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'

To honour my tipuna, to teach my mokopuna to ensure our history is never lost again, for myself as I journey towards receiving my moko kaue.

Melissia

Since the age of 8 I have been surrounded by our culture, however I could never fully grasp our language. This is my time to stop sitting on the sidelines and do the things that are important to me, and learning our language is high on the list.

Tanea

Te Reo Maori is a huge part of my cultural identity and my heritage to claim! The Te Reo journey may include Whakapapa, karakia, waiata, whakatauaki, hononga. It may incite a sense of belonging and being proud. In our Reo is beauty and playful witty humour My journey is set to honour our tupuna

Ngawhariki

My biggest regret is not knowing my own beautiful language. It was always present when i was growing up especially with our nanny but when we got our own home, mum & dad never taught us & when i took it up at high school the teacher was from the east coast so imagine a ngapuhi/ tainui going home & speaking eastcoast maori back in those days. I can laugh about it now but boy those days of getting my ears screwed were bloody sore.

Kathy

Shared language creates connection and understanding. Kia kaha te reo Māori 🙌

Ali

Learning te reo maori has been a massive journey. Sometimes testing, but mainly rewarding. Reo has helped me on my journey of whakapapa aswell. Being a whangai baby, I had a huge feeling of Ko wai au? No hea koe Erana? And with these questions, came the start of my journey into Te ao maori. I am currently signed up to TWOA doing my papa reo course, and I will carry that on until I am speaking fluently to my tamariki. Te reo maori is also important for myself, for my tamariki! Knowing who they are, where they whakapapa from, not feeling left out when being spoken to in reo maori aswell. I am a proud maori women, who looks forward to seeing where our language ties us all in the future! ! Kia kaha te reo maori Aotearoa 🤍❤️🖤

Erana

Mo aku mokopuna

Tinaka

Learning, utilizing, and excelling in Te Reo Māori adds a sense of real belonging to who we are as tangata whenua. This helps shape the value of our identity, and encourages Aotearoa to be the best indigenous country! Kia Kaha Te Reo Māori

Keesha

He Kaiako ahau, as a teacher I want to be part of a movement to make reo compulsory in kura our tamariki are the future and they should be speaking the language of our whenua

Emilie

Mō āku mokopuna. . .

Teina

Toitu Te Tiriti, I am Maori Proud to be Maori.

Louise

Mō ngā mokopuna o te ao āpōpō.

Anahera

I want to ensure my children and also each generation have the knowledge to blossom and learn their roots.

Nicole

My whanau 🍃

Sharon

As a wahine that whakapapa's Maori and who works with Whanau Maori, I want to uphold and enhance their mana while also increasing my kupu.

Kiri

He aha ai e ako ana au i te reo Māori? Nā te mea, ko te reo Māori ko te reo rangatira o Aotearoa. Ko Aotearoa anake te kainga o te reo Māori. E hiahia au ki te tautoko i te tipu o te reo - he mea ngākau nui ki a au. Ko tōku reo tōku ohooho, ko tōku reo tōku māpihi maurea. My language is my awakening, my language is the window to my soul. Learning other languages has led to my own growth in self-awareness even as Pākehā. Te Reo Māori has a special and beautiful poetry and soulfulness that resonates deeply with the way I feel about life, the earth and everything around us. Ngā mihi nui!

Sarah

Tooku Mokopuna

Dell

I know who I am where I'm from I know my mum an my dad's whakapapa I want to understand maori when listening or hear korero some words I know but wanting to learn more

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I am an education support worker working alongside Kaiako at multiple Centers. I try to incorporate Te Reo as often as i can while at mahi and in my whare as i believe it should be a language used freely and often

Aleisha