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 ora te reo rangatira!

Dougal

I am aware I need to improve my pronunciation

Dorothy

To strengthen and empower our young in keeping not only our language alive but our culture and all the learnings that have been passed down through generations.

Dorothy

It is important to keep te reo maori alive and for all kiwi’s to know that even if you are not maori it is apart of kiwi culture and identity and to know the history of our country. It is especially important as I am a primary school teacher and lead to inspire the future generations!

Donnalena

I myself am Maori, I know very little te reo and want to learn and embrace our beautiful language. Ideally I would love to move home Taranaki but my current work keeps me in Wellington. I should have listened to my nan when I was younger 😔. I also feel it is important for my adult kids and mokopuna to learn our language and hope they too will take part.

Donna

I would like to be able to join with my whanau being an urban Maori I was never taught as our Dad did not think te reo could help us. He did however take us to Ngati Poneke and to some church meetings and to whanau Tangi . When my Dad passed away Mother took me to all the land meetings. Going to these meetings I thought I would like to be able to speak as I became a member of the Maori Women's Welfare League. I did go to lessons and I found night lessons did not suit me. My daughter and grandson do the zoom thing that would suit me fine. My grandson has two little boys with Maori names and with a Dutch grandfather his wife's side and grandpa Maori and Pom his dad well they also have Maori lessons at home. This is just fantastic a four year old and three old. . . . I have to get started again can't have them passing me and at great speed.

Donna

It is NZ's culture and I would like to share this with my children.

Donna

I work in a school and am aware of how important it is to respect and value other cultures. Te Reo Maori is very much part of New Zealand. Let's treasure and promote what is unique to us.

Donna

For my children, so that they can understand this beautiful language and the wisdom it holds.

Dominika

Living in a bicultural society it is good to learn more about other cultures. I enjoy translating place names to give them more meaning.

Dianne

I personally feel I want to feel more connected

Diane

Te reo maori is the language of our country. I want my children to learn and be well educated in maori culture and history.

Diane

I want to hear the reo, read it, speak it often and easily everywhere in Aotearoa.

Diana

It’s the language of indigenous New Zealanders, I believe it should be a language we all speak. I want my grandchildren to learn it in school. I want Maori NZers to have and learn it as a human right and those of us that a tangata tiriti to support that in recognition that we share this land with it’s first peoples.

D

I want to embrace our beautiful language, begin using it more often. I share this story with others, in hope to inspire others to join too.

Di

To revitalise our culture and the essence of our culture💜

Destinee

It’s important for me to start learning Te Reo Maori because now I have a 7 month daughter, I feel like it’s important to teach her as well as myself. So we learn together.

Destani

I love listening to te reo Maori and it helps in my journey to learn how to korero Maori.

Desmone

Work

Desley

It is part of who we are as a nation and we are proud of our heritage and culture

Department of Corrections

Celebrate been Māori.

Dennis

I think Te Reo is a beautiful language and would like to have it heard more and used more as part of mainstream life.

Denise

Revitalization is happening now - We are taking back our mana. Ready to show it to the world by being proud of who we are. Mauri ora.

Demme

kei te pakari au ki te reo kei te whakaako nga tamariki he whakapapa

Delmun

He reo motuhake kua tukuna mai i o mātou tupuna. Korerotia kia rongo te ao.

Delanie

Our agency is in a journey to weave te rēo and tikanga into who we are here at Wellbeing to enrich us as individuals, as an agency and most importantly for our community. This is a journey that we have needed to embark on for some time and at last we are gathering some momentum.

Deirdre

I am a New Zealander and Te Reo Maori is part of who I am!

Dee

Te reo Maori can be kept alive if we korero Maori everywhere, everyday

Dee

To get our tamariki speaking more, having a go. Speak our native language. Have the kids in my class who are Māori have a sense of pride in the importance we place on their language and culture.

Deborah

Promoting a bicultural NZ Supports acceptance and practice by all whilst still building confidence.

Debby

I want to become more fluent in te reo and understand the tikanga better so I can feel more connected with the people of this land.

Debby

Te Reo Maori is a beautiful language, taking part is our small effort to honour te reo Māori by learning to use it, pronounce it and respect it.

Debbie

Te Reo Māori is such a rich and beautiful language! As I learn more of the reo I come to understand more of Māori culture. I want to include te reo in my life and my teaching to honour mana reo and to honour tangata whenua.

Deb

In short to Normalise Te reo Māori and to make those around me confident enough to use The reo they know and not feel whakama or be afraid to get it wrong.

Dawn

Because I'm Maori, love the language , want to hear the language every day and use it as much as I can

Dawn

To show the importance of learning Māori and maintaining the beauty of our reo and the importance of keeping it alive and valued .

Davina

I want to take part because te reo is important to me. I want to be able to speak fluently as I feel it will connect me better to my whenua/ my whanau and who I am. One day when I have kids, I want to speak te reo with them. This will be their first language. The blog post slug for this story is: davidda_-_auckland

Davidda

Striving to be better in my pronunciation and reo. As Tangata Tiriti I have an obligation to support our Bi cultural nation and take a lead alongside Pakeha rather than wait for maori to show me the partnership. They shouldn't have to support iwi and then pakeha as well. We have to take this on ourselves.

David

Growing up in an era and not being allowed to learn or speak Te Reo

David

Te Ao Maori is the only unique identifier we have from any other nation in the world. It's on all of us to acknowledge, explore, engage and promote it.

David

Important to use the language.

David

Te reo Māori is the indigenous language of Aotearoa New Zealand and as such should be part of our every day vocabulary. This has become a passion of mine since I found out my iwi connections, now as a proud Pakeha/Maori married to a Maori/Niuean/Pakeha with a Māori daughter I am determined to know both of my cultures and be comfortable conversing in both "worlds". This is a practical way of standing up and being counted as a proud (although very much a beginner) te reo Māori speaker.

David

NZ is Maori, it needs to be that. Maori is the language of Aotearoa.

David

For my niece/goddaughter who is growing up learning te reo

Dave

Because Te Reo is so important to the culture of aotearoa. It is a treasure for us all and by learning and sharing the use of Reo will continue to grow.

Darius

Kua ako au i te reo Māori mō te tau tekau engari kāhore au e kōrero ki tōku kāinga. I have been learning Maori for years but don't speak at home. So I haven't improved as I hoped. I need the chances to kōrero regularly.

Daph

Mōhio ahau iti reo

Danny

Korerotia te reo i nga wa katoa, kia kore e rite ki te moa.

Danni-Elle

To learn about my culture and who I am :) for my tupuna! ! ! !

Danielle

Bcuz it's my culture my heritage

Danielle

Because I am a NZ european born in Aotearoa and identify with our shared culture, taiao and tikanga; so I need to learn more te reo and about te ao maori, matauranga maori, korero tuku iho and wakapapa.

Danielle

To keep challenging myself!

Daniella

So I can learn more of the Maori language and use it more often.

Daniel

He Māori Au. Kia Kaha ki te reo Māori tātou katoa!

Lois

Te reo Māori is a beautiful language and it is much wished for its return to fully be embraced, and shared.

Daniel

I want to be able to stand up and korero maori in front of all my whanau and represent my whanau on our marae and especially in front of my mum and dad. They are well respected in the community and speak maori regularly. I would lie to surprise them one day by standing up and speaking fluently.

Daniel

I believe as one of our countries languages it is important to learn and embrace and continue the language. I have children of Māori decent and I want them to learn about their culture and identity. It is my role as her mother to actively encourage her to learn about herself. I am the Kapa Haka tutor at our school so I want to be proactive in my approach to teaching things Te Ao Māori.

Dana

My wife is part Maori so I want to show respect for her heritage

Damien

I've been a bit slack and I'm still learning but I need koorero more often to keep the reo alive! It's unique to us and I'm proud to be Maaori and proud of our reo.

Darleen

To keep the language alive

Cynthia

As a Pākehā, learning Te Reo Is an important part of who I want to be in Aotearoa 2020, acknowledging the mana whenua, Te Ao Māori, and my own whakapapa as a 3rd generation of settler origin. It is my commitment and respect to matauranga.

cushla

To model to the youngest generation the value and importance of Te reo.

Crystal

Because this is who we are as a nation! Kia Kaha!

Craig

Learning Te Rep opens up a culture and world I would like to know deeper.

Craig

To keep our culture ALIVE

Courtney

It’s who I am

Courtney

its a beautiful language and want to learn more sentence structure

Corrina

Because Te Reo Maori should be more prevalent in our society.

Corey

I am Maori and Maori is me

Conrad

Te reo is the lifeblood of Maori culture. We must revive the language and culture, . After European colonization tried to exterminate every culture it found, we are obligated to redress that wrong. We should fight the extinction of cultures as much as the extinction of species.

Connie

Being that one in a million is not what is important. Whats important is continuing to help keep this wonderful language alive and growing. This will be fun.

Collin

Our Kura Rumaki is now in its 3rd year so while the mokopuna have forged ahead , keeping up is pretty difficult when it comes to age

Colleen

When we left Aotearoa, my high school had just celebrated Martin Simeon as the first Te Reo language winner at a Ngai Tahu school. 8 years ago my auntie shared that it’s never too late to learn & that @40 she didn’t have full TeReo. My mums foster mother was fluent at a time when there were only 20, 000 who were speaking TeReo, it’s time I help represent

Colette

Because te reo Maori is the first language of the country, a precious taonga

Clare

We are Aotearoa New Zealand; Te Reo is a beautiful, official language of our country. Restoring genuine partnership is our right, just, moral obligation as well as being required in our commitment to te Tiriti o Waitangi, revitalising te Reo is a step in that journey

Clare

Keep te reo alive in NZ. The language is the soul of a people and we need to honour this. Part of this doing what I can as a teacher of 5 year olds.

Ruma 14

Kia mohio ki Te korero Maaori I Nga was katoa Yo

Claire

Progress my personal learning as well as that of the children

Claire

Because Te Reo Māori is the first language of Aotearoa. We need to treasure this taonga and it should be spoken everywhere.

Claire

Te Reo is a special part of who we are in Aoteroa we need to celebrate and join together as one more so this year than any other - togetherness is so important right now

Claire

Te Reo is the first language of this land. I love the natural sounds of this land - streams burbling, pukekiwiriki twittering; ocean waves and gulls squawking and I imagine the sounds of te reo arriving and becoming part of the land too. Creating words for the birds that merged and blended with their sounds or habits and words for places that described events. My siblings and I did that as children for the places we played. My dad did it for the farm paddocks. My children did it. My grandchildren do it.

Claire

Many years ago I went to night school to learn te reo. I remember very little. One place I work quite a bit of te reo is spoken. I have opportunity and encoyragement to learn. I try. I realky struggle. I want to learn because it is a beautiful language. I also feel concerned that I wilk get left behind and not understand the communications around me

Christine

I want to be able to communicate with others in te reo to help create a better, more united NZ.

Christine

I want to finally learn more about te ao Māori and Te Reo and share as much as I can to keep this beautiful taonga alive.

Christine

Maori culture makes us unique in the world. It should be cherished and upheld and flourish. It is for all of us and helps make us as NZers. It is respectful of our first guardians of this land if we all take part in upholding the language, culture and tikanga.

Christine

Have an appreciation as I'm getting older, and wiser.

Christina

I see it as the perfect encouragement to more actively participate in the use of te reo Māori in my daily life. One moment leading to many others.

Christina

Im an early childhood teacher and as a partner of Tiriti o Watangi it is my obligation to uphold The principles of the treaty, as well as to work towards bicultural curriculum aspirations. I also love the Te Ao Maori and want to continue to embrace it through reo.

Christina

Its part of my culture and identity. I want to know more and be fluent or understand more.

Christina

Hei oranga tonu mō tēnei reo rangatira. Hei taonga tuku iho hoki mō aku tamariki.

Christiana

I've been in this wonderful country as a guest for 30 years before becoming a citizen last year. I feel I have been a lesser person for not knowing Te Reo Maori and the culture of the Maori people. That is about to change!

Chris

Te reo Māori has been sidelined and suppressed for far too long and as a Pākeha I have to take responsibility for this. It is overdue time to act positively and to try to normalise te reo Māori in my workplace.

Chris

My friend is maori and he’s very proud of it. I’ll speak maori for him!

Chris

Reconnecting with Aotearoa after long stretches abroad

Chris

I believe by learning te re maori it is carryong a taonga that is a living thing. it is important as a Pakeha to honour this treasure.

chris

I am passionate about our culture and the revitalisation of our reo. I wish to teach Te reo māori in a few years time once I complete my major in Te reo māori and my diploma in teaching :)

Chozen

Te reo Maori is a beautiful language and New Zealand should be a bi-lingual nation naturally. I would love to hear & see the language used everyday.

Chloe

ki te ākina te reo!

Chloe

We speak as much reo Māori as we can in our kāinga, our tamariki go to an immersion preschool and it's important for me to be able to keep up with their level of learning. Te ao Māori is a huge part of our identity, both personally and nationally.

Chloé

Becuse Te Ao Māori central to life in Aotearoa always - not just for an hour once a year.

Chloe

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Becuse Te Ao Māori central to life in Aotearoa always - not just for an hour once a year.