Te pae kōrero | Our why

There are many things that define New Zealanders and connect us to our home: and te reo Māori is one of them.

Everyone has their own reasons for wanting to learn te reo and see it become normalised and spoken nationwide. Explore them below and share your favourites to inspire others to get involved.


Add your 'why'

Te Reo is connection to culture, and land, to my past, present & future

Penny

To pass down our ways as I wasn't shown it's been a long journey to get to where I am

Jonathan

The Māori culture is part of NZ and plays an important role in our history and our future - I hate the thought of this culture dying out and while I am not Māori I want to do my part to make sure we don't loose this culture. I learnt the Pākeha perspective when I was at uni, but I learnt so much more from my ex partner, who is Māori and speaks fluent Te Reo. Te Reo is a beautiful language and I want to do what I can to ensure it remains alive in our country.

Sharon

I feel as though I owe it to myself, my kids, my community and country and fellow NZ'ers to do what I can to support and grow Te Reo

Michael

I am maori and I know more japanese and spanish than my own language. I think its important for me to start learning Te reo so I can learn more about my language and share with my little boy and encourage him to learn as well.

Leighton

It’s the language of our Tangata whenua and the nurturing of it is important in decolonising Aotearoa. I want to learn te reo Māori to reconnect with Te Ao Māori, with my whakapapa and my culture, as these ties have been lost in my whānau over the past few generations.

Jasmine

I am maori. Proud of my culture but also embarrassed that I can not confidently speak the reo.

Roland

It's important because my generation was disconnected from the language and successive governments have never had the courage to make te reo compulsory in schools. I don't want the next generations of my family to miss out on the different ways of thinking and understanding the world that te reo brings. By becoming a proficient speaker I can help my children and grandchildren connect into te Ao Māori.

Leah

It's important to learn Māori for me, I'm getting older and have little knowledge of the Reo. It's very important, the recognition of the Rangatahi of Aotearoa to have the Reo in all schools and to teach our history to all children, so when they grow up they have an insight of what really happened to our people. It is important they are able to see what happened in the coming of the Pakeha to our Whenua, the wars and all injustices that have and are still being inflicted on our people. With the teaching of the Reo and the correct teachings of our History, only then the young Pakeha will have a better insight to what happened to us and why our People are dominant in jail and are benefit dependent . The old Pakeha will die . . . Ana. . , their children we must teach with kindness and most of all honesty. With this insight we have a good chance of a prosperous life together. Kia Kaha Te Hikoi O Te Reo Maori Mike Gordon.

Michael

I never got the chance to know my roots my culture outlet te reo I wann be able pass that on to my children

Tarita

I really want to help people become absorbed and involved in Te Reo. I also want to find speakers who I can practice talking the language with. I don't want the language to die out!

Peter

I am new to New Zealand and beginning to learn Te Reo has taught me of the deep cultural and spiritual significance of this country. I am grateful for all of the people willing to share their culture with me and teach me their language. 💛

Sara

I am a 5th generation new zealander with a passion and love for this land . my dream is that we will unite and take care of Papatuanoku. to be in harmony and to understand our differences so we may celebrate the uniqueness that is Aotearoa . x

Jackie

I would like my children to grow up hearing and speaking te reo.

Megan
mereana

Learn a new language. . learn the language of my new home

Kaushal

I am a proud Kiwi and part of this is being able to speak te reo Māori in my opinion. Additionally, learning a new language is an exciting yet challenging goal!

Teresa
Kristal

Its who I am. . Who I want to be

Kelsey

It is my heritage and my love

Nygella

As a child I spoke fluently, as time went by and those who spoke with me passed on, so did my ability to speak te reo. I would love to learn the language again and teach it to my children.

Sylvia

i want to one more person learning te reo as i think that te reo māori should be spoken more and in our day to day to life’s

Jane

I have chose to make my home in Aoteroa, as part of that there is a definite obligation to do my part in keeping the key parts of this land. Te reo is one of those key parts. I also think that if new Zealanders see a foreigner making an effort then they will feel more comfortable in doing so too.

Rachel

As a manuhiri myself I believe that it is important to respect the tāngata whenua and to learn their tikanga, their reo and about the history to be able to create a better future.

Ina

knowledge is power. I work in Healthcare and work alongside maori so knowing more kupu would be beneficial

Bodiene

Our daughter's husband is part Maori and we want to be able to help our grandkids to speak Te Reo and help normalise it in their lives. ie if all the people in their lives know a bit of Te Reo it will seem more normal to them. We have plenty of time they haven't arrived yet

Christine

I feel so disconnected to our culture. I wishs I could speak and understand te reo for myself and my children. I feel it is a big part of me missing. My kids love kapahaka and listening to people speaking maori . I also would love to get my kauae alongside my partner whenever he decides the time is right to get his moko done and before this happens I should have knowledge on my culture and language first.

Bryanna

I don't have any confidence about trying to correctly say any names or words in te reo and I would like to start before I have mokopuna

Kristin

I would love to participate for not only myself, for my whanau, friends & future children who need to learn about our culture, language and how our ancestors lived. This is important for all of us! It should be the main language in NZ education beside English language. WE need to do this for our future.

Bry

Returning back from living in USA for 4 years I didn’t realise how patriotic I became. Since returning I have an admiration for our Maori and the importance of passing the culture and language continuing down through the generations so this will not be lost or forgotten. I have just completed a Cultural & Competency paper and would now like to learn the language. ( I’m in my early 50’s )

Nicola

It's important for me to learn because my mum was a fluent speaker but was whipped at school for speaking Maori. I want to learn it for my own purposes.

Connie

To encourage my tamahine to be proud of her taha Maori.

Jody

I love my students ❤ and I want to understand them on a deeper level. I also want them to know i have respect for them and their culture. I believe it will help me develop stronger relationships and make a difference for our kids

Michelle

To learn more Maori to support me in my role in Ece implementing Maori language with our younger generation to pay respect to NZs Maori heritage and support Maori learners

Philippa

Simple- I'm a kiwi, māori underpins our nation.

Luke

Ko te Reo Maori te Reo Rangatira!

Lee

I notice that the children in my classroom really enjoy learning Te Reo Māori and it adds much more to their learning. We have been learning together. This week we have been learning - Kei Te aha Te Taima? in Te Reo Māori and English.

Clare

Te Reo Maori he herenga ki ahau ki te whenua, te rangi, te moana, nga awa, nga ngahere, nga manu, nga ika, nga ngangara. Te reo Maori is an offical language of Aotearoa. Pakeha who speak Te Reo are more likely to feel more of a connection and love for te whenua me nga tangata Maori.

Kristin

Maori is an official language of Aotearoa so why not

Natalie

Because I want to learn another language and Maori is an increasingly relevant one.

Mario

Absolute passionated by NZ culture, my partner and I are thriving to learn te reo .

Rafa

Don't want to lose my culture

Monty

To never forget my maoritanga and encourage others.

Whaiora

I owe it to my whakapapa and myself. It's part of connecting to who I am.

Tash

Great idea. The more people involved, the better.

Claire

Reo Maori is encoded with awesome guiding principles I like to apply to life. It is a whakapapa connection to those who have gone. . . a taonga for those who are yet to come.

Gaylene

To honour the culture

Ruth

To promote te reo Maori /language as a human right for people with disabilities

Mershen

To embrace my culture

Harmony

Ko te reo tōku ohooho Ko te reo tōku māpihi maurea

Shanna

Kia Ora Whanau! Ko Simon Meikle tenei. No Ngati Pakeha ahau. I have studied just one year at Te Wangana but several studying Chinese and Indonesian. Te Reo Maori is a treasure indeed with its roots going way back to the earliest civilisations, It contains genius and profound wisdom. It opens up doors and insights into being a human. Kia Ora!

Simon

I have always been fascinated by the similarities of the Maori and Pacific languages with the Filipino languages. I believe that learning another language allows me to connect better with the people and widens my perspective and understanding of the world.

Lynnie Ann

To have a greater understanding, and be confident in my pronunciation.

Carol

I'm learning its a part of who I am, I'm learning to connect with my whakapapa, I'm learning to connect with papatuanuku. My ability to speak fluently is a way off, but I will stay the course and hopefully overcome my shyness to speak openly in te reo maori one day. . . soon.

Melanie

It is our first language and it shouldn't be unknown or an after thought

Anahera

To help and be a part of a better New Zealand

Holly

The Te Reo language is part of every Kiwi's identity. Entwined in our rich history of Aotearoa. I would love to be able to speak basic conversational Te Reo.

rebecca

Learning another language is great for brain development, also Maori is our countries special culture and it should be embraced.

Renee

I am Pākehā but have nieces and nephews who have whakapapa. I want to uphold Te Reo for them.

Valerie

Language is culture and culture is identity.

Julia

Ko te reo Maori te reo taketake o Aotearoa. Let's get in behind it, support our Maori brothers and sisters, and take on all those beautiful values that come with the reo. Mauriora

Jonathan

Feeling like too many generations have missed out on something special and owed to us that is a given right. I want to be apart of knowing my culture and reo, I want to make a stance that maori is just as important in everything

Tina

I am Maori and I want to celebrate it through Te Reo, Waiata and the arts. I'm still at the beginning of this journey to fully embrace my birth right.

Kim

I am a member of my marae and hapu trustees. I want to participate in the korero and understand more.

Caroline

As someone struggling to find my tuakiri Māori, this is a great way to keep myself accountable and truly dig deeper in my passion for my hertiage. And so that when and if my future babies do arrive, they can have as much mātauranga Māori as they can, know who they are and not face battles I have had to face

Ellisha

Te reo is a beautiful language and i believe it is the responsibility of every citizens and residents of New Zeaaland to safeguard, promote, and facilitate the use of this amazing autochthonous language.

Jacob Joseph

I arrive recently in New Zealand and it is important for me to learn te reo in order to understand the culture of this country

Laureen

My Maori great grandmother brought up my father after his mother died when he was a baby. This was in spite of her already having 17 children of her own - my grandfather- the oldest. I remember attending tangis as a child. I feel privileged to be part of a family that has regular family reunions. But I know nothing of the language and living in Australia has made it easy to ignore. On return to NZ i amazed at the prevalence of the language and how it has become/ is becoming integrated into mainstream communication. I would like to feel that I have at least made some sort of effort to acquaint myself with the language and if possible learn some of its rudiments.

Linda

We should have all learned this as children.

Naomi

Language is an important part of community. My children already start to learn in school and I want to support that as well as my own participation in life in New Zealand.

Martin

I'm not a native New Zealander, but this country has welcomed me and become my home. The language of my paternal ancestors was dying, and has been revived, I couldn't help with that but I can help the Maori language by learning and passing it on.

H

Ko te reo Maori te reo taketake o Aotearoa. Let's get in behind it, support our Maori brothers and sisters, and take on all those beautiful values that come with the reo. Mauriora

Jonathan

There are many things that define New Zealanders and connect us to our home but te reo Māori is unique

Kristin

I have always wanted to learn but something always came up and I never made it a priority. I am now making it a priority.

Maree

my why survival . . . . . 2019/2020 challenged my every being, loss, loneliness, and then my own battle with Breast Cancer. I survived, an challenge myself to learn Te Reo and stop with excuses. Nuku noa. Teena

teena

We must keep learning and passing on our unique reo to family and friends. This way it won’t be lost. With re reo, we embrace and absorb that which is natural in te ao Maori. The benefit is great as our tamariki will know who they are and their place in their world. There will be no misgivings about their turangawaewae.

Anna

I attended The Justice Conference a couple of years back and heard John Catmur speaking about biculturalism in NZ. At one point he shared that even if all Māori in Aotearoa were fluent in te reo Māori, it would not be enough to preserve the language. It will take all of us. And that opened my eyes. If I didn't try and learn te reo Māori, I felt like I'd be contributing to the injustice that Māori have been experiencing since the British people arrived and that was not OK with me.

Alex

To keep te reo alive and thriving within my whānau, community, hapu and iwi.

Reggae

Because it’s the indigenous language of my birth country and I feel I should learn it before attempting to learn another international language.

Carl

I feel I should learn Maori language before I chose to learn a language from another country.

Carl
Cherie

My children are Māori and I want them to grow up in a country where their history and ancestors as well as their future, as Māori, are celebrated. I want my children to be confident and proud to be Māori and know that they have a place and I want te reo Māori to be heard more and become commonplace.

Haley

My grandchildren speak to reo maori and I would like to reply. And also my siblings all speak to reo I feel kinda left out.

Joseph

Because its a part of my cultural identity and the right to speak my language.

Tia

My why is because I want to myself and my child to be bilingual. For te reo to be a part of our everyday vocabulary. I am making progress but it is slow. I am more confident with using te reo at home than in my workplace, however because I work as an ECE teacher I need to break down my own insecurities to make te reo visible in my practice.

laura

It's through hearing my nanas experiences and the experiences of her mother and those of that time and earlier before them had their culture and native tongue suppressed and vilified, to say the very least. My first hearing of my great grandmother's experiences from my grandmother herself, I felt a grave pain inside of me, not necessarily for my great grandmother's experiences as a person but I felt deep loss in my pit of being for Maori as a collective. It's the all too common story of Maori being physically, verbally abused by teachers at school. This was considered an appropriate measure to receive when one was heard speaking Te Reo. To place myself in my ancestors shoes, is a painful place to travel. The effects of this on a personal (mental, emotional, relationship with self and world around) are horribly tremendous. The systemic effects it has had leaches over the generations in a socio-economic way but also genetically (yes trauma in our DNA is passed along). The fact that the colonalist came to our land and disrupted our people and want to break apart our culture proves to me that what we have is a power in birthright, a power in whakapapa, a power in connection and a power in our Te Reo Maori. This is the reason I want to weave Te Reo Maori into my life more so and continue to learn Te Reo. My intention of passing along my cultures language to my future children.

Sapphire

I’ve always wanted to learn Te Reo but life has been very busy n I guess I’m not getting any younger so why not

Ed

Te Reo Māori is the language of tangata whenua of Aotearoa, and it's a matter of respect for all citizens to learn some of this language

Natalie

I want to be able to korero to whanau, kids, mokos! ! I really want to be able to understand and converse in the reo fluently.

Miriama

I am a pakeha who has lived away from Aotearoa for 30 years, but this makes me feel connected and celebrate my homeland.

Bill

For my children, and my children's children. Keeping Maori culture thriving.

Jessica

It is important for me because I want to set an example for my pēpi and whānau. our reo is beautiful and i am glad that I can help by passing down what I know to my whānau so by the time we grow our reo will too.

Nat

I was bought up with basic Maori songs and using stick and poi in West Auckland and would like to take this further. Although I'm not Maori I feel it is my language too - as a New Zealander & have always wanted to be fluent in Maori. I have bought Maori language books but would ultimately love to understand the names of places & stories behind them and feel confident with using the language.

Cathy

I have many reasons I would like to take part but the most important reason is to pass on knowledge to my children.

Katrina

I think its important to encourage the use of te reo, and I hope to be one of the first million

Chellie

Its apart of our history and if we lose our language we lose who we are as Maori people

Toni

I want to learn more about the culture. Show respect and understanding and be able to share with others.

Sharon

So that my children will be able to speak our language fluently.

Lanessa

Language and story matter to me. People matter, and so do our differences. Language will help us to open door and understand, celebrate these. I want to be part of change. Building bridges and sustain cultural identities.

Dorothea

I'm nz maori and have little knowledge of my own mother tounge. My child are learning in school and I need to learn to help my family continue our language inside our home.

Gina