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'

I believe that Te Reo is part of our NZ identity. I started to learn Te Reo in my 20s then started work and decided to put it off for a bit as I had kids etc and seemed to be busy. When I retired I thought this is the time, but now I realise it’s so much harder to learn a language in your 70s with my memory not being so good. I say people should just go for it when they can and not be like me.

John

Growing up I was exposed to little to no Te Reo Māori even though I knew it was important to my mother. Her parents grew up in a time where it was banned, so was unable to pass nearly as much down as they would've wanted. I want to be in a position where I can hold a conversation comfortably, learn Māori culture and customs, and be proud to know that my ancestors can rest easy knowing our culture lives on through me and my children.

I started as I needed a new thing to get my brain moving I am tutored by my son once a week so its a chance to connect with him on a regular basis

Nancy

I was not encouraged to learn te reo growing up . . . so now I want to learn it. I was born here and brought up here in Aotearoa NZ so I want to learn about my history and tikana and about the beautiful land we live in and I believe that to have a better understanding te reo Māori is important in this. I also want to respect other Māori and people who lived on this land before me by learning about their culture and identity and the history of this land. I believe this will also help me in my sense of identity and living here. I want to encourage others to learn as well as have places where I can keep my reo alive by speaking it to others so this is why I have joined the Māori Language Movement!

Robyn

Ko Ben Nevis rāua ko Pūtauaki ngā Maunga te rū nei tāku ngākau. Ko Clyde rāua ko Tarawera ngā awa e mahea nei āku māharahara. I whanau mai au i te taha ō te awa ō Paisley, nō Scotland ahau. E mihi ana ki ngā tohu ō nehe ō Tauranga Moana; e noho nei te whānau ō tōku hoa tane. Kei Kawerau a māua e noho ana. Ko Heather Murphy tōku ingoa. I moved to Aotearoa in 2015, from Scotland and was taken in by how much Te Reo Maori was everywhere! ! When I learnt about its revitalisation and what occurred through colonisation I knew I had to be part of the resurgence. I have been blessed to be learning through Te Wananga o Aotearoa for 4 years now, and this learning journey has shaped my life here massively. It is so important to me that I hold space for and respect the indigenous language of this country, and I believe its something everyone should do. If people cant or wont learn, they should at least be respectful about Te Reo, and at the bare minimum learn place names and peoples names correctly, not just "how its always been said". Kia kaha Te Reo Maori!

Heather

I started to see the Maori language as part of New Zealand's heritage during a train journey to the mountains which had an audio history of the area. I also learned more about Te Ao Maori in my Masters and loved the idea of everything being about bettering the whole community and the planet. Since I started, I am now helping our workforce also gain Te Reo, as part of their Learning and Development team. Since I help train our kaiako (teachers), I will be not only helping them but our tamariki (children) as well. Plus I don't want anyone to feel whakama (shame) that they don't know their language - I want them to feel enabled, supported and empowered. Also, since my ancestors came here as fencibles and soldiers from Ireland, I want to make amends and this is one way I can do that.

Jacinta

Never was raised speaking te reo and now that I am home I am on my reo journey.

Tony

Because it is essential for unity in Aotearoa New Zealand

Ginny

Mo te organga o toku pa harakeke

Amelia

Firstly, it is a beautiful language, Secondly, we need to honor partnership under the Treaty - this is such a lovely way to do that. I want to understand what is being said in a Mārae.

Fiona

Atamarie, My journey is very long and I have been in the zone of wanting to learn te reo since I started school in Auckland 40 years ago! I moved from Invercargill where it was Not a thing at all that I recall. I learned very basic entry level words, and songs and even joined the kapa haka group and made my own poi learned to plait the strings, etc. forward 10 years and I had a Maori boyfriend who became the Father of my daughter and I STILL don't know how to string a sentence together. He was rural Maori and I learned more words and tikanga through him, went to many tangi and marae visits, Still no sentence structure. I now (20 years later) have a dear and fluent friend who worked at Te Karere and took me with him to the local marae for lessons, but I found it very hard to stand up in front of people, I am very shy in that respect, and I couldn't finish the lessons. I once again felt hopeless. I work in an environment that is very VERY slowly beginning to add words and phrases to emails etc. . . and I am once again trying to find the class/ lessons that fit me and my way of learning. This is a life goal, and I will get there. Kiaora.

R

It is long overdue that Pakeha make efforts to learn about, value and connect with Te Reo. We need to open our minds to new ways of relating, connecting and collectively healing in our society.

Anne

Te reo Måori is beautiful! Matauranga Måori teaches us what the world needs more of, how to value and take care of Te Ao. Indigenous culture is renewing itself and showing the world what they have missed. It is a wonderful thing to be proud of who you are and where you come from, but not in a possessive manner but in a truly humble way. At the same time we are willing to throw away the 'humble' and be more assertive in kappa Måori and how tangata whenua want to leave and will leave. The dollar value should not and will not be the highest value. Te Ao is priceless and so are the many creatures we share it with. Te reo is much more then language, it holds the key to teach the world to be better and alter their values that have dominated for so long. The world depends upon it. That how so very imprtsnt this whakaro is! !

Debbie

I moved from Australia 8 years ago and am very respectful of how culture, the environment and people are all one thing, te reo Māori is a beautiful example of this is why I want to connect through language and culture in my home Aotearoa !

Lynette

My why is for the lost generation of māori . For too long, Te Reo was cast aside and Māori were made to feel ashamed to speak or practice our way of living. I never want anyone (māori or non/māori) to feel embarrassed of speaking their language.

Raven

As a tauiwi, I am learning that anyone and everyone can be a part of the revitalisation of te reo Māori. I have lived in Aotearoa my whole life, and feel honoured to be able to learn about te ao Māori, and I want to teach my children the importance of the history of our whenua.

Nic

I tōku whānau, karekau ngā tāngata e kōrero Māori. Ināwhea au i te 12 tāku tau ki te kura takawaenga, i wheako mai i te ao Māori mō tētahi tau. Ahakoa, he tino pūkenga au i te pangarau me te pūtaiao, i neke atu ki tērā karaehe. Heoi, kāore au i whakaako i tōku mana Māori, i tōku māramatanga o te ao Māori. He tino nunui ki ahau ināianei, e mōhiotia e māua ko tōku whānau, ko tōku whānaungatanga i te tāngata, i te whānau, i tōku tūrangawaewae hoki. Ki au nei, ki te kore koe e mōhio, me pēhea koe e mōhio ai he tāngata Māori koe.

Poriana

Simply put it is a language that has been suppressed for 150 years and is right now being rejuvenated

Te Rangi

I think its my duty as a Māori man to learn and encourage others to normalise Te Reo Māori and be a part of the great work being achieved by all involved . Our children have a right to know our culture to help shape there future prospects.

Denny

Ko wai au? Ko te reo he korero tuturu mo matou katoa. Ahakoa he piki me nga heke kia mau tonu mau ki to tu, ki te kaha ki te korero maori ia wa, i nga wa katoa.

Robyn

For me being on my learning journey, it makes me feel more at home. I want to continue my learning journey so i can help my whanau learn.

Tara

By learning Te Reo and appreciating things Maori, this will enrich the lives of all New Zealanders

Roy

Tena Koutou When I as 7 years Utan our vegetable shop our Maori customer spoke Maori to us I replied to our customers exactly what they said, as I know we learn naughty words first Kaua e korero Pena me penei te tika We live in Aotearoa we should all be taught te reo Maori Te reo definitely has enhanced my career to advance our people’s matters Ka mihi ki oku whanau i poipoi nei ki aua Kia Ora Meng

Meng

I know my reo is in my DNA, I wear the face of my Tupuna. My babies wear their faces also. Reo was my first language, but it was taken from me, I was forbidden in the 80's to speak reo. I see it like a reactivation and reconnecting to who I truely am and who my babies are. Reo as we all know is not just kupu, its wider than that.

Jo

It's my birthright. My ancestors never thought that I wouldn't know the language/culture. . . I feel I owe it to them to know them in this special way.

Suzy

As an ex-ECE teacher I am well aware of the need to value our bicultural NZ history and to keep Te Reo Maori live so that this precious taonga is not lost. It is a beautiful language and try to keep using it as much as I can so that I don't lose what I have learnt.

Lisa

Te reo is an official language of this country. In order to fully participate in New Zealand society you cannot be ignorant of tikanga and the values which Māori ascribe to Aotearoa. I also believe that as a public servant I have an obligation to lift my skills in this area, so it will benefit my mahi as well.

John

It is important to understand our shared history of Aotearoa and the incremental negative phases that took place during the Colonisation. The suppression of Māori language and Culture is a shameful fact that contemporary New Zealanders are saddled with. Misconceptions of our early history abound. Just listen on radio talk back, to a host of uninformed people regurgitating disproven facts. I am a Pākeha and have been learning Te Reo Māori for 3 years. I am an advocate for people to learn NZ History and Te Reo Māori and thereby, be drawn into a sort of contextualisation of who and where they fit as Kiwis. Ngā mihi, Barry Dulieu.

Barry

I grew up in Christchurch in from the late 1960's and didn't learn te reo at home or school. Part of growing up in NZ was that we did enjoy aspects of te Ao Maori such as an annual Hangi beside the Ashley river and listening to Treaty issues on the radio which often spoke of pakeha and maori. By the 1990's I was living in Kenya , when I said I was from NZ, the locals would korero Maori back and I thought wow I really must go back to NZ and learn more about Te Ao Maori. On returning to NZ I lived in a place called Minginui and my children went to kohunga reo so learning reo was part of some happy memories that I am still appreciating in 2021 especially having a work place which is embracing and encouraging nga mea Maori.

Felicity

It is important for me to be taking part in this awesome kaupapa as I want to be eventually in a space of talking fluently. I am thinking ahead and in the now for my own children and mokopuna.

Te Puke Primary School

Ko te reo te mauri o te mana Māori. . .

Jean

There are many reasons I'm learning Te Reo Māori, but the main reason for me is about being part of our beautiful and unique nation. Its about connecting with and better understanding others. If we don't have a solid understanding of each other as a foundation, how can we ever move forward to build a prosperous Aotearoa NZ for us and for the next generation?

Leonie

It's like a part of my DNA is missing. Te Reo Māori makes us unique to the rest of the world :)

Dale-Maree

Because i have seen the terrible inequality for our Maori people who were here before my ancestors and i feel that we all should be learning Te Reo , the whole history aswell in our classrooms, no different than learning English in the classroom. I have studied for one year and feel i am only just beginning to learn, intending going back until i can actually speak this beautiful language but also understand what is being said and be able to answer back correctly Thank you Michelle

Michelle

Because I love Te Reo and I want to make sure my tamariki and Mokopuna hear it in their home

Heather

It's a recognised NZ language that ALL New Zealanders should embrace and learn .

Rose

I am learning te reo Māori because te reo is a taonga. I am a Wahine Pakeha with a Ngai Tahu husband, tamariki and mokopuna. I am also a kaiako. I am determined to become a fluent speaker to nurture and uplift our beautiful language. I believe we have a responsibility to uphold the language and to make sure it is the sound, meaning and everyday experience of living in Aotearoa. Kia kaha tātou Ki te kōrero Māori!

Katharine

I lost touch with my reo when I left school 10 years ago and in my whanau at the time not a lot of them know any te reo the reason why I have started my journey again is because I have been feeling whakama about going to my Marae an not being able to korero with my kaumatua I hope to regain that knowledge an to go home and represent my whanau one day soon

Jonelle

So many reasons. Te Ao Maori infuses New Zealand and makes us into who we are. We need to support and preserve it for our own identity and well being as well as to redress historical wrongs. Learning Te Reo Maori opens the heart and sharpens the brain, it causes conversations and ensures social change. It also models to our Tamariki and Mokopuna and teaches them so they too will have the benefit of Maori values and tikanga. I believe Aotearoa can be a model for the world on the way forward to combat deadly racism and understand and value diversity, one word at a time.

Carmel

No Airangi ahau. E aroha ana ahau i Te Reo. Ko te Kohanga Reo me Te Ataarangi nga ara Reo maaau. Kia kaha ki te whakanuinga I te motu xxx

Marie

Kia ora ko au ko te maunga ko te maunga ko au, I am one of many in my immediate whanau who has been learning the reo with it I have learnt my whakapapa on both side even thou I was bought up by just my father who past in 1996. My grandmother spoke it but it wasn't enough to imbrase it, my whangai mum (aunty) had a passion for the reo that I followed her footsteps I'm proud to speak our reo I'm not fluent but I am part of teaching our tamariki at kōhanga reo for the future.

Naumai

At high school it was my passion it was my reason to go to be apart of something, I become a mother and used what I had with my older tamariki but I felt like I’d lost it over the years. I went back to learn with Te Wananga o Aotearoa I’m now a Kaiawhina in a full immersion early childhood centre and 2 of my 3 youngest attend, speak and converse in Te reo Maori my baby is like a sponge soaking it all in so when she is a little older she too will be fluent. There are no words to describe how proud I am to be able to korero Te reo Maori in our community. He tino taonga Te reo Maori Te reo o ngà rangatira ngà típuna màtua ♥️

Hailey

Ānei ētahi kupu nā te waiata "Nei rā te kaupapa" e whakamārama pai ana i ōku whakaaro mō te reo. . . "He taonga tuku iho nō ngā tūpuna. Toku reo, toku ohooho mapihi maurea whakakaimarihi. Korerotia te reo i nga wa katoa kia kore e rite ki te moa". Nō reira, e tautoko ana ahau i tēnei kaupapa "Kia kaha te reo Māori".

Rangimarie

I am a Kiwi and Te Reo Māori is one of the national languages of my country: as a citizen I should know it. I am a teacher of Aotearoa New Zealand histories and cannot possibly understand the past of this land in English only. I have put my name to an agreement that says I will do my best by all students that I am assigned to teach and I can do this best by seeking to understand the cultures of this land. Culture can only be deeply, truly understood through language. I am old(er) and believe that it shouldn't be left to the younger generations to rectify all the issues created in the past. Even if I never get to speak or use te Reo Māori in my life or my career, I want to show my children that it matters to learn: "Be the change you want to see". I would love to see all Kiwis taught from a young age to be fluent in all our national languages. What an inclusive nation we would be. My family have been here for many generations, it's about bloody time we learned. I live on this land and it is an incredible joy to begin to understand its stories. These stories are held in trust by Reo Māori.

Maxine

To uphold the Treaty of Waitangi. Te Reo is the language of Aotearoa. I have two moko of Ngati Porou descent 😊

Mary

I am a 51 year old Pākehā wahine and I have been wanting to learn te reo for some time. It started because of my terrible pronunciation that was embarrassing. I just couldn’t get it right, so I would stop trying. I have two tamariki that grew up learning basic te reo at school and pronounce te reo correctly effortlessly. My generation didn’t get the learning like they did. My job in midwifery means I have relationships with Māori wāhine and their whānau. Knowing more and having some understanding of Māoritanga is a way to show respect and honour and hopefully can be empowering for them. Te reo is a beautiful, rich language. It offers such deep nuance with each word, that saying even one word can tell a story on its own. English doesn’t do that. To kōrero in te reo is my goal and I am slowly getting there. I understand better than I speak at the moment.

Fiona

To connect to my country and to support my daughters as they learn te reo as well. .

Jacqueline

You cannot share what you do not have, so i want to share a lot to nga tamariki by learning a lot.

Maria Gracia

It’s important to me because, I am Maori and proud to be. To help my children to carry on this ataahua language. And it is New Zealand’s first language, so let’s spread this whakaaro and get every other Maori to korero their language. Kiaora

Iritana

Because it’s important to keep this beautiful language alive, because I enjoy it, to connect with Maori culture and to be able to converse, mihi and sing.

Jo

I’m learning te reo Māori because it makes me feel connected to the motu & helps give me a kōrero. I love finding out more about both te reo & te ao Māori.

John

To support my own ako and to tautoko my work environment. The Purpose at mahi is to support all staff in their understanding and knowledge of Te Ao Māori by normalising cultural values, traditions and practices within our work environment.

Errol

I owe it to my tupuna to carry on our Reo and our Māoritanga. I also owe it to our babies so they don’t have to teach themselves as adults.

Ngawahine

I am learning Maori because it’s one of my cultures. I need to keep it and also need to experience it through my school to keep it

Raen

It's who we are and it's ours the reo the tikanga the knowledge is beautiful and as Maori we need to embrace who we are not 4 ourselves but for our tamaiti

Corina-Chey
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It's who we are and it's ours the reo the tikanga the knowledge is beautiful and as Maori we need to embrace who we are not 4 ourselves but for our tamaiti

Corina-Chey

Learning Te Reo Maori, Speaking Te Reo Maori, Thinking in Te Ao Maori gives me purposes and focus to all I do in my life!

Wayne

I am a Dutch born Kiwi, arriving to this incredible country when I was 4 - when we first arrived, we were forced to drop our mother tongue to learn English. But the first 4 years was enough for me to hold on to the basics until my late teens when I went to search more for my roots. Time went on, life's highs and lows. . . milestones and challenges. . . . then when our own children started to learn Te Reo, and both became proficient with it. . . it put me to shame that I had never taken up the same journey. The last ten years I have become more confident with attempting basics, especially with pronounciation of place names and learning the why, how and because of so many things - historically and present. I am approaching 50 years in New Zealand, and have never felt so much aroha with identifying as a New Zealander - and am grateful for the chance to learn the most incredible language, block by block. . . . it is definitely a journey. . . .

Arda

I grew up learning different languages from other countries growing up in New Zealand. When I attended University in America I was introduced to their Te Reo Maori language class. Back then Te Reo wasn’t as prevalent as it is now in NZ. I thought if the University thinks it’s important to teach the native tongue of NZ and I’m from NZ then it must be important to learn. By taking the classes I realised years down the road it’ll come in handy, I just had a feeling it would come in handy. Fast forward to today and returning back to NZ after living abroad for years it’s amazing to see Te Reo Maori being revitalised and thriving when I lived through the time the language almost went extinct and I lived in the time the first Kohanga Reo was created. To me Te Reo is an important part of a living culture and it should be normalised in everything we do here in NZ because it is our native tongue.

Elizabeth

To support me in my mahi and my mokopuna .

Miraka

Ko Tōku Reo, Tōku Ohooho!

Emere

The movement to refocus on Te Reo Maori is very important to me. I believe native languages should be celebrated and encouraged to flourish. I am not Maori, but I have a respect for the Maori people and culture, and believe it would be detrimental if the Maori culture and Te Reo Maori was lost. I am doing my part to keep the language alive by learning Te Reo Maori. And I’m having a lot of fun learning!

Kathy

I want to learn Maori as its the language of our country. Literally, in the case of Maori placenames, which my Mother was able to translate, and occasionally this indicated a local legend. I also think it would be fun to hold conversations with fellow Kiwis overseas that no-one else could understand. Already its probably possible to go into a pub and call out "E tu! " thus locating fellow Kiwis when they automatically stand up!

Anna
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First I started to learn haka and I realized that understanding the meanings behind Te Reo I'd understand myself, my motivations to study all about the Māoritanga and now I know: the more I speak Te Reo Māori the more connected I feel as one with friends of Aotearoa NZ.

Wagner

Going on 23 years ago my daughters’ dad, who is Rongowhakaata, enrolled her into Te Kohanga Reo & I was really against it because I believed that her being immersed in te reo Māori wouldn’t get her anywhere in life. In my defence, I was privately & publicly brought up to believe in this, since I’m a product of the 1960’s & am of Sāmoan descent. This was my perspective of te reo Māori until I saw how much my daughter was blossoming into a vibrant & confident young woman. I knew, in my manawa, that it was because of her connection with being schooled in Te Ao Māori. However, in her first year at Unitec she informed me that she believed she was losing her reo because she wasn’t using te reo on a daily basis, & I couldn’t even kōrero Māori. My manawa dropped because I didn’t want my daughter to start wilting. So, I said to her, “NOT ON MY WATCH! ”, & I took her hand & we enrolled at TWoA together. Unfortunately, she had to drop out because she couldn’t balance the workload of studying for her degree in Architecture & attending te reo Māori classes, but I continued on. As a parent I want my daughter to succeed in life & unlike before I totally believe that te reo Māori is the vehicle which she needs to get her there. Learning te reo Māori has enabled me to see the importance of Te Ao Māori, not just for my daughter, but for all of Aotearoa in general. Te reo Māori is a taonga to me! Not only do I want my daughter to retain her reo by me being able to kōrero Māori fluently with her on a daily basis, but I also want to go out in public & hear conversations being had in te reo Māori, all around me, like it was before the colonizers tried to strip Māori of their identity. Whāia te iti kahurangi ki te tūohu koe me he maunga teitei. Seek the treasure you value most dearly: if you bow your head, let it be to a lofty mountain.

Geneveive

As so much of our heritage has been hidden, so too was my knowledge of even being Maori. My Grandfather was shamed into hiding his Whakapapa and any mention of being Maori. I know a little, but I want to learn more. So I can go to my Marae and speak my mihi, pepeha with pride and passion. I also need to learn tikanga Maori so I am fully immersed into my culture, properly.

Benjamin

I want to find out mre about my ancestor's I want to know my Maori history where I'm from what it means and learn about my tribe

Emma

Te Reo is a beautiful, melodic language belonging to a culture that has much to teach us all.

Keri

Te Reo Maori language connect me to my roots, my culture and Identity. Embracing and preserving my own unique culture as an I-Kiribati. It is a privilege for me to support and take part of Te Reo Maori movement.

Aronna

Perhaps to inspire, enlighten and encourage someone else

Pare

Kei te Kura Kaupapa Māori tētahi o aku mokopuna, koira taku hiahia. Mēna ka taea e aku mokopuna, ka taea hoki au. 💖

Te Akonga

i te tau o iwa tekau ma rua i hoki mai ki Aotearoa ano . i tera wa i reira i te whenua o Engarangi me taku whakaaro a kei pirangi au ki te korero ki toku mama i te reo o nga tupuna ki te reo tuatahi o toku mama. i tera wa i haere au ki te kura o Te Ataarangi i Ngamotu o Taranaki. i te mutunga o te wananga kei te pai te korero me te mohiotanga . e kii atu toku whaea te reo o nga tupuna hei tino koakoa iaia. koia ra te timatanga o toku whaea ki te haere atu ki nga hui maori me eetehi mahi maori, ngaa mahi kaumatua, he tino whakakake ia i hapainga tona wairua me e tino whakakake au a iaia

Laurence

Kia ora, It's lovely to have a language which is home grown. A Pacific language with an itentity to Maori people that can carry their traditions. I am 70 this year so learning a language is harder then ever. Yet I have to do something as my Mokepuna are busy learning to speak Maori at the Kura.

Hugo
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ko te aha te take i ako ahau i te reo maaori, naa te mea he tino taonga e kawe ake nei. anoo hoki ka noho au hei iho puumanawa hei haapai i ngaa mahi katoa moo te iwi maaori. meenaa kia mau ki toou uukaipoo, kia mau ki toou tuurangawaewae, kia mau ki toou reo rangatira me toou whaanau katahi kia whakapuaawai ai ngaa taangata katoa.

daniel

Learning Te Reo is an issue of respect for me, it shows that I respect nga tangata and nga motu o Aotearoa New Zealand, and that I am grateful for my place here.

Nick

My mother was from the generation who were strapped at school for speaking Maori so we were admonished from speaking any Maori learned from school at home. My mum has passed on now. As an older Maori woman I want to honour her by learning her native language. I have been trying for 4 years now, mostly on-line. I am the bridge that connects my children to my mother and grandfather. It's time now. . . I only wish my Mum was alive to see that it's OK now to be Maori and we don't have to be ashamed anymore.

Ruku

I identify as Maori and know I am Maori but feel incomplete and something missing until I am fluent in my own language. . . Sharon/Wellington

Sharon

I attended Waikato University in 1973 and acquired my Diploma of Secondary Teaching with Honourds and started Teachining at Forest View H S for 8 years and then venturd onto Tokoroa HS - Hamilton GHS - Otaki College - Waiopehu College - in the year 2000 I wrote "Te Arataki Manu Korero for TWOA and became the Tutor covering Thames -Hauraki /Waikato /Maniapoto / Whaingaroa/ Taumarunui / Mokau / I passed my Translation Degree (Dept of Maori Affairs) I passed my Masters Degree at TWORaukawa and wrote my Thesis totally in Maori- I als passed my PH. D at Waikato UNi written totally in Maori. My students for Te Arataki Manu Korero were 57 to 96 years age. .

Rovina

Te reo Māori is such a beautiful language and I believe it should be used more and more here in Aotearoa.

Simon

I started learning Te Reo to be included. My husband and children know how to korero in Te Reo Maori and they like to talk about me in front of my face. Now I know more about what they're saying! In my mahi I want to connect to people and being able to speak Te Reo helps. Aswell as learning Te Reo I've been able to connect through whakapapa and learn purakau which is filling my wairua.

Nicola

Kei te ako ahau i korero maori. He kākano ahau. I am the seed for my whānau - in the early days of learning my heritage and the language of my tipuna, so I can pass the knowledge onto my tamariki, to pass down to my mokopuna.

Jamilah

It’s important to me as it’s my husband’s heritage and the culture of our country. It’s such a beautiful language too and one that if we don’t treasure it, it will be lost.

Alice

My biggest drive is absolutely my children, mokopuna and future generations. I also want to be a part of revitalising our language, ensuring it doesn't die. Our language is the doorway to te ao Māori.

Haven

Because it's a beautiful language that makes Aotearoa unique. You can't get this anywhere else. It's our identity as Kiwis. As an educator, I feel we have a responsibility to keep our language alive and normalize it in every aspect of our mahi. It will be tragic if we were to go backwards and lose our original language of Aotearoa.

Toa

I am learning Te Reo because it connects me to my culture. Ultimately learning Te Reo will allow me to understand and communicate with other Te Reo speakers. It is important to take part now so that the momentum to embed Te Reo in all aspects of NZ society succeeds.

Sharon

I did it to save my wairua . . . . .

Ngaio

Well I came from home where my mum and dad and their siblings all spoken te reo maori but when I was growing up it wasn't taught because for my folks it was not going to land that job or be used at school or buy that house so it wasn't spoken I can understand te reo learnt quickly when folks didn't want us to know lol now in my 50s I so wanna speak and be confident in everyway so my journey begins

Fiona

I didn't realise until I got older that I was missing part of the essence of my being māori ie; te reo māori. This was due to it being taken away from my parents, which then had a flow on effect on myself and my tamariki. My why is so I can take back what was deliberately taken away from me as my birth right. It will enhance my own being as māori.

Maria

te reo Maori is so beautiful, it just cannot be lost, it is so important that it flourishes and needs to continue to be taught in all our schools, it is part of our heritage. I did a 3 year course at our local whanaunga and when I graduated I made a promise to promote te reo where and whenever I could. My son and granddaughter have Maori heritage and it’s very important to me to encourage them in learning te reo.

Cheryl

I am a NZer who has recently returned home having lived in London for 24 years. I have moved to Turanganui a kiwa and feel that learning te reo will help me form a meaningful connection with the community I have chosen to serve.

Katrina

Te Reo is a big part of my story and I want to actively tell my story in the language of my story. It opens a doorway to another world that is magical, majestic & full of love.

Ruihana

I want to learn the language of the people of new Zealand I have many friends that have taken me in as part of their whanau and I will and I would like to learn the language and would like to know if there is anywhere in palmerston north that I could do a course in Maori language.

Wayne

I was not born or raised in New Zealand but now that I am making a home here it is really important for me to learn about New Zealand and what makes it so unique. Te Reo Māori is an official language, I feel like everyone should know it. That also means people like me who choose New Zealand as their home. For me it is a sign of respect for the unique history of this country. But also, the language is absolutely beautiful, it is music to my ears!

Judith

I want to learn the language of the people of new Zealand I have many friends that have taken me in as part of their whanau and I will and I would like to learn the language and would like to know if there is anywhere in palmerston north that I could do a course in Maori language.

Wayne

My why is my children. I am not māori but te reo māori is one of our official languages in our country and I think it’s important to recognise this and celebrate it too. It’s a beautiful language and unless we use it, it’ll die out and there goes our history and identity.

Laura

Whakapapa. Even as a pākehā with no tūpuna Māori, learning the reo continues to give me kaupapa that connect me with my tūpuna and the short, precious history we have here in Aotearoa

Joseph

First and foremost I enjoy it, simple. I also enjoy being part of what I think is a growing revival of te reo. Its also challenging

Graeme

To show respect and receive respect. NZ is my birth place therefore knowing its indigenous language makes me feel less of an imposter.

kiya

Learning to speak, understand & appreciate Te reo Māori is important to me because I have a daughter & I want to be able to help support, shape & guide her Te Reo Journey. I went to a kura kaupapa and when I transitioned to a English taught school I struggled to adapt and was bullied by my peers. I stoped wanting to speak Te Reo Māori as a result. Years later as an adult I realised my language was my Rongoa. I am committed to this moment because a spoken language is a living language, Te Reo Māori is a beautiful language to hear & it is apart of our DNA.

Sandra

Long story short: because I live in Aotearoa & I love it here. . . .

Rachel