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'

Ko te reo Maori te reo tuatahi o tenei motu, he taonga hoki o te motu nei, he mea tino nui tenei mo tatou katoa o Aotearoa, ahakoa he Maori, he Pakeha

Ānaru

To learn about my homeland, not from the official government viewpoint but from the Native Kiwi viewpoint and to try and keep abreast of current affairs around NZ. . .

Andrew

I love being part of a team that supports and embraces the mana whenua.

Andrew

I don't want Te Reo to be a lost language

Andrea

I want to see te reo maori be bck where it should be - first language to maori, second comfortable language for as many New Zealanders as possible.

Andre

He whakatauira ki aku tamariki i te hirahira o te reo Māori.

Cherilyn

Kia ora. My vision for all my mokopuna to korero in Te Reo along their Tongan language; knowing the land we have landed on!

Anahila

Kia whakapakari ai tō tātou reo. Ko te reo, kia tika. Ko te reo, kia rere. Ko te reo, ka mahia.

Anahera

Because i really want to learn Te Reo Maori from the beginning to carry on our Whanau legacy and Tikanga of who we're and where we come from and learn about our Ancestors and carry on the Legacy of our Whanau etc

Kristin

It’s important for me to take part because it shows my support not only for my language but my people;my tupuna.

Anahera

I believe that we should all learn apart of Maori heritage as it is something that is extremely important, and ovr the years it is coming more significant again especially after it was supressed for so long

Ana

To learn and teach maori

Ana

Want to take part to link me back to my roots. With Covid not being able to return home has been the hardest. te reo Maori is important to know so we can carry on the language of our forefathers.

Ana

Nō tātou te Māori, mō tātou o te āo whānui kia rongo ki te reo rangatira ko te reo Māori i tēnei whenua o Aotearoa. Me rongo i tō tātou taonga āo mai, pō mai.

Ana

To build more of my identity as an immigrant New Zealander.

I believe it is very important that more people make the effort to learn and use our national language te reo Maori. I believe that is should be compulsory in all primary schools so that everyone learns at least the basics of the language and the culture at an early age. I am looking forward to learning this beautiful language and using it more in my daily life! !

Amy

As a teacher, I think it's vital to do my best to teach students about Māori history and te Reo.

Amy

It's important to take part as me may need to maori languages in life while growing up

amra

Planning to immigrate to New Zealand so I need that to learn its history

Amr

Because te reo is one of our natioanl languages

Amelia

Because we are learning Māori abroad

Amelia

It is important for me to learm morw about my culture and heritage! And celebrate the Maori language

Amelia

I see embracing Te Reo and Te Ao Maori as the way forward for New Zealand- in terms of identify, reducing inequity and enhancing pride. And its a beautiful language!

Amber

Pro equity we are all connected to Aotearoa therefore we should be participating in tikanga, korero and advocacy / education.

Amanda

Kia Ora. One reason it's important for me is because I want the kids in my class to be capable and confident in our New Zealand culture and Te Reo is an integral part of that.

Amanda

New Zealand Sign Language is NZ's second official language alongside Maori. I know the value of celebrating our indigenous languages, so I wanted to get behind the movement!

Amanda

It is our national language and apart of the New Zealand Culture. The more we speak it the more people will embrace the language and culture.

Amanda

Te reo is a beautiful language and our language in Aotearoa. Celebrate it, treasure it , grow it xx

Amanda

To honour the treaty of Waitangi, to tautoko my akonga by using te reo in my ako.

Amanda

To honor the bi-cultural partnership of Aotearoa, to tautoko my Māori ākonga, to be a good role model to others. To help ako my own identity as Māori, shout out to Ngāti Apakura.

Amanda

I love to learn about different cultures. I am a strong believer in cultural diversity. Te Reo Māori is not merely a language; it is a unique imprint of New Zealand. It's more about people, feelings, culture, history and a big whānau!

Amal

I am new to NZ and as an Australian I see the value in keeping native languages alive before they die out! As a teacher I also want to learn te reo Maori so I can use it in my classes to be more culturally responsive.

Alyssa

To ensure the survival of the language within my own whanau.

Alyson

It is important for Te Maunga to be part of the Māori Language Moment as we are actively working to incorporate more Te Reo into our day to day lives and school work. We recognise and are doing more work around learning about our cultural location and Te Reo as one of our national languages.

Allie

ko te mana o tō tatou Reo

Alley

It is important to me as I work in an environment that if I spoke even a few words in Maori it will help me be more understanding and the people I work with would appreciate the effort I am putting in to understand them more.

Alistair

Great chance to join others on the journey

Alison

It's a part of who I am

Alisa

To be part of NZ history, to embrace Te Reo Maori,

Alicia

We wanted to show that we are proud to be part of Maori Language Week. We like being active in our community and support all people being included and valued.

Alzheimers

Because I’m Māori

Alicia

Te reo Māori is an important part of Aotearoa. It's important for us all to learn, embrace and drive it forward, no matter who we are. Celebrating te reo Māori will normalise it more and will encourage more people to take it up.

Alexis

I have just move to New Zealand and want to learn te reo Maori and learn more about Maori culture

Alexis

To learn and engage with the language of Aotearoa

Alexandra

Most importantly, I feel as Pakeha I have a responsibility to participate in keeping Te Reo alive and to acknowledge the rightful holders of this land and the history and impact that colonisation still has on this country, and Maori. Secondly, Te Reo Maori is a beautiful language, and through my learning of it, I have been invited into a brand new world! I love seeing the world through the eyes of Te Ao Maori. And my motivations haven't just been through social responsibility, but familial. My wife is re-connecting with her whakapapa, after her family was discouraged from speaking Te Reo, or affiliating themselves with their culture in any way. Her generation is the first to reclaim their identity and I am on that journey with her! And now, our son, who is both Nga Puhi through my wife, and Ngai Tahu through our donor, so our journey is so enriched right now! It's really exciting.

Alexandra

nōtemea: e tika ana kia whakapiki i te reo rangatira o Aotearoa

Alexander

Because i grew up in a country that didn't value it's indigenous heritage and maintained a system of opression towards those who tried to bring it to light. Now as an adult I have the opportunity to use my voice to fight back and work towards Aotearoa recognizing it's mistakes and working collaboratively to decolonize.

Alex

I am a pakeha woman but would love to feel more confident speaking Te Reo

Alex

I am an expat and English is my second language, I do think it is very important to keep the Te reo Maori language alive and I think is should be learnt from everyone living in Nz.

alex

To understand a culture it is important to understand its language

Alessandra

Just starting my journey to learning Te Reo and making connections to whakapapa.

Alene

As New Zealander's, we all need to do our bit to keep the language that is unique to New Zealand, alive, to help change the mindset of people from 'having to do it' to 'wanting to do it' and recognising the value Te Reo brings on all levels.

Aleisha

because we are all individuals but in order for this to be we need Kotahaitanga- unity in our whanau / hapu and Iwi. to know where your from and who you connect with.

Alby

I think Te Reo should be part of our everyday language.

Alanna

So I can learn more about maori culture

Alana

To promote maori Language in NZ and make Aotearoa unique

Alan

It means a lot to me to become part of the Māori whanau and speaking the language is the huge part of integrating and sense of belonging.

Alamelu

my why is to get rooted in my Mauri

Aidan

Te Reo is NZ's indigenous language, but poorly utilised and upheld in conversation. Its time to rejuvenate the language so more people are speaking.

Agnes

Whakawhanungatanga - coming together; making connections.

Adrienne

Te reo Maori is one of our three official languages, and the most beautiful. We should all have some awareness, and ideally a little knowledge, of it, as part of the privilege of living in New Zealand and sharing our land.

Adrienne

Te reo is the language of our country.

Anthony

To support the use of te Reo Maori in New Zealand, the home of the Language

Adrianne

Because I want my children to learn more about their culture and be able to embrace it confidently with pride. Its apart of our history and our country. I'd love nothing more to have both myself and my children know the language of our ancestors

Adrianna

with my daughter attending kohanga reo its time for me to walk the talk, if its important for her to know the reo, its important for me

Adrian

We are keen to expand our use of Te Reo here at the gardens.

Adrian

Learning another language helps to think in a different way and understand and respect another culture

Adele

kia ora its important to take part in maori since its a fun language

Adam

Identity and better understanding.

Adam

Te Ao Māori enriches people in many ways. The more people that speak the reo, the more people will be enriched by experiencing it. It can help the world.

Ace

Although I am not Maori by blood, it is my culture. I love the culture and believe we should all embrace it as part of every person that lives in New Zealand.

Abbe

Its a part of New Zealand and my culture and I believe it needs to be embraced and celebrated.

Aaron

Susie

Ko te reo he wharetapa wha -tinana ko te whakamahinga reo, te mea nui. to see it to hear it to feel it, is something that I strive for in my own home. artworks in te reo gives visual cues that stimulate and cause a physical reaction is the focus of my whanau, How fit is tereo -whanau te reo used as a means of connection in the whanau was something we were needing but were already doing in english, so tohutohu a reo became a much softer approach, as a whanau, and also saw the connections between our whanaunga reo in the Cooks, Tonga, and closer, Tanui, Maniapoto, Northland reo when approached as Mita. -wairua spirutality of the reo, as in reo i tuku iho , ki tua o te arai, te reo a Hahi, Karakia, and oriori, te kiia, te wai, finding what this means is almost a PHD the kaupapa is so broad, -hinengaro cognetive connections when dealing with our whanau reo te reo pakeha, sharpens the reo, kia whakahoahoa te reo hei whakarauora. ka whakaora te reo kia tae atu ki te whakaaro kotahi, hei hopu te ahua o ia reo. -

Terangi

As a Pakeha wahine and a manuhiri in Aotearoa it is my responsibility to learn and use Te Reo Māori. Both as part of my commitment to Te Tiriti but also as a person who has the privilege of living in Aotearoa.

Zoe

Kahmil

It is important for me to be part of the one in a million to show my commitment to learning Te Reo Maori.

Zenah

Its important to me because i want to be able to learn my reo and the ways of my culture.

Zaylor

I want to be confident to be fluent in the beautiful language of Aotearoa, Te Reo Māori, as it is my culture.

Sheryl

It is important to me that my baby girl, who is tangatawhenua, grows up understanding her culture and her place in the world. For pakeha like myself, learning te reo is an important step towards healing the wounds of our colonial past.

Zane

The blog post slug for this story is: zaid_-_wellington

Zaid

To practice the language within our family

Zachary

its something that my friends heavily interested in and I wanna do what I can to support the fam

Zac

We already have waiata every day & karakia. I am happy to be a part of what our organisation brings forward for us to embrace with Te Reo. We have a representative as well, a pou but we are all pou. Thank you for this initiative.

Yvonne

It is who I am and I do not know how to speak Māori

Yvonne

We have Māori mokopuna who are attending a kura kaupapa and are fluent in te reo, as is our daughter, their mother. We have learned a bit of te reo and tikanga and really enjoy having many opportunities to practice with whānau. Te Reo is a toanga that everyone in Aotearoa can embrace.

Yvette & Steve

Because it is part of our country, culture and our language.

Yannick

Being a part of our national identity, enjoying the language

Yalini

Because this is my language, my culture. I’m a pakeha with a Maori daughter & I feel that it’s just as much mine as it is her’s. I feel connected to this country deep in my soul & I feel my soul grow when I speak or sing in Maori. I feel such pride in NZ as I believe we want to learn our own language. I look at my 72 year old mum & she’s keen as to learn

Xavier

The awareness of others to understand our culture by teaching them some basic reo to begin with. Then for them to really capture the essence of our world mai ngaa karu ngoo taatou te maaori.

Wiremu

To further develope my Reo to enhance my Mahi with Te Wairua Tapu Haahi in Sydney and to become more Fluent with Our Taonga

Will

It is a part of being a Kiwi and being Maori. It is our mahi to bring non-Maori on this hikoi and it is for the greater good of the country which enhance our point of difference as Kiwi on the international stage. It is way cool to korero Maori whilst overseas and like many nationalities communicate in our national language, it is even better when someone in that vast crowd recognises it. Nga mihi

Wipari

I believe in continuing the tradition and keeping the language from falling into obscurity.

Winston

I have always wanted to learn a language and feel learning Te Reo is the perfect language to start with as its a language of Aotearoa. My kids are also part Maori so feel its my duty to help them be immersed in their own culture.

Will

Kaaore he reo i tua atu i too taatou reo. Pakangatia ra e oo taatou tuupuna moo te reo, nooreira he haepapa too taatou.

Whiringaanuku

Kia ora rā, koia nei te karere i whakarapaina e au ki ngaku põhi pukumata i roto i ngõku rõpū ā marae/ā iwi. Ka mutu koia nei tētahi o aua take, he nui tonu ngā take hoi koia nei ngaku kupu whakakipakipa i taku iwi kāinga ki te hono mai ki te kaupapa. As posted on my facebook marae and iwi pages: He tāonga te reo, ka mutu ko te reo te kaipupuru i te hā o te iwi Māori, koia hoki te mauri o te iwi Māori. Those of you who know me, might also know that I an very passionate about Te Reo. and yes some may also question hmmmm okay why do you not come home and teach te reo then? That I will answer later in the post. The reo I speak and love I accredit to my nannies. Yip my Nana Rihi & the naughty gang as they were sometimes referred to. It was nutured and developed by my many unties and nannies through Kohanga Reo and again in Kura Kaupapa at my beloved kura Te KKM o TPoW with my many unties & cousins as kaiako. It was then reaffirmed and given a stronger foundation under the wings of my beloved Aunty Ma at Tuakau College and again supported by the many nannies and koros I had the privilage to sit next to at the pā. Yip fair to say I may have gotton a bit of slack by some for being there at such a young age, but it is definately not something i regret. I knew in my heart that it wont be long, they would no longer be with us. I knew that the only way to learn from them was to always be around them, so thats where I went. And I will forever be gratefull for the time I got to spend with them all. Today my students are amazed to hear that I say my first kõhanga reo was the parties that I went to as a kid (and baby 🤭) I still have memories of being told by nanny Tangi, oooh yes when you were a baby your bed was in a crate on a pillow on the table. I remember they spoke Māori alot or most of the time at the parties. My most fondest memories of my language aquisition came from my nannies and those happy days. The humor and passion for life they (my nannies) displayed is something I draw on all the time when teaching reo because I believe its unique and true. Its definately true to me and for many others. Yes there is the misconception of " what can Te Reo Māori do for you" well Im sure its quite clear now what it can do and what it must do. and then I also say there is a saying that you dont realize the true value of something until its lost. Let not te reo be one. Some may ask, ok 1 million people speaking at 12pm for one day. What is that going to do. Heres my take on it. 1 million people making a "conscious" descision to choose to speak Māori at a certain point in time is where the lesson is. If you want to learn Te Reo Māori, it is as simple as "choosing to" thats all it takes. Its as simple as that, but one other cool thing to me about this is that, the idea of 1million people making this huge shift im consciousness to celebrate te reo is something to behold. All of what I know and love about Te Reo is from home, from the growlings for singing on the whitebait bench and scarring the fish away to when we do our selves with the water and of course memories of how our nannies went fluidly from Māori to pigeon English and then the sound of my Nana Rihi's terms of endearment aka swearing 😂. This is what Te Reo does for me, and thats why I speak it every day, so all those memories and teachings are with me. Home is where I draw my strength from, and Te Reo is how home is with me everyday. Yes one day I will be back home to teach, when I don't know yet, when the time is right. I thought id simply share this link with a short post but 10mins later it turned into this, and again that is thanks to my reo. E te iwi, rapua te mea ngāro he aha ia rā te mea ngaro, ko te reo, ko te whenua, ko te aroha ki te tangata, he aha rawa rānei E te iwi e rāpua iho rā 💙💙💙💙💙

Weropupu Rau

I moved here 17 years ago from the UK and since having children here and going through Playcentre with them and learning more about the Maori culture I have appreciated the need to keep the language alive. I am also appalled by the attempts by early colonisers to stamp out the use of te reo in schools by Maori. My children enjoy learning te reo at school and though I still feel like a beginner I am willing to keep learning and trying.

Wendy

morena I'd like to be less intimidated by te reo I find it quite hard to try it out but I would like to improve my own reo. I'd also hear it more in every day life. kia ora Wendy

wendy

I have always wanted to learn some maori language and this is the perfect way to start out.

Wendy

need to learn practice one of the three official languages of New Zealand, part of belonging

Wendy

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need to learn practice one of the three official languages of New Zealand, part of belonging