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'

Ki te maumahara tōku reo

Apera

My kids are fluent and are in Kura so I need to be able to keep up with them

Jamie

I live in a bicultural society and I should be able to speak both languages. I notice that speaking a language really gives insight into the world of that culture. I work in Corrections, where Maori are hugely over-represented, and I want to be able to interact with clients in a way that is respectful and honouring of their culture.

It is so important for all of us to take responsibility to pass the knowledge on. It is our birth right and priviledge to have this opportunity to keep the language alive, thrive and strive for the revitalisation of Te Reo Māori for all New Zealanders. Here at Immerse, we strive to ensure we meet our cultural obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi, by ensuring that staff are well equipped to know how to apply cultural awareness into there own practice. We do this by holding daily karakia and waiata session, we use Māori greetings and farewells, both formal and informal. We take the time to pronounce Māori names and place names correctly. This quote by Sir James Henare, reminds us all of that importance: "Ko te reo te mauri o te Mana Māori" - The language is the life force of the Mana Maori.

Freda

Our Reo is so important to who we are as not only Maori but as our unique identity as New Zealanders.

Brooke

I think we need to use our Maori language more , also me as a individual I want to embrace my culture.

Jessica

I want to embed Te Reo into my every day life. I want to feel confident and competent with the language.

Michelle

I am Maori. I am the descendant of Paikea and his long line of chiefs and leaders. My mother and father are Maori and their mothers and fathers are too. Its my duty as a coasty to keep the vibe alive hahaha But, most importantly, I would love to see our culture strive in the future generations and beyond that. We are The Whalers <3

Te Ngariki

“Ko te reo te taikura o te ao mārama”

Rewi

Ko tō tātou reo Māori he reo tuku iho i o tātou mātua tūpuna, he reo kāmehameha, he reo rangatira. Ki te whakanui ahau i te reo Māori, ka maumahara ahau i ōku tūpuna, i ōku mātua, i ngā toa o te Reo i o rātou rā, ā, ka ora anō rātou. I tēnei tau kei mua, kei muri, kei runga, kei raro i oku whakaaro ko Kōka Kēri Kaa ko ia tērā i poipoi, i whakatenatena ahau kia ū ki tēnei ara o te kaiako. E kore e warewaretia tēnei wahine toa ko ia tērā i pakanga, te pakanga nui mō mātou āna ākonga Māori ki Ako Pai. E hia kē ngā kaiako kua whakaaweawe e te kuia nei, kāti rā e kore te puna o mihi e mimiti noa.

Sophie

To truly understand oneself. To know who you are, is to know where you come from. I’m on a journey of self discovery, I have been called home. Home, being my culture and our people. As a wife and mother, I am committed to learning Māori in order to step into my most authentic and loving self and ensure I do my part to pass on the gifts I learn to my children, and so forth.

Larissa

My Mother was Irish and her Father was fluent in Irish and taught the language. I know that they had to live through times when their own language was forbidden and their names had to be anglicised for all official documents. This made me angry every time I thought about it. We are blessed to have te reo Maori as an official language in this country and we must take every opportunity to preserve it. My te reo is not good and I want to improve on it. I would love to be fluent one day. Taking the first step is always the hardest.

Catherine

To raise awareness to, celebrate and learn te reo Maori. To help revitalise and strengthen the future as a living, dynamic and rich language.

Janet

Sandra from Florida. He ataahua te tangi o te reo maori e hiahia ana ahau ki te waiata.

Sandra

My boys and parent Maori

Kerry

Ao te pō, pō te ao ko tōku oranga, ko tōku whānau, ko tōku reo Māori. Me tautoko ahau ka tika!

Te

I think we have a duty to help reestablish te reo Māori as a living language of Aotearoa New Zealand!

lilly

Te reo has given me a stronger relationship to Papatūānuku and better understanding of who I am.

Aaron

Because I want to learn more about the maori culture and the language.

Maia

Kia ora, for my kupu, I wasn't taught Te Reo in my home as a child only the silly words my mother would say, as she was not allowed to talk Te Reo in school. It was lost for her, but for me, at 67yrs old it is a new beginning. Because it is not fluently spoken in our home apart from greetings, we have a limited range of kupu to use. My husband is going to Te Wananga o Kirikiriroa to learn, i have done a course with Te Ataarangi and level 2 with Te Ara Reo. My mokopuna can understand simple phrases like me. I like to sing waiata, hopefully, that will guide me as to te reo.

Gayle

It is important to me as part Maori and an Adult to learn at minimum the basics to pass on to my children.

Tanya

New Zealand is a multi-cultural society but it's our Maori roots that are unique to the country

Nick

My why is for my son who is Māori-Tongan.

Kristin

It is a core part of what it mens to be a New Zealander - we need to keep Maori in use and a vital part of our society

Olwyn

Tena koe, I'm a sixty-five year old woman, who lived for three decades in Germany. I grew up in a Maori community. attended a Maori school and got the strap whenever I used Maori in the playground. While I can hear the reo and generally understand what's going on, I'm too hakama to speak. It pains me that I have returned home and speak better German than te reo rangatira. Despite my age, I am hungry to learn the reo of my karanipapa who raised me. I also want to support my nieces, nephews, mokopuna and siblings to get on board this kaupapa.

Powhiri

Every year Te reo maori is increasing my understanding in the language . Just having time and interest in study language and culture becomes part of my world and people around you. .

Peter

Because Aotearoa is the only home of Te Reo Māori language - it has no other home.

Te Ata

To redeem our culture heritage of New Zealand and to promote Te Reo in our school.

Amanda

Mā tātou katoa te mana e whakaora ai te reo - we all have a responsibility to preserve te reo Māori. It is the first language of our county and must be kept alive and well. And learning te reo Māori opens a window to te Ao Māori. Ko te reo te taikura ki te ao mārama - language is the key to understanding.

Pippa

Its right

Barbara

Ki taku nei whakaaro, kāre i tua atu i tēnei kaupapa hei whakanui i te reo Māori me ōna tikanga. Ko te tūmanako ia ka tutuki pai tēnei kaupapa, ā, ka whakamana te tini me te mano i tō tātau reo rangatira.

Aorangi

Te reo Māori is on a journey to becoming normalized in Aotearoa as it should be - let us all get involved and give it the mana it deserves!

Sophie

I'm definitely an older maaori woman, hearing our language from whaanau, mokopuna is soo beautiful, and ask them for interpretation. And more so is our tau iwi speaking our reo is beautiful too . Love to ready and prepare myself for our Dads unveiling as well. Thank you Nga mihi kia kootoou katoa.

Annette

celebrate our national language - honour the people who fought to keep it alive

nancy

Te Reo is part of who we are as Kiwi's, it's not separate or exclusive.

Mark

It's very important for me and my husband more so my husband, as he says he feels that he can feel someone is telling him the time is right, so he decided to take up Te Reo courses which he is on his kete tuawha, so proud of him

Joanne

It is important to us to ako, to contribute to our wider community to share knowledge, understanding and a piece of our history and language with the world.

Aotearoa needs more support to develop it's own, unique culture. We have the future in our hands

Leo

Those of us with te reo Māori ability, little experience to matatau and everything in between, need to speak te reo Māori as often as possible. If a drive like this makes people actively engage in and through TRm then it is one more opportunity to TRM to be normalised in Aotearoa. TRM should not be confined to karakia and waiata, but will only become normalised when those who can, do.

Dianne

I wish i had done this years ago as our father chose not to teach us as he had been punished for using Te Reo and he did not want that happening to his children. I have have 15 mokopuna all but one born in Australia and though we identify ourselves as Maori (though 1/2) i do not know how to korero fluently.

Margaret

To ensure Te Reo is respected and valued.

Tania

My why is for my son who is Māori-Tongan.

Ofeina

It's one of 3 languages we use in NZ. We should all learn all 3. By learning we build confidence, when we are confident we can stand beside those that are different from us and love them with our whole heart and mind. Ignorance leads to misunderstanding, confusion, fear and hate. This is not the world I want to live in.

Rebecca

Te Reo is an important part of our ECE curriculum, something that we like to celebrate and implement daily with our tamariki and whanau. This is a great opportunity to extend our TeReo with in our ECE whanau and community.

Te Reo is the language of my country. My ancestors came to this country 200 years ago and shame on me I don't speak the language. Te Reo should be compulsory and every NZer should be bilingual

Ruth

Growing up my culture wasn't celebrated or appreciated, so now that I'm older I have the responsibility of teaching, and educating myself on the things I missed out on. I'm trying to take it back to my roots and understand who I am and where I come from. Te Reo Māori is a beautiful language and it deserves to be spoken loud and proud.

Te reo Maori is an essential part of my identity as a Pakeha New Zealander.

Mary

Because if there are going to be one million te reo speakers by 2040, one million people have to start somewhere. I have started, and I want to keep growing.

Janet

Ko taku hiahia kia kōrerorero i ngā wā katoa ki aku Tamariki.

Jason

I believe Te Reo is much like one of the few important creatures currently on our endangered species list. We may be in awe of the animal and understand its rareness and value to the world, but we need to keep talking about it and bringing attention to it so as to stop it from disappearing forever. By practising Te Reo in our normal everyday settings, I believe we help to keep the language alive.

Helen

To ensure our cultural heritage lives on.

Iona

He tino ataahua te reo Maori!

Jill

To honour the taonga that is Te Reo, special to New Zealand and part of who we are as a people.

Jenna

Kia ora we are a rural set kindergarten with kaiako of mixed cultural backgrounds. We speak both Te reo Maori and english and are learning sign language to support our practices of authentic Te Tiriti o Waitangi inclusive educational practices.

Whaea

my desire is to be one of the million reo speakers - always has been

linda

As a teacher, I really want to connect my students to te ao Māori me te reo Māori, hopefully helping them to develop a love, appreciation and understanding for Aotearoa's first language and culture. I hope that by doing this, that we will be working towards a more united and equitable future for Aotearoa.

Mathew

I love my culture

Aroha

Te reo should be our first language and taught in schools. As a white middle class older woman i am ashamed that i dont speak this beautiful language. I am now trying.

Karen

Being adopted, and finding out when you're 26 that you're descended from Maori is quite a life-changing thing. Picking up some simple Te Reo in the Army over 8 years played a large part in where I am now. My children are aware of their Whakapapa, and are proud of their heritage.

Peter

Te reo Maori is what connects me to people and place. I love the stories, the history and the melody of our language. Te reo Aotearoa Maori also connects me to my te reo Rarotonga Maori and reo Tahiti Maohi; my language transcends oceans

Because my children deserve to know more about where they came from and who they are as Maori. I always wish I learnt more when I was younger, I want to do the Mahi so I can teach my tamariki.

Bex

Kia ora tatou, Susannah here, I am longing to speak te reo Maori because I am of NgaPuhi descent and Irish, both have beautiful languages. I am a complete beginner, lived in the Philippines in the slums and learnt Tagalog reasonably easy as was living close as to people. Te Reo has illuded me for years as practice is a big part of how I learn. Having lessons on line one on one with a wonderful women just now.

Susannah

Ko tenei Te Reo o oku tupuna ehara tetahi atu. Kotahi rau whitu tekau o nga tau kua hipa ka wikitoria a Te Ruki Kawiti me tona ope iti rawa ki nga kai toa o te emepaea. Mo te aha? mo tatou Te Iwi Maori ko matou nga hua ka puta.

Te Rangi

Tōku reo tōku ohoho, tōku reo tōku māpihi maurea

Nicola

whakahihitia tou maoritanga

frank

ko tenei waiata hei arahi i taku ako i te reo Kotahi kapua ki te rangi, hei marangai i te whenua (x2) kua whiti te ra ki tua - ko Kahurangi e kore koe e ngaro taku reo rangatira (x2)

Paula

Kia whakapakari ai tō tātou reo rangatira

Kerira

Te wiki o te reo Maori has become a long line of language weeks. The key differences are this is tanagta whenua tikanga it is Aotearoa's official language. I suppose I would like to see a sustainable change in te wiki o te reo more about celebrating our accomplishments of the year instead of trying to rebrand or launching new initiatives. Te reo maori should be every week.

Greg

Because it is a part of my own identity and the identity of all the students I teach in Aotearoa

Pip

My family was whitewashed and kept from my maori heritage. This year I have started to repair that and have emerged myself in the culture

izzy

Hapai Te Reo Rangatira Hapai tou whanau whanui Hapai ou tatou wairua Tautoko

Brian

It became important when I moved to NZ. To immerse myself in the language and culture that truly IS this country. And then to fall in love with a Maori fella made it even more important. For him, for his family, for us and for our future kids.

Karolina

I am ready and inspired to help start creating our new normal in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Ali

Paying respect to tangata whenua and embracing their language and culture.

Losaline

We need to acknowledge our language as a country

Raphael

Mostly as because I don’t see te reo as a different language in New Zealand, it’s all one to me and I really want my children to feel the same. It’s no just one moment or month of te reo it’s life practice.

Anita

I was removed from my whanau at birth. My papa had no knowledge that I was a live pepi but a son whom had passed at birth. I lost my whenua, my immediate and extended whanau, my rights to be brought up with Maori, a totally absence of tikanga, reo or whakapapa. . . instead became a stranger, in my birthright and brought up in a Pakeha'world. For me this is massive it means I'm truly Maori, not a brown face in a primarily white scciety. I am define by both, due to my adopted upbringing, but my Maori whakapapa is soooo inspirational to me ❤❤ Arohanui

Catrina

I'm a 7th generation NZer and Maori is part of my heritage. I would like to learn more about how to pronounce Maori words correctly. I try to practice on signs and information boards but struggle to read and speak Maori properly. That's why I signed up

Shelly

Its important because a being nzer, maori culture/language is so much a part of our heritage. I have grandchildren who speak and are part maori. Also because of working with Maori where I work it would be so good to be able to communicate with them in Maori. It shows I value and respect them.

kaye

Kia ora We have our first mokopuna and I want her and every future moko we are blessed to have to know how to speak Te Reo. Our language must survive. It is the heart of who we are. It cant be lost. . Nga mihi

Margie

To show my children our language is important

Taekata

Tena koutou katoa Kāore koroua korero maori ki te kura Kei te tau whitu tekau mā tahi ahau Ka ako te reo Maori ahau mõ õku mokopuna Ko Dianne tõku ingoa My grandfather was not allowed to speak Te reo māori at school I am 71 years old I want to learn Te reo for my grandchildren My name is Dianne. Kia ora katoa.

Dianne

Kia ora. I have been teaching and leaning Te Reo for fifteen years. Over that time my love for the language and Māori culture has continued to grow. It is my belief that te reo Māori is integral to the healing of our nation and my deepest desire is that all our tamariki will all have the opportunity to learn it throughout primary and secondary school. The Māori Language Moment I have organised (a reo focused school assembly involving performances from both the Junior and Senior Kapa Haka) has had to be postponed a week due to Level 2 restrictions unfortunately, but I hope to gather my two Kapa Haka together to sing waiata at noon on the 14th. Ka nui te mihi ki a koutou :)

Ailsa

I am a kaimahi at TWOA and I want to do my all inside of class but also outside of class

Stephen

Ko te reo Māori te reo tūturu o tēnei whenua.

Sue

I want to take part because Māori is part of me but. . . . . I was raised by my British father after my mother passed away when I was 9. Because of this, I never learnt about my Māori heritage or the language. Now that I have children of my own, I feel the need to connect with that other half of me.

Nadia

I believe in the values of biculturalism; Toi te mana, Toi te whenua, Toi te Reo: Preserve the Prestige, Preserve the Land, Preserve the Language of the Tangata Whenua!

Emere

I have been married to a wonderful man of Ngai Tahu/Ngati Kahungunu descent for 32 years. We have children so they too are of Maori descent with one attending full immersion for a time. This year I decided it was time I learnt the family language and enrolled for a year long course. Eight weeks to go and I will have level 2! It hasn't been easy but it has been worth it.

Tracy

Tena ra koutou katoa, The importance for me to take part in Te reo Maori is for my papa who passed away 2yrs ago, I want to be serious this time about taking part in something that is part of me and I have been denying it for years. So my taking part on the 12th of September and have enrolled in Te reo Maori learning is the first steps to knowing who i am as a Maori individual. Nag mihi Kia ora.

Omeka

I think this is a great kaupapa because it promotes our language and encourages all people to korero or waiata regardless of the individuals level of knowledge , for people begging there Reo Māori journey its a great way to participate and those who are intermediate speakers its an awesome opportunity for them to test there knowledge and continue to grow with that knowledge. For fluent speakers it's a great opportunity to tautoko and manaaki but most of all encourage others . Our language can be a normal feature in everyday life for the whole of New Zealand so my passion of te reo Māori encourages me to help the many great hard working kaiako , kuia and koroua bring back the normalization of our Reo. Nō reira , he mihi atu ki a koutou e tautoko ana i tēnei kaupapa . E mārama ai ki te reo Māori korerotia, E mōhio ai tātou ki te reo Māori, waiatatia E matatau ai tātou ki te reo Māori , matuarautia i a tātou mokopuna kia rere tonu atu te wairua o te reo o rātou kua tae tua o Paerau . - Nāku te rourou nāu te rourou ka ora ai te tangata.

Denny

Because the Maori language is a beautiful taonga that needs to be cherished and protected.

Bridget

To keep the reo alive. I have just begun my learning journey, but I wish I had started earlier. I love to take what I know and share it in my workplace. (early childhood kaiako) it gives me joy to see our tamariki learn alongside myself

Mairatea

Whakapapa

Arihia

I was raised in a pākeha whanau, and don’t know a lot about my heritage, other than a few basic words and myths, so I would like to learn more, and pass that knowledge to my children, and they can be proud to know about their Māori ancestry as well, and pass it to the next generations

Jo

It is important for me to take part, to promote and support Mana Maori! Kia kaha te korero mai!

Errol

I want to learn more about my roots.

Vee

I think all New Zealanders have a responsibility to be able to speak te reo Māori.

Dan

Learning my language is important to me because it connects me to who I am and where I'm from and makes me proud to be maaori.

Penny

New Zealand has done an exemplary job of integrating 2 cultures, and celebrating the differences of both. Especially when it comes to the Maori people, it is of utmost importance that their culture, language and natural characteristics are preserved, after having been suppressed for so long. The Maori culture should be celebrated, and that’s my wa.

Ko wai au?No whea au?He Maori ahau. . Ko te reo, he tino taonga ō tātou katoa e te iwi Maori. . E pīrangi au me whai tonu nga tapuwae i ōku Mātua Tūpuna. . ❤️

Amo