, my languages include Maori.

Karen

I'm learning Te Reo because I live in a bicultural country with two spoken languages, and so far I'm only fluent in one of them. Understanding another culture is greatly enhanced by learning the language and I believe Maori culture has a huge amount to offer us as kiwis, including the respect for the land, water and air and the need to protect those if we are to thrive.

Julie

Aotearoa is my adopted home: Although I wasn't born here, I want to embrace the taonga of te reo.

Joel'

Tena koe, ko Gill toku ingoa. I am 45 and was born in Aotearoa from NZ/UK parents. It is so important for me to learn te reo Māori so I can be better connected to the land I live in. I want to gain a better understanding of Māori culture and the language. I started my Te Ao Māori journey last year with a weekly night class and again this year going deeper. I have SO much to learn and I love it! At any age you can start.

Gill

To experience the wonders of another world, hidden in plain sight. To feel a connection to this land.

Janice

Kia tangata whenua anoo ai too taatou reo. Kia whakahokia mai te reo ki te arero o ngaa tamariki mokopuna hei reo koorero moo te aapoopo, moo naianei hoki. To make our language a living language for now and into the future.

Te Amoroa

He reo aroha, tohaina tenei reo aroha . . .

Mereana

My grandmother's generation were forced to speak a language that wasn't theirs. Te reo was beaten out of them, therefore it is my duty to speak te reo whenever I can and where ever I can, because they couldn't.

Herewini

I’m Pākehā so I will always feel like a guest in Aotearoa. However, I’ve never lived anywhere else. This land has always been my home. Te reo Māori is the first and only language heard by this land, from the mouths of people, for hundreds of years and is interwoven throughout this place in the deepest ways. It is undeniably, as people say, a taonga. Learning to speak te reo helps me feel a deeper connection to Aotearoa. I feel more tethered to this place. I share my enthusiasm for this taonga with my children and the young children I teach in the hope that they will feel the same way, and the future of Aotearoa will involve a more connected people.

Amy

Maaori is a beautiful language that's embedded within a beautiful culture steeped in values of respect, inclusion, integrity and aspiration. The language, its history and the stories of its people deserve to be heard in its homeland. We shouldn't sit back in apathy and let it slowly wink out of existence.

Nick

I am 57 years old, a 5th generation Pākeha tane, ( i love being called Pākeha, i am definitely NOT white, rather a ruddy pink and orange ginga maybe). I grew up in Tauranga & Rotorua. As children were exposed to and took part in many things Māori, however i always felt that i was only living in 1/2 of Aotearoa. I wanted to be able to have the right to say "Kia ora" and it mean something. As i heard it said "To be able to walk in the Māori world and the Pākeha comfortably". Learning Te Reo felt like a home coming , as i was embraced by the Aroha of my Kaiako and fellow tauira. I can still only kōrero at the level of a 2 year old but i have so much more now than at the beginning of the journey. I can not recommend it highly enough.

Timothy

Te reo Maori enables me to connect. Connect to Te Ao Maori and Te Ao pakeha in a way that makes me feel good.

Being a Maori who has recently returned to NZ from 23 years abroad, I feel the need to catch up with the te reo which is now being spoken more and more in Aotearoa 😍

Sarah

I am a first generation kiwi from Dutch heritage. My parents (and so our whanau) were welcomed here and allowed to make our home here. It stands to reason we acknowledge Tangata Whenua who 180 years ago opened the way for we tauiwi to come.

Christina

We have a beautiful language and culture. We have been told many lies about it to make us feel ashamed to speak and be Māori. It’s time to change the script by embracing, accepting and loving ourselves in reo, mind and spirit. Thank you for offering a pathway.

Sandra

I lived overseas for a long time and wanted to reconnect with my homeland when I returned. Being a kiwi overseas brought a sense of identity in me, like a taiaha in my spirit, it made me proud of my heritage and the land I call home. Now I learn, so I can share this beautiful land, learn the stories and pass on what I learn as well.

Heather
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Kia ora Why am I learning te reo Māori? - he taonga te reo, our language is so very precious! I'm learning because my language is me, it's a huge part of who I am & because I love my beautiful language! 🥰 Why it's important to me - it's important to because it's a part of me & because our language was in jeopardy of being lost so I have a responsibility to help restore & revive it to a thriving nature Why sign up to be a part of Māori language movement - as above, I will strive to be involved with anything & everything promoting te reo Māori

Tina

I believe te reo is unique and distinct to Aotearoa, it is the first language of these islands, and as such it is a taonga and should be compulsory as a subject from early child education upwards, just as the English language is. I am fifth generation Pākehā and view my own identity as intricately bound to Māori culture too. It is both my duty (as someone whose ancestors invaded Aotearoa and betrayed the indigenous people) and my pleasure (as someone who loves the language) to learn, respect and promote te reo Māori. Pākehā need to support the growth of te reo Māori in institutions and everyday life. Our ancestors tried to banish it from native speakers, to stop it being spoken; now it is imperative we support its growth and vibrancy, and treasure it as the original indigenous language or Aotearoa. Kia kaha te reo Māori!

Annie

I want to be able to converse and understand our reo rangatira. So love our reo

Louise

I'm 64 years old and can't even put a sentence together and when someone speaks or writes something in te reo I can't understand most of what they are saying I feel dumb.

Eliza

I am learning for my matua who wouldn't speak te reo because he was beaten for it and for my mokopuna so he grows up standing tall, knowing his culture and language is something to be proud of.

Kim

To be confident and competent while I’m teaching our future tamariki of Aotearoa. To koorero maaori with confidence on my Paa, with my tuupuna, tamariki and our wider community. I want to feel whole, I want to influence my older tamariki, mokopuna who we are and what our language is, and it to become a normality for them to speak with love & passion. To be proud of their culture & identity.

Maymond

There are numerous number of reasons: ▪︎One of the three official languagesof NZ. ▪︎The language and culture is so intertwined to relate with Tangata Whenua. ▪︎The opportunity to learn via the Te Wananga o Aotearoa at no cost. ▪︎The understanding of Màori history from Màori view point. ▪︎The language and culture is so beautiful and has enhanced my own roots by learning whakapapa.

Paul

Because it is apart of my culture and I want to stay connected to it

Jorja

Would love to engage with whanau on our marae

Mere

Because as a New Zealander who went through the education system in the 70's and 80's, I feel let down about the monocultural world view I was provided, and am embarrassed at my own lack of understanding of New Zealand history. But it's not too late! I want to ensure my children grow up in a country where Te Reo is part of our culture and embraced as part of our identity.

Caroline

Kia Ora. Ko Cathy Ruka toku ingoa. It’s important to take part in this because I love being Maori. I am only half Maori, my mother is Maori and my father is pakeha. I grew up tikanga Maori, so I do not know what it means to be pakeha. Maori was always part of my school curriculum. I grew up and went to school in Kaitaia. I was in the kapa haka group at intermediate. I am 36 years old. Living in Auckland. I still am learning Te reo. I love watching Maori television. I love singing Maori waiata. Well that’s a bit about me. Kia Ora

Cathy

I started to learn te reo Māori about six years ago, because a friend and I were leading a preschool music group and wanted to make sure we were pronouncing the reo correctly in names and songs with the kids. Now learning is part of my journey as a pākeha in Aotearoa to honouring te Tiriti and understanding more. It feels awesome to hear people speaking Māori with their tamariki out and about.

Lynley

To enrich my life and philosophy. To enable a deeper connection to place and people. To tribute and honour tupuna.

Marijke

As a Pākehā, I have been welcomed into wonderful spaces again and again and again as I learn te reo Māori, as I learn about te ao Māori. This love, this manaakitanga, and this deep, grounding knowledge should be visible everywhere in the Aotearoa of tomorrow.

Hannah

To make up for a missing part of my NZ identity. I was made aware of NZ history only once in the Army and although far from comfortable with my 'awareness' I am drawn to become part of the solution. I experienced a contingent handover overseas and the 'welcome/challenge' memory still gives me bumps. Pleased to see how easily younger 'Kiwis' adapt and adopt their awareness when given the chance. Keep up the good work.

Jim

Te Reo is the official language of Aotearoa, it is the language of land I am privileged to live on, work on and learn on. It is the language of my tamariki, I need to speak reo so it continues to be spoken in our whare.

Laura

I am learning te reo because it is one of New Zealand's languages and it seems respectful to honour our first people in this way.

Camilla

As a Pākeha I am aware of how much my people have taken from Māori. I want to be part of giving back, of helping to right the wrongs. Maori language and culture is a taonga that I want to help preserve. This is why I am learning te reo and encouraging others to do the same.

Rebecca

Because it is the language of our land, our whenua and our culture.

Sarah

Te reo & maoritanga are two of the most significant founding threads to the weaving of the human journey in these blessed remote south pacific islands. As a 4th generation Rakiuran, I have always known from a young age that I feel connected this place. If I could converse in te rep I would feel an incredible completeness to my belonging

Bruce

I am a Primary School Teacher in Aotearoa so I have a responsibility to use Te Reo Māori in my classroom, and around our kura, as much as possible because it is the indigenous language of Aotearoa. I need to try and make up for the teachers from the past who caused so many tamariki and whānau to lose their language. Also, I am Pākehā but my hoa tane and 3 step-children are all fluent Te Reo speakers so I want to be able to speak Māori with them.

Victoria