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'

Embracing and learning from new culture!

Josephine

To keep the language alive

Joseph

I dont really know much about my culture or how to speak it so i want to get better and learn my language

joseph

Its important to me beamcause I don't want my children growing up with out some sort of te reo speaking in them I was neva taught at school. After my nana passed away we neva got taught to speak maori so trying to re connect with my language and culture while living abroad.

Jorden

Learning more about my culture helps me discover more about myself. Without knowing my whakapapa who really am I?

Jordan lee

The more people who even at least try, means they are accepting and embracing tikanga of tangata Wenua. The least someone like my self living in Aotearoa can do, is to be part of this.

Jonno

In 1972 30 000 marched to keep Te Reo alive and taught in our schools. I want to be apart of the 1 million that have accepted the wero and will all join in to keep Te Reo spoken in Aotearoa.

Jonelle

I have an interest in developing Maori kaupapa throughout my organization (alongside several others) and initiatives like this support what we're trying to do here. I grew up a native speaker but don't quite have the fluency anymore. It's a place that I want to return to in the near future.

Jon

Because not knowing Te Reo prevents me from engaging with and helping others that I might need to.

Johnny

I took Te Reo at high school 25 years ago. I'm stunned by the prominence and acceptance that the language now has in daily life in Aotearoa. And, we can still do do much better. I'm personally proud to have been a part of that journey and I want to continue being a part of it.

John

Te Reo is a taonga and needs to be used ko ia ra ko ia ra.

John

As a teacher it's a must, as a Kiwi (6 generations) it's important to recognise the first people and learn from them, as a human I find I enjoy and relate to lots of things in Te Ao Māori - it's a pleasure.

JOhanne

I believe we (as New Zealanders) should respect and honour the past, and embrace a connection to Maori.

Joe

I want to reconnect with our beautiful culture.

Joe

It is important for our tamariki to learn and acknowledge our bicultural New Zealand.

Jodie

Seems only right to speak the language of the first people of this country.

Jodene

To support nga iwi ki te korerorero te reo maori

Joanne

Tino ātaahua te kaupapa o tēnei wā

Joanna

To embrace and learn the language Aotearoa

Joanna

To keep Te Reo alive

Joan

I would like everyone to be able to learn and speak te reo Māori including in schools and workplaces.

jo

Te reo Māori needs to be everywhere all the time in NZ. It needs to be taught, spoken, sung, celebrated! We should be a Māori speaking nation, everybody. Our language is our identity.

Jo

Vital that we keep the beautiful language not just "alive" but thriving. Vital for all our tamariki in Aotearoa.

Jo

It's important to take part because it's a way we can all feel part of the same whole. Individualism has gone on too long. Togetherness is the way forward.

Jo

I want to become more aware and knowledgeable in this area. I have great respect for Maori and their culture and therefore a willingness to learn.

Jo

Because we have a rich and exciting cultural mix in NZ and learning more about taha Maori will help Mauri ora to continue to grow and evolve. There is unacceptable inequity for Maori and this has to be addressed by everything we can do - and that doesn't always have to be a huge undertaking, just small changes we make everyday.

Jo

kia whakakotahi ai nga mahi reo Maori - coordinated approaches across reo Maori initiatives

Jo

I've just found out I have maori blood in my mix. I'm Keen to learn the language

Jo

to keep this amazing language alive and include our young tamariki on the pathway of knowledge and respect for langauage

Jo

To keep the language alive and to support our Maori students

Jo

I work in an ECE Service and I think it's important to use it with our tamariki and Educators; so the more they can hear us using it, it will become normal and the more we try to use it, the more people feel confident to use the language and keep it alive too.

Jo

Te reo Maori is one of the beautiful things that distinguishes Aotearoa from other countries. It is a gift that should be treasured and nurtured. I have Maori ancestors and it is important to me to recognise my tupuna.

Joanne

so that i can get better at te reo

Jo

I believe that widespread use of Te Reo is an important part of the development of better race relations in Aotearoa.

Jim

It is important to me that using te reo Maori becomes as normal in everyday life as English.

Jilly

I believe that te reo should be part of every day language. I was teaching until recently and encouraged my students to use small sentences daily.

Jill

Te Reo is a living language - speaking it keeps it alive.

Jill

Not understanding Te Reo Maori feels like I'm not living in New Zealand fully.

Jill

My mokopuna deserve to have the reo Maori in their future

Jill

Since the beginning of this year I have undertaken the journey of finding my tūrangawaewae. Being Moriori, Māori and Pākeha I have felt internally conflicted and ungrounded. I decided to ako about my whakapapa, my iwi and my whānau and received my Tā Moko. I have since been listening to Te Reo lessons online, watching Māori ted talks, and doing what I can to immerse myself in my culture. This is another step in the journey.

Jessica

Te reo Maori is growing but not fast enough. Through colonisation there has been limited education and less free speech surrounding reo especially for our tipuna. They were essentially told not to speak Te Reo I know my nanas generation were frowned upon and even beat for speaking in reo. I want all Maori to be speaking our language fluently and positively, every single day without consequences, not just the 700 there are today but ALL Maori. Imagine thousands speaking full reo not just around mahuru Maori month but all the time, everyday, at mahi, at home, at hui, everywhere. And the government needs to support this 100%. Not just Te reo but Maoridom as a whole.

Jesse

I am Māori, I am tangata whenua, I am kaitiaki. I was not brought up with te reo or tikanga Māori, and it isimportant to me that I get back to my heritage and culture. Ko Maungatere te maunga Ko Rakahuri te awa Ko Ngāi Tahu te iwi Ko Ngāi Tūāhuriri te hapū Ko Tuahiwi te marae Ko Jess Nicholson tōku ingoa

Jess

To continue my journey

Jess

It's a powerful statement about how important te reo is

Jess

To ensure I’m doing my bit to encourage our babies & wider whānau with their reo so that one day it will be our first language again

Jess

To grow in confidence to be who I am - my whakapapa To walk proudly with my head high knowing where I come from To be confident to use Te Reo in even the smallest way, growing as I continue my journey

Jess

because its the right thing to

Jess

Because the Maori language just like all languages celebrated in NZ is a gift that we should cherish because its our countrys history and legacy.

Jess

It’s important because it’s our taonga to protect and to carry with any way we can. Day in day out- In the classroom- on tv- On the kapahaka stage- in the church. . . . It’s who we are.

Jess

To be able to speak more Maori to my children

Jess

Because of growing up and feel ashamed of being Maori due to pakeha being nasty if you sed I’m Maori I want to learn to show my children be proud of who you are. I want to be able to teach and speak te roe Maori at home.

Jerica

This is a journey about nationhood. Nationhood is about my moko. Its about whanau.

Jenny

For me, Maori culture and traditions mean connection to the whole: connection to self, connection to others, connection to nature and the universe. Without a deeper understanding and engagement with our national culture, I feel a piece of my identity as a Kiwi is missing.

Jenny

It is important for the well being of the people who live in our country to know some Te Reo

Jenny

The Maori language is beautiful, it is who we are as New Zealanders. We all need to embrace and use the language where we can. It is important the language remains a living language I have undertaken five years of learning in te reo in the past. and I still feel I’m a beginner. I am proud of my six year old mokopuna who is in a full immersion Maori class at her kura. Our Maori language growing and bring used in everyday contexts is also helping to reduce underlying racism.

Kay

I have enrolled in a Te Reo course through Te Wānanga o Aotearoa with my husband as we wanted to begin to learn Te Reo. We want to know more and be more culturally responsive

Jennie

Show support for te reo in schools and normalise speaking of te reo Maori

Jenni

It is important! ! ! As a secondary school kaiako, I have a responsibility to be the best possible role model I can. I am learning, we are learning.

Jenna

Humans are awesome (mostly - I mean some humans are a bit out there, but you know), and I love getting to know us in all our awesomeness. For me that means chatting to people about their homes, their whakapapa, where they come from, their mahi, what they are passionate about, aroha.

Jen

It's about time, te reo is fundamental to knowing we are all in the waka together.

Jeannette

The sense of pride that I see in my students in being able to share their culture with others is a valuable gift. Knowledge is power and I see the value in sharing a culture, our culture, that is rich in history!

Jeannette

Ko tēnei te reo taketake o tēnei whenua taurikura

Jeanne

To honour my committment as Tangata Tiriti, working in Partnership participation and protection of Te Reo

Jean

To celebrate Maori culture and share it with future generations

Jayne

There are so many reasons it is important to take part! This will shape our children's future and their opportunities available to them! Te Ao Māori has so much to offer us all!

Jayde

As a teacher, it is important for me that te reo Maori is seen, heard and celebrated in all Kura in New Zealand.

Jay

I feel Te Reo Maori is something everyone can benefit from. I feel it is a very spiritual language.

Jason

I think it is a beautiful language as well as how important it is for us to honour culture in New Zealand.

Jason

Because Te Ao Māori is what makes New Zealand, New Zealand. We should be proud of our bicultural heritage and we should all able to speak it.

Jasmine

Te Reo Māori gives me a connection to a lineage that I was connected to growing up then diconnected from when I moved overseas for 11 years. It's my path way back to my roots. I'm getting to know our language, my ancestors but most importantly MYSELF better!

Jase

Working towards one of my long-term goals - to learn Te Reo Maori!

Jaron

My colleagues, my tamariki. It's important for me to learn and to share the goodness of te Reo and te Ao Maori. As we do this together, our people will be enriched as we learn about each other and our language, therefore providing a platform to further unify our nation.

Jared

together we can breathe life into our language

Jared

I work in Wāhi Pātōtō (Fingertip Library) at Christchurch City Libraries. Our role is to assist our customers remotely by phone. I use te reo Māori consistently in my work. It's excellent to be part of and tautoko a movement that is uplifting the mana of reo Māori.

Janna

I think it's important for all New Zealanders to learn about Maori Culture and history. For a start I want to learn how to say the names of cities and towns in NZ the right way.

Janine

Notimea ka puta mai i Aotearoa. . . ahakoa e rua nga reo

Janine

Because iam maori

Janie

To become confident to speak Maori and to learn the basics for now

Janie

Because our language is a taonga. Everyone in Aotearoa should ideally be able to speak it or have the opportunity to. For with culture is values, a way of being and thinking, understanding and valuing people and those who are different from us etc. . .

Janice

Ko aku tamariki me taku whanau katoa.

Janey

I am trying to learn more about Maori culture and to speak Te Reo

Te Reo is a Taonga, unique to Aotearoa. As kiwis it is our responsibility to make sure this beautiful language survives.

Jane

Ki whakarongo au te Reo o tātou tipuna ia rā ia rā mō tāku mokopuna

Jane

I think being a teacher it is important that I am making Maori language alive and an every day normal for the tamariki in my care

Jane

To encourage maori language to our younger generation before its lost

Jan

I want to see us reach a point where the use of Te Reo, even to a small extent on some people's part, become normalised in Aotearoa. I would love to hear my name correctly pronounced everywhere. Small steps.

Jan

Te Reo Maori is an official language of Aotearoa New Zealand! We all have an obligation to learn it. As a teacher, I have a further obligation to the tamariki in my class to teach them. And its fun:)

James

Every Kiwi should be proudly bilingual in our two official languages. It's a disgrace that my generation (X) has only learnt a couple of phrases, a colour song and the first couple of lines of our national anthem in Te Reo after 12+ years of public school education. These are things that could be learnt in a couple of weeks: we should have left primary school fluent.

James

i was invited to take part, i didn't know the event was happening but im glad to be taking part. Since arriving in NZ, i have wanted to learn more about te ao Maori. I have completed several uni courses and majored in maori health as part of my undergraduate degree. I have learned some te reo maori (spoken and sign language) . I feel it is my responsibility as an immigrant/visitor/manahuri to do what i can to help promote and participate in events like this to ensure that te reo maori doesnt just survive but thrives.

Jamea

Because everyone needs to learn about it and not let it die off

Jake

To connect, show respect and feel confident to use it.

Jaime

It's symbolic but represents my respect for te reo Maori and its importance in Aotearoa.

Jae

I’m Māori - Te Reo was beaten out of my whānau and I want that undone.

Jada

It is so important that we acknowledge the cultural heritage of New Zealand. It is a country of incomers, so it has great potential to become a muddy mess of cultures. Te Reo is the language of the first people in this land, so by honouring the language we maintain the individual identity of our whole unique country. Even if you are not Maori, is the heritage of the country, so it becomes all our heritage.

Jacqui

To make a commitment to join in with making a better future for Aotearoa

Jacqui

Te Reo is a rich language and should be spoken

Jacqui

Motivation

Jackie

I am a kaiako Maori, and I have been doing this for 30years. It is who I am and it is my world

Jack

It is important to me that the Māori culture, my culture, isn’t lost in this country and my children grow up in an Aotearoa that embraces our dual heritage more than it did when I was growing up

Jacinta

As an Early Childhood teacher I am still learning a lot about Te Ao Māori the world and also implementing Te Reo Māori in my every day practice. As it is the culture here in Aotearoa it is important for me to acknowledge this and ensure children are being introduced to the culture and language if they are not already at home!

Jacinda