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'

As a new New Zealander, Id like to broaden my understanding of culture here. Learning te reo Māori is the first step.

Sarah

It is important to make Te Reo an integral part of my classroom programme. I want to see my programme reflect my class .

Sarah

To celebrate and recognize the wonderful culture of Te Reo Maori

Sarah

I love the language and wish it was a widely spread 1st language of all New Zealanders

Sarah

I have always wanted to learn but i am a huge procrastinator and unsure of myself, now that i have a daughter who goes to kōhanga it is important to learn more so i can bring te reo into the home as well.

Sarah

Because it is one of our national languages and it is important to celebrate and learn.

Sarah

It would be such a privilege to regularly hear Te Reo Maori spoken walking down the street

Sarah

It has been on my wishlist for a long time to be able to speak te reo. . . this is a first step to making this a priority to learn more in 2020/2021. Our whānau has māori heritage (Ngāi Tahu) and I would hate for this beautiful language to die.

Sara

I am on my journey with Te reo Māori and learning about Te Ao Māori and the more I learn the more I realise the importance of this for us as a nation and this journey to truly create a bicultural Aotearoa. . . We also lost a beautiful hoa mahi this year who dedicated so much of his life to the reo and I know he was so joyful that I was on my journey and that we were continuing to grow in our knowledge of Te reo Māori and tikanga Māori as an office. . I am inspired to continue my journey and hope others will be too, wherever they are on theirs ❤️❤️🙌🏽🙌🏽

Sapphire

I am of ngati porou whakapapa, I know about my some of my whakapapa but have no contact with my iwi. I would like to learn more and be able to speak some te reo

Sandy

To show our support of Te Wiki o te reo Maori. Our school is 100% Maori, and so we need our children to hear Maori and speak Maori. Being able and confident to speak Maori what our school's Board of Trustees want for our students. Speaking te reo Maori correctly and confidently is also what our parents and kuia/koro in the community want for our students. Taking part in this initiative is a small step towards achieving our goals for our tamariki.

Sandra

I now try to pronounce Paraparaumu , Kapiti and Otaki correctly. I wish we had been taught correct pronounciation when I was at school all those years ago. I do not think I will ever be able to hold a conversation in Maori but would like to learn the names for things, i, e. flowers are putiputi, book is pukapuka. I am loving Stacey Morrisons pukepuka My first words in Maori.

Sandra

Te Reo is a toanga to be treasured and preserved. In learning the language you also learn about te ao Maori and in this way I believe we come closer to truly respecting and honouring each other.

Sandra

It’s all about normalising the use of te reo Māori

Sandra

Revive Te Reo Maori, value Maori culture, acknowledge te tiriti o Waitangi.

Sandra

He Waa tino motuhake, kahore ano au kia mahia i teenei mahi. E pirangi ana au kia oti.

Sandra

I would love to teach my moko, to korero as I have taught them some waiata and karakia kai

Cassandra

I am a migrant who has spent half of my childhood in New Zealand. Through those years, i have grown deep appreciation for te reo and the Māori culture. The constant effort that the hapori has put in to ensure that the Māori culture flourishes has influenced me to embrace a part of myself that I subconsciously hid due to the influences of colonisation back in my homeland; which is my indigenous roots as a Filipino. I am extremely grateful to be a part of a society that puts effort to keep the Maori culture alive. It has inspired others like myself to acknowledge our own indigenous roots, rather than hiding them with shame. Because of this, I am grateful for the Māori community for giving me this realisation. My way of saying “thank you” is to be an active participant of normalising the use of Māori greetings or phrases in New Zealand. I pledge to myself that I will be a part of the change and influence the future generation to embrace te reo and the Māori culture.

Sandi

Hey whakapiki, hei whakaora i te reo Māori

Sam

I think its important to embrace Māori culture and all do our part in educating ourselves with Te Reo Māori as much as we can.

Samantha

Personally, as a Kiwi Pakeha, I have felt cultureless. Tikanga and Te Reo Maori make me feel like I have a culture and I have a home. I also enjoy encouraging my co-workers to use Te Reo Maori in their practice.

Samantha

Good to always learn especially when it involves the history of New Zealand and it's culture.

Sam

te reo maori is important to nz. Needs to be revitalized and accepted again

Sam

I think it’s important we learn the language that formed this country and honour those who were first here. NZ needs to recognise its past and this a way of doing it that is super awesome

Sam

It is our second language and I teach children so they need educating in our native language.

sam

The reo Maori is a taonga to be treasured by all nzers

Sally

I am a kiwi but I never had the opportunity to learn Te Reo, nor the history of Aotearoa NZ so every opportunity now I am so grateful to engage.

sally

Being in Rotorua it's important to know the reo.

Sally

I am not fluent. I comprehend better than I speak. I get nervous sometimes. But it is part of my identity. Who I am and how others see me. It is my culture. One I feel, know and find strength in. Te reo me ona tikanga - two sides of the same coin. One side is shinier than the other for me. Being one in a million means I'm polishing the side that needs it. Growing in knowledge, connection to my whakapapa and celebrating our uniqueness here in Aotearoa.

Sally

Te reo is a treasure. Something all kiwis should be proud of, and I would be honoured to learn so one day I can teach it to my children

Sahra Ling

Although my ethnicity is samoan, my birthplace is NZ and part of my identity i believe is showing respect and gratitude to my country of birth. I respect the indigenous people, i respect the history and i am saddened that even in 2020 maori are still fighting for what is rightly theirs pre colonial times. I experience racism as a person of colour and i unite with my maori counterparts to fight against the system that has failed us. Its time to unite and speak up. All native languages is important to keep culture alive. If we dont use it (and teach it)we will lose it. I am learning more and more maori words and phrases through my work colleagues Tena koe-meeting someone for first time Ka kite-goodbye in person only (not on phone) Panui-letter Aroha mai-sorry Ma te wa-bye for now Hei kona - more appropriate bye on the phone

Saele

It's a vital part of being a NZer by acknowledging, respecting and advocating for the integration of Maaori in our lives. It's the roots of this nation and we need to recognise this with positivity and support the tangata whenua

Saba

te reo Maori is our native language and an official language of Aotearoa, so we should all be able to speak and understand it. I am proud of my country and language is an important part of that. I want to be able to speak te reo Maori more confidently.

Ryan

Keeping te reo as a living language

Ruth

It's my/ our identity its who we are. Proud to be maori. I use to hear our old people speaking te reo at hui. Karakia /Waiata the list goes on. They did all those things with love and compassion from sunrise to sunset. My memories. ❤❤

Josaphine

We are committed to acknowledging the history and whakapapa of our district and as part of Rotorua's Reo Rua initiative to promote, encourage and inspire the use of te reo at every opportunity.

Rotorua

Ki a au nei, he taonga te reo Māori me ōna tikanga, nā ngā mātua tūpuna i tuku mai, hei arahi i a tātou i tēnei ao hurihuri. Māku tēnei reo e ako ki aku tamariki, ki aku mokopuna, ki aku hoa, ki ngā tauira o te kura, ki te ao whānui hoki, kei pātai mai aku mokopuna ki a au "I ahatia e koe taku taonga, ko taku reo Māori, Koko?"

Ross

My why is, To share and experience the Language of our Nation. To encourage everyone to start somewhere with Te Reo. Even it is a small part it is still a part.

Roslyn

Te reo māori is the original language in Aotearoa and it shouldn't be forgotten. I respect the language and want to support the beauty of it and the culture it comes from.

Rosie

I want to feel one with the country and be united in our learning of it's original language :-)

Roshni

It's important because i understand words but need to learn more so i can use sentence structure properly. I also need to learn more te reo to show respect and understanding for the language and culture of tangata whenua. I want to be able to converse with my little mokopuna from from another Nana x

Rosemary

To catch up on so many years of loss.

Rosemary

Maori is the language first spoken here so we should be doing more to respect that fact.

Rosie

My moko is Maori. I think that Te Reo Maori should be normalised in Aotearoa through hearing and seeing it in everyday life.

Rose-Marie

Na te mea he kiwi ahau. Kei roto katoa tatou i tenei waka, i te haerere mai i etahi atu waahi o te ao ki te noho ki konei i Aotearoa. Because I'm a kiwi. We are all in this waka together, all having journeyed from somewhere else in the world to live here in Aotearoa - New Zealand. https://www. sunlive. co. nz/news/250783-telling-stories-of-how-we-arrived-tauranga. html

Rosalie

I am an educator, mother and wife and I want to cherish the language and values of this kaupapa and our national language. I love to embed this way of living into my own and I want to learn more!

Rosalie

Because we are all richer when we are all rich. The richness of te reo māori is not just for māori but for all.

Rory

Kia ora marika tō tātou nei reo ka mutu ka tukuna mā tō tātou Reo te Reo matua ka rongo nei tātou i ngā tōpito katoa o te motu! !

Rōpata

Te reo Maori is not just an official language of NZ - it is part of who we are. . . and it is beautiful!

Jane

We want to celebrate Maori language Week. We think it is important to keep the language alive.

Room 8

Recognition of our family, whānau, and community.

Room 22

I'm an early childhood teacher in Aotearoa, I think it is important to pass the knowledge, the cultural abundance for our future generation.

Rongyue

Awareness of our Language is very important to me. I learn along side my students in my class and they love it!

Ronda

The first time I took a course in te reo, I said that as an immigrant from Scotland, I didn't come here expecting it to be like UK. Language is a huge part of any culture. I love that te reo Māori is unique to New Zealand and by learning some of the language, it helps me feel like New Zealand is now my home.

Rona

I want to be able to converse in our national language to think differently on everyday things.

Sharon

It is important that we embrace Te Reo Māori as an official language of Aotearoa so we do not lose this unique language and culture.

Romy

To honour our tupuna who fought the fight to revive our language before it died out. Do our part no matter how small to help normalise Te Reo in our workplace.

Rohario
Rohan

Nā te mea ko te reo kotahitanga mō ngā iwi o te motu.

Roger

To understand more about Maori culture and language.

Roger

Its important for new zealand to learn and acknowledge our history. Its important for our younger generation to learn and continue te reo that unfortunately our older generation has lost.

Rochelle

I am a New Zealander, born here and even though I am not Maori, Maori is the heritage of this country and we all should be embracing the culture fully with all our hearts.

Rochelle

He kaiako reo Maori ahau, he Maori taku tama, me aku mokopuna - ko te reo Maori te reo o Aotearoa

Robyn

It's about time I learned to speak our second national language

Robyn

I would like to feel comfortable integrating Māori into more of my daily conversation and to understand more so that others can do the same and keep the flow of conversation.

Robyn

As first generation pakeha I respect the place of tangata whenua as first peoples and want to support their struggle for an equitable place in Aotearoa

robert

I have returned to Aotearoa after 25 years overseas, and I largely missed the te reo revival of the last 2 decades. My mum was full Māori and I want to bond more strongly with te ao Maori. Nga mihi nui.

Robert

It's part of who I am.

Riwia

To contribute towards the strengthening of our culture for our tamariki and all our mokopuna, rebuilding our values and beliefs

Riria

I do think it is very important for ourselves and for future generations to learn Te Reo Maori, we are the ones who will carry our language forward. Te Reo Maori language is unique, it is the only one of it's kind in the whole wide world so we need to treasure our taonga, and the best way is to learn Te Reo Maori, teach our whanau and speak Te Reo Maori everyday. This way our language will be alive for many generations to come. Nga Mihi Ripai Tamihana.

Ripai

I am interested in Māori Tikanga and encouraging others to be interested, too.

Rieko

Looking for more resource`s to help me on my journey, to normalise our reo not just for this week but for everyday .

Ricky

Our school is committed to speaking and learning in Te Reo for at least 3 hours a week. This is a journey we started this year. We want to normalise Te Reo in our Kura for everyone, not just our bilingual class (which we also started this year).

Richelle

I am pakeha but my family is Maori, love the culture and would love to be proficient in te reo one day.

Richelle

I work with many Maori brothers so I think it's my duty to communicate in their mother tongue. Afteral they speak far better English than I do Maori.

Richard

As being of Maori decent, I feel like it’s my duty as New Zealand Maori. To learn my native language, to embrace all aspects of my culture.

Richard

Am a late comer but need to make more of an effort

Richard

I believe te Reo Maori is a foundation of identity and a source of rich wisdom for me as Pakeha alongside Maori people.

Richard

Because I wish to learn and keep learning Te Reo, because I’m proud to be Maori.

Richard

We acknowledge the importance of the Maori language in Aotearoa. Although I am working in a special needs school, we still want to be part of the one million people and do simple songs and actions with the students. Staff is using simple words in Maori during the day with the students and we also start the day with a prayer in Maori. For me, it is about learning the language and be able to have a simple conversation in Maori. I am also doing an online course in Maori "Poutawa te reo Maori" to upskill myself.

Ria

Because I hear my cousins and nieces speaking reo and tho I'm not fluent it really tops my cup up. I would like to be able to top theirs up too.

Andria

its part of me. It helps define me. It helps to understand me.

Rey

Ma wai ra e taurima nga marae o te iwi. Ko au ko Te Reureu e nganga tonu nei. Ko te haa tenei o nga atua. Ki te korero Maori au ka ora tonu oku kaumatua, ki te korero Maori au ka ora hoki oku tupuna.

Reweti

To honour my tupuna and to teach my tamariki that I care about keeping tikanga Māori and Te reo alive that I care about our roots and connection to this whenua that it’s important and should never have even had the potential to be lost. We only know basic stuff but I try to use it every day in some way even if it’s just one word

Rewa

Am a teacher so will share this with my class.

Renee

I whakapapa Maori and I want to connect to a language that has been lost in my whanau. Te reo is a part of who I am and I want to be able to honour it as it deserves.

Renee

Because Maaori is an official language of NZ, and Maaori are a integral part of the history on Aotearoa.

Reginald

because we live in a bilingual nation, so it is important that my pakeha family and I know at least the basics of te reo, including how to pronounce our place names correctly.

Rebekah

TeReo is one of our national languages and it is important for me to have this in our home especially for our son as he grows up.

Rebekah

I am proud of my heritage

Rebecca

Beautiful native language needs to be respected and used and taught properly as much as possible. I aspire to only korero maori to my mokopuna one day when I have them. My children and I korero maori asmuch as I know and we learn more all the time.

Rebecca

I'm a teacher, and I see how much it means to my Māori students when te reo Māori is brought into the classroom, even if I don't always get it right (they'll correct me! ). I want to become more fluent and more competent, and normalise the use of te reo Māori for other students. I love being a part of our staff kapa haka group, and I want to be able to understand more about the meaning of the waiata we perform. I've also been hugely inspired by my mum, who at 67 signed up for an introductory course for te reo Māori this year. It hasn't always been easy for her, but she has persevered and showed such an eagerness to learn. If she can do it, why can't we all give it a go?

Rebecca

Growing up I was always made to feel like being Māori was unimportant and not something I to be proud of. I disconnected because being "half caste" it was easier. It's taken a long time to get up the courage to reconnect and I'm doing this because I don't want any young Māori people to ever feel like they shouldn't be proud of who they are and where they come from

Rebecca

I have Maori ancestry and would like to be able to understand more

Becks

Te Reo is a part of who we are as a nation. We should embrace it and encourage it.

Rebecca

For my children.

For my children's education. For my community. For my own growth.

Rebecca

Because I am Pākehā and a proud Te Tiriti partner

Rebbecca

Te reo connects us to the essence of who we truly are as Māori ❤️ it is the myraid of connection that binds us all together 🌱 It supports rangatahi to connect in to their whakapapa, to give them a true sense if belonging.

Reanne

Celebration of Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori is a highlight of the year for me. It reminds me of my childhood growing up in the 60’s around fluent Reo speaking grandparents.

Raylene