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'

Kia whakarauika i te tangata kia ākona, kia kōrerotia i tō tātou reo rangatira, hei whāinga mō ngā uri whakaheke/ ngā rangatira mō te āpōpō.

Amanda

I began learning Te Reo 18 months ago at the Waitemata DHB, who have provided weekly classes for free. I don't want the language to die, and I am excited to see that more and more emphasis is being placed on introducing everyone to new words and phrases, on TV and in the media. I am excited to be part of this. It is the best thing I have ever done, and it's opened my eyes, my ears and my heart to Te ao Maori and could enrich my life in ways I cannot even yet contemplate in the future.

Paula

I grew up with my parents not speaking the reo. I learnt it at high school but wish i would have continued my journey with it. My son is now in high school and I want to be part of his journey rather then he drop it like i did.

Joleen

As a Māori I have always have a yearning to identify more strongly with our people, being able to speak te reo. . . for it to become the beloved language I feel that it is. Te reo sounds beautiful and makes me both sad and happy when I hear it. Sad because I can't speak it that well and cos I don't always understand. Happy because it us and my tamariki are growing up knowing that it's cool to kōrero :) That wasn't or hasn't always been the case in my life. . . love that my kids have a different view :) :) :) So my why. . . so that my children and eventually moko will know who they are and be able to tell the world who they are in our language!

Therese

We acknowledge that Te Reo Maori is an official language of Aotearoa and we are excited to be part of this event with millions of others, helping to promote Te Reo Maori!

Michelle

I am of Maori descent and want to take part in all kaupapa to do with promoting Te Reo Maori! 'KIA KAHA TE REO MAORI KI TE AO KATOA"

Taneisha

My aroha for my culture and how beautiful it is even though I lack it all. Aroha conquers all

Marama

I've lived in Rānana for the last decade - A place of many languages. . . I'm now a father. I was brought up to be proud of who I am, where I'm from, who my whanau are, my Iwi and Māoritanga. . . It's important to me that my young daughter has this knowledge too, I want to give her the opportunity to converse in our beautiful language - it's the foundation of maori culture. Ko te kete-tuauri Ko te kete-tuatea Ko te kete-aronui

Christopher

Demonstrate there are many ways to keep our language alive. Demonstrate Internal discipline and focus are an important part of determining why the language is important, it's benefits and usefulness. Demonstrate that Te Reo Māori is a language of beauty, of purpose, of mana

Te Ariki

Kia whakamana te reo rangatira ki taku wāhi mahi.

Hector

We would like to support the kaupapa and help to provide a platform for our community to access and take part in celebrating our beautiful language of Te Reo Māori.

Lagi

Because Te Reo and Maori are the first people of the land and have been held down by racist narratives for two hundred years.

Dean

Linguistics/'foreign' languages are highly perishable unless they are kept alive and practiced … ergo!

Peter

Reconnect and reestablish myself into my culture.

Hinetara

Our kura is based in the bottom of Te Waipounamu. We have an attached bilingual unit and all staff and students are using te reo on a daily basis within their akomanga.

Lisa

Mo to tātou mana motuhake!

Hilda-Rose

E hira ake ana i te Reo Māori ki te wairua me te whakawhanaungatanga ō nga tāngata tuarua ō te motu nei. The learning of this beautiful language, so fundamental to the wellbeing and esteem of Māori, is central to the ongoing strength of the relationship of our two people thriving together.

Chris

Te Reo Maori is miharo! ! ! ! !

Kellie

To embrace and acknowledge Te Reo for future generations for all who live here in Aotearoa

Loops

Because it’s my culture

Tyler

Ko te reo te mauri o te mana Maori.

Robyn

To teach our students a karakia kai which we can implement in our lessons.

Katherine

It is important to whakanui nga mea iti, to help revitalise and whakamaori te reo, to reduce the whakamā of not knowing our reo me ōna tikanga, to mitigate that feeling we should know more than we do - it's okay to do a little, learn a little, reclaim a little of ourselves, ia rā ia rā.

Kahurangi

to immerse myself in the culture fully - understanding my tauira that I teach everyday. Understanding where they come from and why they do the things that they do.

kendall

I am 62 years old and currently in a Te Reo Maaori course, although not my first, I am relearning what I learnt 20 years ago. The business that I work for allowed over 20 of us to attend class once a week from 3. 30pm without deducting our wages. This for me was a huge bonus to us wanting to either learn for the first time or relearn what we have forgotten. When I learnt 20 years ago Te Reo Maaori was not deemed as accepted or as important as it is now. Maaori TV plus other channel news readers, reporters and TV programs have lead the way for us and those non-Maaori who have learnt themselves the correct way to pronounce Maaori words. I no longer have to suffer the insult and hurt I felt when I heard so much mispronunciation on TV. I now feel much safer in using my own language in NZ. We still have a long way to go as a country to work in equal partnership with Maaori however, we have made great progress towards this by accepting the Maaori language as an official language of Aotearoa and using this type of forum to encourage people. Ngaa mihi ki a koutou katoa.

Fay

Everyone must do their part to normalise Te Reo Māori and we need to support all areas

Kirsten

This kaupapa is important to me because I strongly believe that our 'te reo' is a taonga. I always refer to a whakatauki from Sir James Henare; Ko te reo te mauri o te mana Māori Ko te kupu te mauri o te reo Māori E rua ēnei wehenga kōrero e hāngai tonu ana ki runga i te reo Māori Ko te reo, nō te Atua mai. The language is the life force of the mana Māori The word is the life force of the language These two ideas are absolutely crucial to the Māori language A language, which is a gift to us from God.

Waimarie

I am a teacher in Aotearoa and belive all teachers should fully understand our story/history. Part of that is understanding who we are as Pakeha, sitting with the discomfort of colonisation and what our dominant culture has done. Knowing this and understanding this, I can fully embrace and open both my head and heart to learning Te reo Maori and Tikanaga. My why is this is a must. I am must know my identity as a New Zealander both Maori & Pakeha. Thank you for the incredible mahi you all do to revitalise our identity as New Zealanders.

Carey

Maori is a part of who I am. I want my daughters to know that I am proud to be Maori and they should be too!

Joshua

Te reo is an important part of being New Zealander. It is our heritage and what makes us kiwis

Leaia

The preservation of Te Ao Maori

Marshall

I feel like a failure not knowing in confidence my whakapapa off by heart and I really feel like I am missing in that part of my life. I want to learn my reo so that I can teach it to my future generations so that the reo doesn't die out.

Maia-Rose

Te reo Maori is unique to Aotearoa and we should be protecting it as an important taonga

Evelyn

I feel ashamed I am not proficient in one of our national languages.

Alex

It's important to me as pākehā living in Aotearoa to take responsibility for my own learning of Te Ao Māori

Rachel

"Ko te reo te mauri o te mana Māori. " Whakatauaki Normalising te reo Māori in Aotearoa is a personal passion.

Lena

I only just discovered that this went to Parliament before I was even born! And I'm old!

Dena

Part of my journey to learn Te Reo

Wendy

I want to learn about the Maori language and culture

saima

We all have a duty to preserve the history and culture of Aotearoa. Te Reo is such a beautiful language and every word each kiwi adds to their knowledge makes us all stronger, better people. I grew up with little connection to my roots and I want to change that for my tamariki.

Tara

I've always been one to take an interest in other cultures.

Caleb

I work in a government department and feel it is important to embrace and be part of celebrating te reo.

Tracey

More signage and English/Maori versions of words side by side. Just been to Te Papa and Zoolandia. A tourist in my own country! Was great to see the use of Maori language at these places and I found myself trying to pronounce many of these words. I even went to an Indian restaurant and translated my curry number 36 into Maori as I have just taught myself numeric translation.

Angela

Maori language is ataahua, even though I am a pakeha its important to share and make reo available to all, . Along with learning and sharing reo its also incredibly important to share the real history of New Zealand especially with my pakeha friends who haven't had the opportunity to learn.

sarah

For my kids - they are Maori and it’s their heritage and I do t want it lost I want it normalised

Margaret

It's part of us all. My son was born into a pakeha family but has embraced the Maori culture so much that he now has a kirituhi representing his whanau (us) on his arm. I am proud of him, proud that he has embraced a culture that was not his at birth but actually he feels part of. I want to learn more and be more and that means becoming involved and being open to learn.

Andrea

To keep our language alive. I will be sharing a new word or whakatauki within my work place to encourage the togetherness.

April

My wife and Children are Maori and speaking the language is a way to help them identify with their heritage.

Andre

I want my 3 year old daughter to be able to speak her native language

Cheiralee

He aha ai? Mõ āku tamariki, irāmutu, whānau Mõ tõku Iwi, Hapū, Marae Mõ tõku Kõhanga Reo, Wharekura, Hapori Mõ ngā tikanga o te ao māori Mõ ahau

Kororia

Learning and been part of that learning experience in te reo. Love the language and to me it sounds peaceful, the waiata’s are beautiful

Ange

I have been wanting to for a long time

chelsey

Te Reo will only thrive if it is spoken. It doesn’t take much to learn a few words and phrases.

Kate

Shared land, shared language. Promoting correct everyday pronunciation of place names in our area.

Dianne

Because it’s cool to korero😜😜

Billy

To promote and collaborate with others the use of te reo Māori in Aotearoa and to learn and gain more confidence in using te reo in my everyday life an in my teaching.

Natasha

Te reo is the language of the tangata whenua we should all be confident and proud to use te reo!

rachel

As a nurse I would love to be able to converse with my Maori patients and be able to feel confident doing so. Even just hello, please and thank you etc would be a great place to start

Caty

We need to decolonise the moment

Greg

Because it is a beautiful language and who I am

Faye

I'm embarrassed that I have called Aotearoa home for so long but still haven't learned its beautiful language properly, and I'm finally going to do something about that and find a class.

Jennifer

I was born and grew up in Melbourne, Australia. I respect my Aotearoa heritage (Ngāi Tahu) while acknowledging my ngati kangaru upbringing. It's nice to be part of something bigger. To whakapapa back to something and centre myself using the wisdom of our tupuna.

Zach

Participation in Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori is a no-brainer for any school committed to an authentic bi-cultural journey. Our tamariki and staff at Te Rā Waldorf school love learning te reo, waiata, mahi kapa haka, kēmu, mahi toi, etc. We are about to use the Taura Whiri self-assessment tool "E tipu ngā uiui" to develop our mahere reo.

Rongo

Te reo lives in being spoken and I want to join in and celebrate that life by speaking te reo Māori. And doing it together marks the power of te reo.

Dave

I've seen how much learning te reo has helped my mātua kēkē on his journey, and I am inspired to do the same now.

Fritt

To grow my confidence in speaking Te Reo Māori, to teach it to my tamariki (I’m still on my Te Reo learning journey), & improve my kupu knowledge.

Holly

Whanau Legacy of Te Reo

Meretaka

Our reo connects us - to each other, to our whakapapa, to our whenua. It anchors us, and I want to be a part of that wairua, that mauri that will occur on Sept 14.

Kasey

I always encourage everyone to speak te reo Maaori as it is an indigenous language and an ataahua one at that, that should be celebrated everywhere. I am going to push myself in speaking more reo Maaori and waiata

April

To keep the language alive and to discover my identity!

Margaret

I am Pakeha and a beginner te reo student. It's important I learn te reo Māori as a way to be a better tiriti partner and also take action against ongoing colonisation. Learning te reo is helping me to learn more about te ao Māori. Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori is an awesome opportunity to celebrate te reo and te ao Māori. And for beginners like me, to give it a go. Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou ki te wiki!

Sue

Kia ora, I am studying to become a teacher and am committed to improving my te reo Māori, to ensure that I am a culturally responsive teacher, have the confidence to support the development of our official language, and provide learning opportunities that respect the history of our country.

Hannah

We are a kura who value and wish to acknowledge the taonga that is Te Reo Maori.

Jessica

To promote te reo Maori among the next generation.

Sylvia

Mö ngā uri whakaheke! ! ! !

Toria

Im maori

Kennedy

my tamarki are ngati kahangungu

Maneesh

It's important for me to take part because generations of my tupuna fought for this to happen in different ways because they wanted our reo to survive, and it has. I korero to acknowledge my whakapapa and their histories.

Makere

Te Reo Maori is a taonga and it helps us to connect to our whenua, our whanau, our wairua and our cultural identity.

Juanita

He taonga tuku iho mō ngā uri whakatupu. Kāore tōku pāpā i kōrero Māori, erangi, ka kōrero Māori āna mokopuna katoa!

Rangimarie

ko te reo te mea nui i roto i taku koiora i tenei wa me te hiahia ki te oko tonu

Wai Moana

To be a part of the movement to continue to uplift and support te reo rangatira for future generations.

Tarnz

When my Nanny went to school, she was punnished for not speaking english and consequently didn't pass te reo on to her children. I am reclaiming my legacy for my Nanny, and for my future mokopuna.

Natasha

I am an older pakeha New Zealander, but love Te Reo and how we are embracing its use as a normal part of our daily life. I remember the days when kids were not allowed to speak Te Reo so watching the growing resurgence of our language is very moving. I want to take part to show how important Te Reo is to me, even though i find it hard to remember, but i practice practice practice !

vicki

Made a promise to myself to increase my te reo Māori this year, am doing online course with Te Wananga o Raukawa and thought this is cool too

Steph

I came from Ireland and Aotearoa has given me a home I am very proud to live in. In respect of that I want to learn more. Also as a kindergarten teacher it is vital for the mana of our tamariki that te reo is a living language that strengthens their I identity.

Mary

I have been living in Australia most of my life, and I feel I needed to reconnect with my culture and heritage more. Both of my Grandparents have past now, but they were very well known in the Rātana community In Rawhiti.

Adelle

I have never learnt a second language. It makes sense to learn my home country's one

Pam

Te Reo Māori is a vibrant, poetic language. The world needs more vibrancy and poetry.

Mike

Te reo is important to me because it gives me and my whanau a way to connect with our tūpuna. I'll be better prepared to teach my kids te reo. I'll be able to better understand korero that is in te reo like on Marae or in hui. And it's cool! !

Sharn

I have lived in Australia most my life. As a proud Maori woman I want to know more about my culture. Where I came from and have it be a part of my future. I want my children to know and continue that legacy.

Stacey

Te reo Māori was not offered to me in my schools. My parents didn’t speak Te reo neither my grand parents. But it is such a beautiful language that I should identify with, it’s more than about me , it’s about my whanau and the years to come, my future kids.

Janice

I want to be a great Te Reo speaker and successfully teach my whanau. I want to be a great role model for my tamariki and teach them te reo in hopes that they teach their tamariki so our reo is never forgotten. I want to learn and teach Te Reo Maori in Honor of my late pāpā, Piripi Riley Daniels.

tarai

Because it allows me to embrace my own culture that I have not really been comfortable or allowed to express/acknowledge/explore while growing up in a bi-racial family. I also think the language is beautiful when spoken and is also important to speak properly as to respect the culture and those people/places/things/beings.

Jackie

Te reo Maori is a recognized language in this country. So it makes sense that all New Zealand people have access to learning it.

Mark

As a young(ish) Māori teacher I want to encourage my students to embrace the rich cultural heritage our country has. It is so powerful to be a part of this shared experience at the exact same time across NZ.

Shari

As a New Zealander and a primary school teacher it is my responsibility to embrace the culture of where I live. To me this requires me to push myself from my comfort zone and learn with my students.

Michelle

Okay where do I start it’s important to me to learn te reo and everything Maori and more so a path of education health and wellbeing. Iv been through chemotherapy 3 times since my 20s I’m now 43 and it taken a toll on my body so I know if I go back to my roots I know this will put me in a good mental state and be around longer for my wife daughters and mokopuna

Steven

Ko te moemoeā, kia rongo ai tō tātau Reo Māori e kōrerotia kei ngā moka katoa o Te Tairāwhiti, otirā te motu whānui. Kāre e kore ko tērā hoki ngā wawata o tōku kuia i te wā i ora ai ia. Me rātau hoki i para ai te huarahi nei mo ngā reanga e haere ake nei. Kare e kō atu kāre e kō mai <3

Antony

I am learning and engaging with te reo Māori to better understand and communicate with tangata whenua

Emma