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'm learning Te Reo Māori to normalise it within my community. I think it's really important to raise my tamariki bilingual because it's an ever growing language.

Kaylee

To acknowledge the fact that my parents brought us to New Zealand many years ago for a different life which has given us the chance to experience Maori culture and te reo Maori. It has given us a sense of connection and belonging.

Patricia

Kia ora. Over many years, I have picked up my learning of te reo and, at one stage, got to a reasonable state of understanding. However, with irregular use, my reo has deteriorated. But, it's important! For me and for all NZers to have an understanding - at least to be able to pronounce the words correctly and to have a basic vocabularly. So, I continue to learn. And it's such a beautiful language

Bruce

I love understanding more about who and what we are as people in Aotearoa. I love the challenge, and the satisfaction that comes with knowing more about Te Ao Māori me Te Rep.

Julie

Te Reo Maori is a right and a privilege it is important to access learning of Te Reo Maori then honor the privilege bestowed on us as Maori by our Tipuna to use the language to grow and enhance our use in and across our whanau. Our use of Te Reo Rangatira honors and acknowledges the hard won gains to maintain and hold onto Te Reo Maori, our Reo Maori warriors.

Raewin

Its a bout inclusion for me. I have always been proud to be Maori. Te Reo helps me connect to a greater part of my culture, my family and us as a people. It widens my circle to include people with similar beliefs and a way of looking at the world. I was raised in a time when Maori was not cool. I feel i have missed so much by bowing down to the social norms of the time. . . i felt that I was literally a drop in the ocean against it and now i feel like i was swimming in the wrong ocean. We were an advanced and articulate nation prior to colonisation, and i feel if we were all allowed to know this and accept it, we'd think very differently about ourselves. . . why wouldn't i rather speak the language of those tipuna rather than the ones who've done their best to divide, conquer and destroy us to exploit our land and people? When i was young i knew few Reo speakers. . . now they are everywhere, they are growing and they have many faces . . . I want to speak with them and i want my children to be able to speak to them

Terence

I think it's important for me (and everyone in Aotearoa) to be able to understand and speak some Te Reo. Language helps to create world view and I think having that knowledge is the only way to truly connect with tangata whenua. I am a keen activist as well as I love languages and really enjoyed the short course 4 week course with Brenda. I want to keep up the momentum and not lose what I have learned! I've a lot of background vocabulary and pronunciation, but lack the tools to compose sentences. In a professional capacity, I work for the national office for the citizens advice bureau. We have a kaupapa called Mauri Manaia that I am part of a team that is responsible for making sure we are delivering on its goals of te reo and cultural competency among our CABs around the country. Having a better reo base helps me in this work too. Nga mihi, Lexi Taylor

Lexi

E ako ana ahau ki korero te re Maori, na te ma, i whakaaro au, he tino nui te korero me te reo i ora pai.

Nicola

I feel that as Te Reo is one of our national languages, it is important to know some words and phrases and how to pronounce the words correctly.

Melinda

It seems both pono me tika

Paul

As a New Zealander it’s my responsibility to keep te reo Māori alive. It’s the bare minimum for calling this place home that I say place names correctly, learn about the indigenous culture and respect the land. From a pakeha kiwi

Holly

Ko te ohaaki ō tōku matua te take mā tāku whāinga ki te whakahoki te reo rangatira ki tōna kāinga. I mua i tōna wehenga ki tuawhakarere ka tohatoha a ia i tōna hiahia kia hoki mai te rongoā ō te reo ki tōna kainga. Nāku i oati atu ki tōku matua māku e tutuki ai ki tōna ohaaki. No reira, nāku i peka ki te Wānanga o Aotearoa kia whai te Ara reo me ōna pekanga kairangi. Ināianei, ko tōna ohaaki ko tōku mo āku tamariki. Mā tōna wā ka pāorooro ngā whare o ngā mokopuna ō tōku matua i te kurupākaratanga a ngā manu tīoriori, a ngā Manu whekoata me ngā manu kura e kuraina ana ki te kāinga, ki te marae ātea me kī, ki te ao o te manu kai mātauranga.

Isaac

I can finally express wahinetanga. To also honour our tupuna and those that have fought hard to reclaim te reo Maori.

Analatu

To claim back te reo and tikanga Māori for myself and for my whānau

Rachel

Te reo Maori is the native language of the tangata whenua and as such it needs to be spoken by every person who lives here. It's an official language (alongside NZ sign language) and it is my opinion that it, and NZSL, should be in use everyday by everybody as much as English is as the default official language (it's not the official language in law, just by default so te reo and NZSL actually have a more legal standing for every day use). Currently I'm doing several informal classes to learn te reo - a couple of aps on my phone, a free course online by Massey University, some workbooks I have.

Annette

It is my heritage and it is my duty to pass it in to my children and mokopuna.

Adam

I am at a point in my life where I feel the time is right. Just to learn the basic of our Native Language will give me a closeness to My Cultural Identity being Of Maori Descent. I too have a pepe who will be attending total emersion Kura Learning and having some knowledge of our Reo with be of a great help too.

Maraea

I'm a classic example of a middle aged wahine who has Māori lineage but was brought up in a Pakeha environment and wishes Te Reo was as accessible then as it is now. If others are like me, it is not until we are older that we wanting to discover our whakapapa. My moko is in an Māori-English unit at Kura and a lot of the parents, as well as the Kaiako obviously, are fluent speakers so it would be nice to be able to understand what is being said, and converse on at least a basic level.

Fiona

I personally love learning te reo Māori because it’s like stepping into my tipuna’s world, how they connect, how they understood eachother, how they treated and love the whenua, how they loved, how they connected to the environment in all ways ❤️ Te reo Māori takes me to that place, I love it, it makes my soul happy, I feel my tipuna and I love every single moment of it. I couldn’t imagine life without, my life has changed for the better since learning, I lead with aroha now more than I ever did. . for me that’s being Māori 😊

Atariti

Ko te reo te mauri o te mana māori - Tihei Mauriora. My why for learning te reo rangatira: Te reo rangatira is my connection to the taonga tuku iho that were stripped away through the systematic and deliberate processes of colonisation. Since stepping into my learning journey of te reo rangatira I have grown as a person, and feel a deeper understanding of who I was supposed to be in this life. As I grow I begin to get clarity of the importance of knowing ko wai koe, nā wai koe, i ahu mai koe i hea? from this my desire to give back increases. I have always said my journey resembles the famous lyrics of Prince Tui Teka " the more I find out the less I know". I am grateful for the calming inspiration of whakatauakī for example 'ahakoa he iti he pounamu' reminds me to calm the taniwha and be grateful for each step in my learning journey. Te reo rangatira is a treasure and holds the ecological roadmap to Māori wellbeing.

Jacqui

I'm Niuean and I'm fluent in my language. My grandsons are part Māori and I speak to them in Niuean, Te Reo and lastly Te Reo Pakeha. I try to speak a lot more Te Reo at my work and speaking Te Reo is encouraged at my workplace. I understand others when they speak but I have difficulty structuring my sentences in te reo so it makes sense when I spurt it out of my mouth. Nga mihi mahana Iris

Iris

It is part of our national identity and we need to treasure it.

Adam

What drives me (us) to be a part of Te Reo Māori. . . . . . My mokopuna's (5) native tongue is Māori My children (2 and now parents) were brought up through Kōhanga, Kura Kaupapa and Reo Rumaki My children confidently participate in Te Ao Māori, especially kapa haka My children both have jobs where Te Reo Māori is actively used (one is a teacher of Te Reo and the other a Public Servant) My wife and I both have jobs where Te Reo Māori is encouraged. And to be a part of all of this, me kōrero Māori māua ko taku hoa wahine. Ki te kore, aue, ka mahue māua.

Bernie

For me, Te Reo encompasses Te Ao Maori completely - with Te Reo we have the culture, the history, the inclusion, and the ancestry. Without it, as Maori we cannot maintain our knowledge and connection to the whenua and the tipuna. Over the years the language has been much maligned and mis-spoken, along with Maori also, and there is a real risk that we lose the taonga that we have if we do not defend it.

Linda

Why you are learning te reo Why am I learning te reo, because my tamariki have been educated through Kohanga, Kura Kaupapa, Wharekura, Wananga and now one is a qualified kura kaupapa Māori kaiako and the other is at Victoria University studying Māori. It was clear that I needed to upskill myself to be a part of their matauranga journey and to communicate effectively and confidently with my tamariki in Reo Māori. Why it’s important to you It is imperative to me that we all learn our language, unfortunately we weren't given the opportunity to learn it when I was at school, for some reason my mum thought it beneficially for me to be put in a French class and not a Māori class. However, I'm making damn sure that my whanau learn and take an interest in their tikanga, karakia, waiata and language moving forward. Why have you signed up to be a part of the Māori language movement It's so important to push this movement full steam ahead so our mokopuna grow confident and proud of who they are, where they are from and where they are heading in life, not fumble and hide with embarrassment because they are not meeting the public perception of a colonised worldview. It brings me immense joy and frustration within myself when I hear other cultures speaking their language freely around Aotearoa and we hesitate to be heard out loud speaking our own reo, often for fear of making a mistake. This is changing, we are becoming more confident and brave in the use of our reo, so well done to TVNZ channel 1, I love hearing our reo being spoken on national media. Well done also to our Māori TV channels, Māori radio, our rangatahi on social media, and to our Māori providers who are becoming more inclusive with the use or kupu Māori on their resources and services, you all rock.

Claudine

As a child growing up my mother never taught me or my bro and sis Te Reo, so I would like to try to talk my culture. I am surrounded by te Reo

Gayle

As a primary school teacher I think it is important for us all to learn the Maori language. I personally love listening to the language while also enjoy the waiata and karakia.

Neil

Te Tiriti o Waitangi is a bridge connecting Te Ao Māori and Te Ao Pākehā. In the words of Kelvin Davis, "Since 1840 who has crossed that bridge? Māori have crossed over, how many have come back the other way?" Learning and using Te Reo is one part of my responsibility as Tangata Tiriti, and especially as an immigrant - but this a responsibility held by ALL Pākehā in Aotearoa. Kō te reo kia tika, kō te reo kia rere, kō te reo kia Māori.

Sarin

As a new migrant in Aotearoa, and after four years choosing this land as a home. I believe that "Te reo" and "Te ao Maori" are the bridge to settle in NZ, it is a holistic way to connect, allowing us to make a positive impact on the wellbeing of our planet, our communities and ourselves. Kia ora.

Franco

Because it can help me get a job and I actually enough getting to understand what is being said. I have lots of Y's. Also my children and grandchildren are part maori so it is showing them they don't have to be maori to learn and make it more acceptable to learn their own language.

Sharon R.

Te Reo Māori is beautiful and important to me because this is our Identity and who we are as a people. I am apart of this kaupapa because I am Māori and proud to be Māori. Nga Mihi xx KIA KAHA TE REO MĀORI

Kirsty

Te Reo is important to me as it is language of the country I was born in. My ancestors go back 200 years in Aotearoa and I am ashamed I do not speak the language. As my heritage is with early settlers I have no connection with any other land than Aoteoroa. If my ancestors had gone to any other land I would be speaking that language. It is important to me that Te Reo becomes the first language of Aotearoa. Because I am older and we did not have any Te Reo in school, it is harder. We also have grown up with the bad pronunciation of our ancestors. I know it is considered disrespectful to have incorrect pronunciation, but I ask for patience with my generation as we break old habits of incorrect pronunciation. I love to hear my children who have leant Te Reo in school pronouncing the words beautifully Nga Mihi

Ruth

For my tamariki - for our future ❤️

Cherise

I believe that Te Reo is part of our NZ identity. I started to learn Te Reo in my 20s then started work and decided to put it off for a bit as I had kids etc and seemed to be busy. When I retired I thought this is the time, but now I realise it’s so much harder to learn a language in your 70s with my memory not being so good. I say people should just go for it when they can and not be like me.

John

Growing up I was exposed to little to no Te Reo Māori even though I knew it was important to my mother. Her parents grew up in a time where it was banned, so was unable to pass nearly as much down as they would've wanted. I want to be in a position where I can hold a conversation comfortably, learn Māori culture and customs, and be proud to know that my ancestors can rest easy knowing our culture lives on through me and my children.

I started as I needed a new thing to get my brain moving I am tutored by my son once a week so its a chance to connect with him on a regular basis

Nancy

I was not encouraged to learn te reo growing up . . . so now I want to learn it. I was born here and brought up here in Aotearoa NZ so I want to learn about my history and tikana and about the beautiful land we live in and I believe that to have a better understanding te reo Māori is important in this. I also want to respect other Māori and people who lived on this land before me by learning about their culture and identity and the history of this land. I believe this will also help me in my sense of identity and living here. I want to encourage others to learn as well as have places where I can keep my reo alive by speaking it to others so this is why I have joined the Māori Language Movement!

Robyn

Ko Ben Nevis rāua ko Pūtauaki ngā Maunga te rū nei tāku ngākau. Ko Clyde rāua ko Tarawera ngā awa e mahea nei āku māharahara. I whanau mai au i te taha ō te awa ō Paisley, nō Scotland ahau. E mihi ana ki ngā tohu ō nehe ō Tauranga Moana; e noho nei te whānau ō tōku hoa tane. Kei Kawerau a māua e noho ana. Ko Heather Murphy tōku ingoa. I moved to Aotearoa in 2015, from Scotland and was taken in by how much Te Reo Maori was everywhere! ! When I learnt about its revitalisation and what occurred through colonisation I knew I had to be part of the resurgence. I have been blessed to be learning through Te Wananga o Aotearoa for 4 years now, and this learning journey has shaped my life here massively. It is so important to me that I hold space for and respect the indigenous language of this country, and I believe its something everyone should do. If people cant or wont learn, they should at least be respectful about Te Reo, and at the bare minimum learn place names and peoples names correctly, not just "how its always been said". Kia kaha Te Reo Maori!

Heather

I started to see the Maori language as part of New Zealand's heritage during a train journey to the mountains which had an audio history of the area. I also learned more about Te Ao Maori in my Masters and loved the idea of everything being about bettering the whole community and the planet. Since I started, I am now helping our workforce also gain Te Reo, as part of their Learning and Development team. Since I help train our kaiako (teachers), I will be not only helping them but our tamariki (children) as well. Plus I don't want anyone to feel whakama (shame) that they don't know their language - I want them to feel enabled, supported and empowered. Also, since my ancestors came here as fencibles and soldiers from Ireland, I want to make amends and this is one way I can do that.

Jacinta

Never was raised speaking te reo and now that I am home I am on my reo journey.

Tony

Because it is essential for unity in Aotearoa New Zealand

Ginny

Mo te organga o toku pa harakeke

Amelia

Firstly, it is a beautiful language, Secondly, we need to honor partnership under the Treaty - this is such a lovely way to do that. I want to understand what is being said in a Mārae.

Fiona

Atamarie, My journey is very long and I have been in the zone of wanting to learn te reo since I started school in Auckland 40 years ago! I moved from Invercargill where it was Not a thing at all that I recall. I learned very basic entry level words, and songs and even joined the kapa haka group and made my own poi learned to plait the strings, etc. forward 10 years and I had a Maori boyfriend who became the Father of my daughter and I STILL don't know how to string a sentence together. He was rural Maori and I learned more words and tikanga through him, went to many tangi and marae visits, Still no sentence structure. I now (20 years later) have a dear and fluent friend who worked at Te Karere and took me with him to the local marae for lessons, but I found it very hard to stand up in front of people, I am very shy in that respect, and I couldn't finish the lessons. I once again felt hopeless. I work in an environment that is very VERY slowly beginning to add words and phrases to emails etc. . . and I am once again trying to find the class/ lessons that fit me and my way of learning. This is a life goal, and I will get there. Kiaora.

R

It is long overdue that Pakeha make efforts to learn about, value and connect with Te Reo. We need to open our minds to new ways of relating, connecting and collectively healing in our society.

Anne

Te reo Måori is beautiful! Matauranga Måori teaches us what the world needs more of, how to value and take care of Te Ao. Indigenous culture is renewing itself and showing the world what they have missed. It is a wonderful thing to be proud of who you are and where you come from, but not in a possessive manner but in a truly humble way. At the same time we are willing to throw away the 'humble' and be more assertive in kappa Måori and how tangata whenua want to leave and will leave. The dollar value should not and will not be the highest value. Te Ao is priceless and so are the many creatures we share it with. Te reo is much more then language, it holds the key to teach the world to be better and alter their values that have dominated for so long. The world depends upon it. That how so very imprtsnt this whakaro is! !

Debbie

I moved from Australia 8 years ago and am very respectful of how culture, the environment and people are all one thing, te reo Māori is a beautiful example of this is why I want to connect through language and culture in my home Aotearoa !

Lynette

My why is for the lost generation of māori . For too long, Te Reo was cast aside and Māori were made to feel ashamed to speak or practice our way of living. I never want anyone (māori or non/māori) to feel embarrassed of speaking their language.

Raven

As a tauiwi, I am learning that anyone and everyone can be a part of the revitalisation of te reo Māori. I have lived in Aotearoa my whole life, and feel honoured to be able to learn about te ao Māori, and I want to teach my children the importance of the history of our whenua.

Nic

I tōku whānau, karekau ngā tāngata e kōrero Māori. Ināwhea au i te 12 tāku tau ki te kura takawaenga, i wheako mai i te ao Māori mō tētahi tau. Ahakoa, he tino pūkenga au i te pangarau me te pūtaiao, i neke atu ki tērā karaehe. Heoi, kāore au i whakaako i tōku mana Māori, i tōku māramatanga o te ao Māori. He tino nunui ki ahau ināianei, e mōhiotia e māua ko tōku whānau, ko tōku whānaungatanga i te tāngata, i te whānau, i tōku tūrangawaewae hoki. Ki au nei, ki te kore koe e mōhio, me pēhea koe e mōhio ai he tāngata Māori koe.

Poriana

Simply put it is a language that has been suppressed for 150 years and is right now being rejuvenated

Te Rangi

I think its my duty as a Māori man to learn and encourage others to normalise Te Reo Māori and be a part of the great work being achieved by all involved . Our children have a right to know our culture to help shape there future prospects.

Denny

Ko wai au? Ko te reo he korero tuturu mo matou katoa. Ahakoa he piki me nga heke kia mau tonu mau ki to tu, ki te kaha ki te korero maori ia wa, i nga wa katoa.

Robyn

For me being on my learning journey, it makes me feel more at home. I want to continue my learning journey so i can help my whanau learn.

Tara

By learning Te Reo and appreciating things Maori, this will enrich the lives of all New Zealanders

Roy

Tena Koutou When I as 7 years Utan our vegetable shop our Maori customer spoke Maori to us I replied to our customers exactly what they said, as I know we learn naughty words first Kaua e korero Pena me penei te tika We live in Aotearoa we should all be taught te reo Maori Te reo definitely has enhanced my career to advance our people’s matters Ka mihi ki oku whanau i poipoi nei ki aua Kia Ora Meng

Meng

I know my reo is in my DNA, I wear the face of my Tupuna. My babies wear their faces also. Reo was my first language, but it was taken from me, I was forbidden in the 80's to speak reo. I see it like a reactivation and reconnecting to who I truely am and who my babies are. Reo as we all know is not just kupu, its wider than that.

Jo

It's my birthright. My ancestors never thought that I wouldn't know the language/culture. . . I feel I owe it to them to know them in this special way.

Suzy

As an ex-ECE teacher I am well aware of the need to value our bicultural NZ history and to keep Te Reo Maori live so that this precious taonga is not lost. It is a beautiful language and try to keep using it as much as I can so that I don't lose what I have learnt.

Lisa

Te reo is an official language of this country. In order to fully participate in New Zealand society you cannot be ignorant of tikanga and the values which Māori ascribe to Aotearoa. I also believe that as a public servant I have an obligation to lift my skills in this area, so it will benefit my mahi as well.

John

It is important to understand our shared history of Aotearoa and the incremental negative phases that took place during the Colonisation. The suppression of Māori language and Culture is a shameful fact that contemporary New Zealanders are saddled with. Misconceptions of our early history abound. Just listen on radio talk back, to a host of uninformed people regurgitating disproven facts. I am a Pākeha and have been learning Te Reo Māori for 3 years. I am an advocate for people to learn NZ History and Te Reo Māori and thereby, be drawn into a sort of contextualisation of who and where they fit as Kiwis. Ngā mihi, Barry Dulieu.

Barry

I grew up in Christchurch in from the late 1960's and didn't learn te reo at home or school. Part of growing up in NZ was that we did enjoy aspects of te Ao Maori such as an annual Hangi beside the Ashley river and listening to Treaty issues on the radio which often spoke of pakeha and maori. By the 1990's I was living in Kenya , when I said I was from NZ, the locals would korero Maori back and I thought wow I really must go back to NZ and learn more about Te Ao Maori. On returning to NZ I lived in a place called Minginui and my children went to kohunga reo so learning reo was part of some happy memories that I am still appreciating in 2021 especially having a work place which is embracing and encouraging nga mea Maori.

Felicity

It is important for me to be taking part in this awesome kaupapa as I want to be eventually in a space of talking fluently. I am thinking ahead and in the now for my own children and mokopuna.

Te Puke Primary School

Ko te reo te mauri o te mana Māori. . .

Jean

There are many reasons I'm learning Te Reo Māori, but the main reason for me is about being part of our beautiful and unique nation. Its about connecting with and better understanding others. If we don't have a solid understanding of each other as a foundation, how can we ever move forward to build a prosperous Aotearoa NZ for us and for the next generation?

Leonie

It's like a part of my DNA is missing. Te Reo Māori makes us unique to the rest of the world :)

Dale-Maree

Because i have seen the terrible inequality for our Maori people who were here before my ancestors and i feel that we all should be learning Te Reo , the whole history aswell in our classrooms, no different than learning English in the classroom. I have studied for one year and feel i am only just beginning to learn, intending going back until i can actually speak this beautiful language but also understand what is being said and be able to answer back correctly Thank you Michelle

Michelle

Because I love Te Reo and I want to make sure my tamariki and Mokopuna hear it in their home

Heather

It's a recognised NZ language that ALL New Zealanders should embrace and learn .

Rose

I am learning te reo Māori because te reo is a taonga. I am a Wahine Pakeha with a Ngai Tahu husband, tamariki and mokopuna. I am also a kaiako. I am determined to become a fluent speaker to nurture and uplift our beautiful language. I believe we have a responsibility to uphold the language and to make sure it is the sound, meaning and everyday experience of living in Aotearoa. Kia kaha tātou Ki te kōrero Māori!

Katharine

I lost touch with my reo when I left school 10 years ago and in my whanau at the time not a lot of them know any te reo the reason why I have started my journey again is because I have been feeling whakama about going to my Marae an not being able to korero with my kaumatua I hope to regain that knowledge an to go home and represent my whanau one day soon

Jonelle

So many reasons. Te Ao Maori infuses New Zealand and makes us into who we are. We need to support and preserve it for our own identity and well being as well as to redress historical wrongs. Learning Te Reo Maori opens the heart and sharpens the brain, it causes conversations and ensures social change. It also models to our Tamariki and Mokopuna and teaches them so they too will have the benefit of Maori values and tikanga. I believe Aotearoa can be a model for the world on the way forward to combat deadly racism and understand and value diversity, one word at a time.

Carmel

No Airangi ahau. E aroha ana ahau i Te Reo. Ko te Kohanga Reo me Te Ataarangi nga ara Reo maaau. Kia kaha ki te whakanuinga I te motu xxx

Marie

Kia ora ko au ko te maunga ko te maunga ko au, I am one of many in my immediate whanau who has been learning the reo with it I have learnt my whakapapa on both side even thou I was bought up by just my father who past in 1996. My grandmother spoke it but it wasn't enough to imbrase it, my whangai mum (aunty) had a passion for the reo that I followed her footsteps I'm proud to speak our reo I'm not fluent but I am part of teaching our tamariki at kōhanga reo for the future.

Naumai

At high school it was my passion it was my reason to go to be apart of something, I become a mother and used what I had with my older tamariki but I felt like I’d lost it over the years. I went back to learn with Te Wananga o Aotearoa I’m now a Kaiawhina in a full immersion early childhood centre and 2 of my 3 youngest attend, speak and converse in Te reo Maori my baby is like a sponge soaking it all in so when she is a little older she too will be fluent. There are no words to describe how proud I am to be able to korero Te reo Maori in our community. He tino taonga Te reo Maori Te reo o ngà rangatira ngà típuna màtua ♥️

Hailey

Ānei ētahi kupu nā te waiata "Nei rā te kaupapa" e whakamārama pai ana i ōku whakaaro mō te reo. . . "He taonga tuku iho nō ngā tūpuna. Toku reo, toku ohooho mapihi maurea whakakaimarihi. Korerotia te reo i nga wa katoa kia kore e rite ki te moa". Nō reira, e tautoko ana ahau i tēnei kaupapa "Kia kaha te reo Māori".

Rangimarie

I am a Kiwi and Te Reo Māori is one of the national languages of my country: as a citizen I should know it. I am a teacher of Aotearoa New Zealand histories and cannot possibly understand the past of this land in English only. I have put my name to an agreement that says I will do my best by all students that I am assigned to teach and I can do this best by seeking to understand the cultures of this land. Culture can only be deeply, truly understood through language. I am old(er) and believe that it shouldn't be left to the younger generations to rectify all the issues created in the past. Even if I never get to speak or use te Reo Māori in my life or my career, I want to show my children that it matters to learn: "Be the change you want to see". I would love to see all Kiwis taught from a young age to be fluent in all our national languages. What an inclusive nation we would be. My family have been here for many generations, it's about bloody time we learned. I live on this land and it is an incredible joy to begin to understand its stories. These stories are held in trust by Reo Māori.

Maxine

To uphold the Treaty of Waitangi. Te Reo is the language of Aotearoa. I have two moko of Ngati Porou descent 😊

Mary

I am a 51 year old Pākehā wahine and I have been wanting to learn te reo for some time. It started because of my terrible pronunciation that was embarrassing. I just couldn’t get it right, so I would stop trying. I have two tamariki that grew up learning basic te reo at school and pronounce te reo correctly effortlessly. My generation didn’t get the learning like they did. My job in midwifery means I have relationships with Māori wāhine and their whānau. Knowing more and having some understanding of Māoritanga is a way to show respect and honour and hopefully can be empowering for them. Te reo is a beautiful, rich language. It offers such deep nuance with each word, that saying even one word can tell a story on its own. English doesn’t do that. To kōrero in te reo is my goal and I am slowly getting there. I understand better than I speak at the moment.

Fiona

To connect to my country and to support my daughters as they learn te reo as well. .

Jacqueline

You cannot share what you do not have, so i want to share a lot to nga tamariki by learning a lot.

Maria Gracia

It’s important to me because, I am Maori and proud to be. To help my children to carry on this ataahua language. And it is New Zealand’s first language, so let’s spread this whakaaro and get every other Maori to korero their language. Kiaora

Iritana

Because it’s important to keep this beautiful language alive, because I enjoy it, to connect with Maori culture and to be able to converse, mihi and sing.

Jo

I’m learning te reo Māori because it makes me feel connected to the motu & helps give me a kōrero. I love finding out more about both te reo & te ao Māori.

John

To support my own ako and to tautoko my work environment. The Purpose at mahi is to support all staff in their understanding and knowledge of Te Ao Māori by normalising cultural values, traditions and practices within our work environment.

Errol

I owe it to my tupuna to carry on our Reo and our Māoritanga. I also owe it to our babies so they don’t have to teach themselves as adults.

Ngawahine

I am learning Maori because it’s one of my cultures. I need to keep it and also need to experience it through my school to keep it

Raen

It's who we are and it's ours the reo the tikanga the knowledge is beautiful and as Maori we need to embrace who we are not 4 ourselves but for our tamaiti

Corina-Chey
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It's who we are and it's ours the reo the tikanga the knowledge is beautiful and as Maori we need to embrace who we are not 4 ourselves but for our tamaiti

Corina-Chey

Learning Te Reo Maori, Speaking Te Reo Maori, Thinking in Te Ao Maori gives me purposes and focus to all I do in my life!

Wayne

I am a Dutch born Kiwi, arriving to this incredible country when I was 4 - when we first arrived, we were forced to drop our mother tongue to learn English. But the first 4 years was enough for me to hold on to the basics until my late teens when I went to search more for my roots. Time went on, life's highs and lows. . . milestones and challenges. . . . then when our own children started to learn Te Reo, and both became proficient with it. . . it put me to shame that I had never taken up the same journey. The last ten years I have become more confident with attempting basics, especially with pronounciation of place names and learning the why, how and because of so many things - historically and present. I am approaching 50 years in New Zealand, and have never felt so much aroha with identifying as a New Zealander - and am grateful for the chance to learn the most incredible language, block by block. . . . it is definitely a journey. . . .

Arda

I grew up learning different languages from other countries growing up in New Zealand. When I attended University in America I was introduced to their Te Reo Maori language class. Back then Te Reo wasn’t as prevalent as it is now in NZ. I thought if the University thinks it’s important to teach the native tongue of NZ and I’m from NZ then it must be important to learn. By taking the classes I realised years down the road it’ll come in handy, I just had a feeling it would come in handy. Fast forward to today and returning back to NZ after living abroad for years it’s amazing to see Te Reo Maori being revitalised and thriving when I lived through the time the language almost went extinct and I lived in the time the first Kohanga Reo was created. To me Te Reo is an important part of a living culture and it should be normalised in everything we do here in NZ because it is our native tongue.

Elizabeth

To support me in my mahi and my mokopuna .

Miraka

Ko Tōku Reo, Tōku Ohooho!

Emere

The movement to refocus on Te Reo Maori is very important to me. I believe native languages should be celebrated and encouraged to flourish. I am not Maori, but I have a respect for the Maori people and culture, and believe it would be detrimental if the Maori culture and Te Reo Maori was lost. I am doing my part to keep the language alive by learning Te Reo Maori. And I’m having a lot of fun learning!

Kathy

I want to learn Maori as its the language of our country. Literally, in the case of Maori placenames, which my Mother was able to translate, and occasionally this indicated a local legend. I also think it would be fun to hold conversations with fellow Kiwis overseas that no-one else could understand. Already its probably possible to go into a pub and call out "E tu! " thus locating fellow Kiwis when they automatically stand up!

Anna
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First I started to learn haka and I realized that understanding the meanings behind Te Reo I'd understand myself, my motivations to study all about the Māoritanga and now I know: the more I speak Te Reo Māori the more connected I feel as one with friends of Aotearoa NZ.

Wagner

Going on 23 years ago my daughters’ dad, who is Rongowhakaata, enrolled her into Te Kohanga Reo & I was really against it because I believed that her being immersed in te reo Māori wouldn’t get her anywhere in life. In my defence, I was privately & publicly brought up to believe in this, since I’m a product of the 1960’s & am of Sāmoan descent. This was my perspective of te reo Māori until I saw how much my daughter was blossoming into a vibrant & confident young woman. I knew, in my manawa, that it was because of her connection with being schooled in Te Ao Māori. However, in her first year at Unitec she informed me that she believed she was losing her reo because she wasn’t using te reo on a daily basis, & I couldn’t even kōrero Māori. My manawa dropped because I didn’t want my daughter to start wilting. So, I said to her, “NOT ON MY WATCH! ”, & I took her hand & we enrolled at TWoA together. Unfortunately, she had to drop out because she couldn’t balance the workload of studying for her degree in Architecture & attending te reo Māori classes, but I continued on. As a parent I want my daughter to succeed in life & unlike before I totally believe that te reo Māori is the vehicle which she needs to get her there. Learning te reo Māori has enabled me to see the importance of Te Ao Māori, not just for my daughter, but for all of Aotearoa in general. Te reo Māori is a taonga to me! Not only do I want my daughter to retain her reo by me being able to kōrero Māori fluently with her on a daily basis, but I also want to go out in public & hear conversations being had in te reo Māori, all around me, like it was before the colonizers tried to strip Māori of their identity. Whāia te iti kahurangi ki te tūohu koe me he maunga teitei. Seek the treasure you value most dearly: if you bow your head, let it be to a lofty mountain.

Geneveive

As so much of our heritage has been hidden, so too was my knowledge of even being Maori. My Grandfather was shamed into hiding his Whakapapa and any mention of being Maori. I know a little, but I want to learn more. So I can go to my Marae and speak my mihi, pepeha with pride and passion. I also need to learn tikanga Maori so I am fully immersed into my culture, properly.

Benjamin

I want to find out mre about my ancestor's I want to know my Maori history where I'm from what it means and learn about my tribe

Emma