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'

Because I love the Māori language and I would love to learn more and be a part of teaching more kiwis to speak our native language! :)

Carrie

he tangata māori ahau o Aotearoa. Just re-biginner in Te Reo me Ngāpuhi, ko Ngāti Manipoto raua ko Ngāii Tūhoe māori hononga. Kua hōki ano au ki te taiao o te kura. Inaianei kua pakeke ki te whakarongo me te pātai mo tetahi whakamārama. Kāore he purei i te kaute, ka oti katoa ngā Mahi kāinga. Tawhito me te whakaaro nui. Me whakanui i o maatau kaiako tae atu ki aku hoa whakaohooho i whakakao mai nei ki te whakakao mai ki te ako mo te waatea. Ngā mihi

Carl

I live in Canada, makes me feel closer to my culture and tupuna.

Candice

My children are Maori and my wife is fluent in Te Reo, I need to catch up.

Bryn

To promote Te reo Māori to keep it alive for many generations.

Awaroa

Because I want to be more confident in using Te Reo every day. Not just during celebrations or awareness weeks. Also to become more familiar with Maori customs and cultures

Anna

I want to join jag n and have fun

Ann

I am fascinated with the culture and the importance of te reo Māori. It is very important for te reo Māori to continue to be apart of every New Zealanders and visitors who are here in New Zealand.

Andrew

I am Maori. . . . . . . . . . my kids are Maori. That is reason enough.

Tatiana

To help me have structure to help me start my Te Reo journey.

Amy

I’ve always wanted to learn Māori—it is a beautiful language and connects me to the whenua, even living in the northern hemisphere. I wish I learnt it in school but it is never too late.

Alexandra

So I can learn more about my heritage and learn how to speak Maori

Alexandra

Te reo māori is important to me as a pākehā who is committed to the treaty. I am learning (and loving) te reo māori - now at level 5! Yay! It's connecting me to the people and the land of my birth.

Alexa

I believe te reo is important, and I want to show my support of this.

Alesha

I wish to understand what is being spoken and written. I will to become fluent and confident enough to hold a conversation.

Alan

to be one and a 1000, 000

Zoe

Because I care for my culture it takes a big part of my life and heart. My culture/language is a big deal

Zaric

Coz I want to.

Zap

I'm not a fluent speaker, but I try every day to use what Māori I have ia ra, ia ra. Being involved in kaupapa Māori eg: Farm committees, C Company Memorial House & Kura Pō it makes sense to strive for fluency in Te Reo Māori. In my day job as Reference Librarian at H B Williams Memorial Library, I assist people with whakapapa & Ancestry. com, along with the usual school assignment & general queries. There's been a growth in pātai nā ngā Kura Kaupapa me ngā Wānanga tauira over the years, so that keeps me on my toes. Recently COVID19 forced a lot of events to change tack. The New Zealand Book Awards for Children & Young Adults moved to virtual storytelling sessions online. In our efforts to promote not just the English nominees, but the Māori books too, I read & recorded stories for our library's website: https://www. youtube. com/watch?v=wU31RdK6FQY&feature=youtu. be&_open=1 https://www. youtube. com/watch?v=Xl8UwulV6mg&feature=youtu. be So in a nutshell, our grandparents didn't speak Māori to us, thinking that we needed English to get ahead in life. That was in the days before Māori TV, Te Kōhanga Reo, Kura Kaupapa & Wānanga, not to mention libraries, museums, local & national government - the list goes on! - where Te Reo Māori is an asset on your CV. But aside from all that, speaking Māori makes me feel connected to my whānau; those who are with us today, and those who have passed on.

Zandria

Maori is apart of me, it’s who I am and therefore understanding more of who I am is important for me not only now in the present but also for the future me too.

Zak

Celebrating te Reo Māori is a priority for me, to help recognise the rich culture and heritage we have here in New Zealand and so we can be proud of our national language

Zahra

Being disconnected from whakaapapa and culture, It's important for me to push myself to reconnect, restore and reclaim my Maori heritage so that my children and future generations won't need to go searching. I have one child and Whangai 3 so its really given me that drive.

Whuia te reo

Yvonne

I grew up in kohanga and kura kaupapa then when I was 8 years old I was transferred to a pakeha school to learn English. Over the years I have slowly lost my reo where I once was fluent to now being a beginner/intermediate speaker. I can understand more than I can speak. I would love to be fluent again and have committed myself to taking up te reo classes next year and to be involved with every movement there is towards reaching that 1 million target of te reo speakers.

Ysatis

It is important as I would like to embrace the culture we have in NZ.

Yifang

I wanna know maori causal language.

Xinyi

It's important to me on a personal level as well as a professional level. I want to get further on my Te Reo Maori and Te Ao Maori journey to gain an understanding for the land where I come from. On a professional level, the more Te Reo i can implement into my show, the better! I think this can be great practice and a way of normalising Te Re Maori everywhere.

Willow

The reason why I took part is that I believe that Te Reo Maori is NZ 's national language and we as New Zealanders should be proud to keep it alive! ! ! My children's nationality is Samoan, Tongan and Maori.

Willie

I grew up around a lot of Maori but never really had the opportunity to learn even though I was interested. Now I'm in my 30's and my work place has been offering free classes once a week which I was super keen to jump on board to do. We have a group of about 10 or so people here who have been learning and kōrero with each other most days. I think it's important to preserve our culture here and hope one day te reo will be spoken as a second language by all in Aotearoa. Tihei Mauri Ora!

William

It is important for me to take part because I am part maori and I use to be able to speak te reo when I went to kohanga. Since I grew up in a white dominated society I realised I lost all my te reo and I want to be able to reconnect with my language and my culture.

Whaia

To improve my understanding of te reo and hopefully be confident to use the language on a daily basis.

Wendy

New Zealand is my home now (since Oct 2000) and I feel closer to the land and to the people when I make the effort to speak te reo.

Wendy

Maori is a shared main language of Aotearoa along with sign language and English. I work at Finlayson Park School, Manurewa where te reo Maori and other Pacifica languages are taught in Bilingual, Total Immersion and Main Stream Units. Being able to speak your ethnic language is so important for identity and learning others languages and cultural ways expands the mind and hopefully leads to better understanding, empathy and caring for others. Bringing Maori on an equal footing with English is so important and needs to be done to right the wrongs of the past. Last but not least Maori is a beautiful language as is the concept of Tikanga Maori, Whakapapa and manaakitanga.

Wendy

Because the Maori language is part of our history and culture. My job is with predominantly Maori.

Wendy

I would like to be part of the journey, and learn more

Wendy

Te Reo is sadly missing in the workplace. I would like to be more aware of it and use it more often.

Wendy

I want children to be excited about speaking the unique language of te reo Maaori and this is just one way to celebrate our learning of it.

Roto-o-Rangi

As someone proud of my Māori whakapapa but not a fluent speaker of te reo (a regret I hope to rectify one day) I think it is great to celebrate te reo in this way. Have seen the small introduction of Maori words/sayings into business life which should continue to be developed.

Wayne

Constitutionally we're a bicultural nation, so being bilingual seems appropriate . . .

Walter

Important to learn our reo so it won’t be lost.

Waiora

I strongly believe that we need to continue to lift the Maori language throughout NZ. After too many years when te reo has been underused and not valued we MUST learn it and use it!

Waimarie

I love hearing people speak te reo and always shy away from learning it myself. Our reo is part of who we are where we're from. I have slowly begun greeting in reo and hope to further my kupu.

waimaria

I think ancient languages and tūpuna have so much to tell and teach as humans, no matter what part of Earth we were born and live. I am brazilian and my country is Pindorama, land of Tupis, brave warriors, owners of the land. Unfortunately, white man and religion made their language vanished and my heritage and sense of belonging gone together. Studying Te Reo Māori is my way to connect my heart with my past somehow.

Wagner

My mum and her whānau were punished at school for speaking Te Reo which was brutal considering that was all they knew. Fast forward to us kids wanting to learn te reo & mum's reluctance. The difference in dialect and what our school taught us often differed to what she knew which created more angst and our learning faulted. Fast forward to the next generation & fortunately my daughter sent her son to kohanga & now kura kaupapa, and we are learning te reo ano. It's been a struggle sometimes, but I'm glad we are persevering to pass on this taonga mai i tô tātau tipuna ki tô tātau mokopuna.

vivienne

Because it's important to keep traditional languages alive and I'd like to encourage younger people to learn Maori.

Vivien

kause The blog post slug for this story is: vita_-_northcote

vita

Te reo should be used everywhere. People go to Spain and try and speak Spanish or go France and speak french. Same attitude for here would be awesome

Vishal

It's an important part of being a New Zealander. I want us to show the world that Māori culture and language is valued and treasured by all kinds of New Zealanders.

Virginia

It's important for me to take part because I live in NZ where Maori is an official language. It is important for me to take part because I didn't learn Maori at school when I was growing up.

Viki

As a Maori in Aotearoa/NZ this is an important part of everyday life

Victoria

I think the Maori language is beautiful and I think it's important that all children learn the basics at school, which I did and find very valuable and still remember even though I'm in my 40's!

Victoria

To connect with the people, land and language of Aotearoas ancestors.

Victoria

I respect Maori people as tangata whenua of this land and the language as their identity and taonga just l as I respect my culture and my language.

Vesi

I would love to speak te reo.

Verbinia

Because I am Māori and I work in the Māori freshwater space. I am learning te reo as part of my professional as well as my personal development, and I am committed to teaching my son as well.

Vanessa

Having pride in one of our official languages of Aoteoroa. Kia kaha.

Vanessa

Recognising that the Maori language is the language and culture of the Country I live in. Knowing a language and its culture is important and better define me as an Aotearoa citizen.

Valerio

The Reo is a part of who I am, it is our history, it is the first language for our nation

I want to learn more te reo and really like this idea.

Ute

Because we need to enhance Te Reo Maori more in our country.

Ursula

Sir James Henare- the language is the core of our Māori culture and mana. If the language dies as some predict what do we have left to us? Then I ask our own people, who are we? Our Māori language, as far as our people are concerned, is the very soul of the Māori people. What does it profit a man to gain the whole world but suffer the loss of his own soul? Even if we gain the world, to be monolingual, a Japanese once said, is to know only one universe. Ka tau ka pai.

Uenukuterangihoka

I am taking part because I want to make a change. I am an 19 year old university student here at otago - originally I come from small town from the North Island. Since coming to university, I have been facing an identity crisis and have realized that there is no shame in being Maori. I want to be involved with my culture and what better way to start by learning my language. I have signed up for te reo classes - and hope to be fluent enough to teach my kids some day.

Sally

Hei whakanuia i tōku reo, i tōku tuakiri

Turuhira

WE want to encourage our tamariki to learn maori and be part of a movement. Work towards making Te Reo Maori strong in the classroom and at home.

Tupu

Because I was not brought up with the reo and am a grandmother, great grandmother and no longer want to feel whakama for not knowing or understanding when my mokopuna speak Te Reo around me. . . I want to know embrace and feel proud to be Maori and feel it's timely now that I'm working for a Maori kaupapa.

Tui

The best way to preserve our beautiful indigenous languages is to learn it and use it, every day.

Trudy

To be apart of the kaupapa to celebrate our language

Trudy

Ki Te Ako tonu i Te reo maori

Trudy

It's an important part of calling Aotearoa home and, as a Pakeha, it helps me to connect to, respect and appreciate Maori and their culture.

Tristan

To help them celebrate maori

Trisha

I've recently started to learn te reo and have only just realised how much this means to my sense of being a New Zealander

Trish

it is important to me to take part as i am of Maori decent and I have a passion for all tikanga and Kawa i roro i te ao Maori

trish

Te Reo Maori is a taonga and a beautiful gift to be honoured. It is a passion of mine to learn and be fluent. I am still at a beginner/intermedaiate stage, and just need to commit! !

Trish

Me akona i te reo Māori i roto i Aotearoa!

Trevor

To actively participate in being a New Zealander

Trcia

Just keen to learn

Travis

Because I am Maori and we need to celebrate that every day not just one week of the year :)

Tracy

To pass on my knowlegde to my son make sure hes grows up with the same guildlines and respect for his culture.

Tracy

I've very proud to be a New Zealander and learning about Māori culture (of which te reo is key) is an important part of understanding what it is to be a New Zealander. Also, there are significant inequities between Māori and Pākehā, and learning more about Māori culture is an important step in trying to understand how to help.

Tracey

This is important as it is part of my culture and more importantly a recognised language of our country as well as being proud to be Maori.

Tracey

Because as a Maori. I should know more than I do.

Tracee

We are in partnership with Te tiriti O Waitangi , it is important for it to be a art of our curriculum and show our Maori students who they are is important, their language is important

TOTally Kids Early Childhood Centre

To whakanui the reo. To further my goal to learn more reo and more waiata.

tosca

Doing my part to ensure our Ao survives for our mokopuna.

Tori

I have the time now to learn.

Comrie Anthony

Kia whakanuia te Reo Māori!

Toni

I am maori women working in a cultural whanau worker role. It good to bring my organisation along with us in our journey

Toni

I believe that learning te reo Māori is the most important way that pākehā and other ethnicities can build deep understanding and respect for te ao Māori and address institutional and casual racism. And in this troubled time of such huge global challenges mātauranga Māori offers the best opportunity Aotearoa has to respond in a positive way to these huge global and national challenges. For there to be any hope of a positive future for today's rangatahi and coming generations Aotearoa needs to embrace mātauranga Māori and concepts of kaitiakitanga. The reo opens the door to mātauranga Māori and the opportunity to build a strong united Aotearoa fit to face the challenges of today and tomorrow.

Toni

Kia kaha te reo! I reckon it’s pretty sad that so many Māori people, through the effects of colonization, have lost their language. When you lose a language, you lose a part of yourself, your history, your story. It’s up to us to bring it back. It won’t be achieved unless we all do it, we all normalize it, and we all celebrate it. Te reo Māori is taonga tuku iho – a treasure to be handed down through the generations. Every New Zealander has a part to play.

Toni

So that I can learn the National language of New Zealand

Tom

Ki te pupuritia tonu tenei taonga o taatou.

Tokowha

So I can help show my children that it can be easy to use some Reo in everyday life

Toby

Our whanau list our identity

Tirita

Efforts to keep Te Reo growing.

Tinaka

Have a basic grasp of the language

Tina

I would like to see te reo Maori be more widely accepted and used in NZ - as our national language I feel it is important for it to be recognised.

Tina

Have been waiting for this to come since the mid 1980s when I first learned te reo. Wonderful to see it come to fruition in my old age ; >

New Zealand is a unique place with a unique culture. We should share and celebrate the taonga that is te reo māori. As an official language we should see te reo along side English is all parts of nz life.

Tim

I want to show respect to our founding culture and the best way I can do that is learn more Te Reo

Tim

I'd love for Te Reo to become more of a staple of NZ's everyday dialect. I'm personally a pakeha but am keen to learn how to speak our country's language!

Tim