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'

Proud to be Maori.

Adele

It's important for me to take part so that I can inspire more people to speak te reo and revitalize the Māori language, as well as having the chance to be one in a million either starting out or going forth in their te reo journey.

Adam

I think it's important for me as an immigrant, especially from the UK, to learn more about the heritage of this land. I think it is important to understand and know the language of Aotearoa.

Abii

Being both a pākehā and an American living in Aotearoa I think it’s so so important to learn from and respect the tangata whenua. The Māori people have so much wisdom to offer in so many ways, from the way they see the world, to the importance of whakapapa and whānau etc. And there is such a beauty in the culture and language that deserves to be preserved and shared.

Abigail

He taonga te reo Māori. He rawe rawa atu ki au ki te tautoko tēnei kaupapa.

Abby

Connection to the whenua my tupuna lived.

Abby

As respect to te tangata whenua.

Abbie

This language is very beautiful to hear and fun to learn

Aaron

For me taking part in this is very important as it identifies who I am as Maori as well as my whakapapa.

Aaron

It is important to take part so we can keep our native language alive and help boost the culture throughout the community.

Aaliyah

It’s important for me as a tangata whenua because it is a chance to revitalise my own language and to be able to pass it on to future generations.

Aaliyah

Ko te reo Māori te tāhuhu o te whare kōrero Māori. Mei kore ake tō tātou reo, kua kore e whai wāhi tō tino rangatiratanga waihoki tō tātou nei mana motuhake. Ngā rūruhi, ngā koroheke i whakapau i ō rātou kaha ki te whakarauora i te reo, mō rātou te take kei te kōrerotia tātou katoa te reo Māori. Kei taku rau aroha, e kore rawa e taka te manawa popore kei roto i ahau. Ka noho tonu koe i ngā rangi o te takitini mō te ake ake. The blog post slug for this story is: wiremu_-_hamilton

Wiremu

People have spent their lives for what I have. Its my duty to continue

Whatanui

E pirangi ana ahau, kia mohio aku tamariki i te reo Māori.

Wendy

Te Reo is our country’s heritage and point of difference. It’s what makes us unique.

Wayne

I want to take part in anything to help revive our culture. Unfortunately my tupuna were forced to unlearn Te reo and had to even change their names. I would like to do this for them. I would also like to do this for the fruit that will come from me and the generations after me to be strong in their identity as a Maori.

Waiora

Since connecting with my birth mother who is Maori and Ngapuhi, I have always wanted to learn and speak Te Reo Maori. Being shy and awkward and not having the courage to do so previously, I thought 2020 will be a year changer for me to dive in and give it a go! I’d love to be able to converse with her when we meet and greet one another.

Wai

Because te reo should be my first language & is one of our recognized here, It would have been an advantage being raised bilingual unfortunately that was not the case. Mum & Dad both beautiful fluent speakers despite their reasons for not teaching us te reo, love them both dearly 💞 Anyway we are old enough now to get out and learn ourselves which is what a couple of te whanau have done. Keep our Reo alive and active👍

Victoria & Bill (Daughter & father)

To enhance the mana of te reo, and honour the continuing revitalisation of this taonga

Victoria

As a New Zealander and Pākeka, I want to follow our commitments under Te Tiriti and support tangata whenua. Māori should be able to speak te reo anywhere and everywhere--and I don't want to be (literally) dumb when they do! :)

Vicki

I am from the UK and would like to know and understand more of the Maori culture and history. Laungage is a massive part of this as NZ has 2 languages.

Vicki

Coz I'm Maori

Vialetta

I te mea ka haere raua tahi te mauri o te reo Maori me te mauri o nga kawa, nga tikanga e taea ana te arahi i nga ahuatanga torangapu o Aotearoa. No tenei whenua!

Veronica

you see the Maori language used more and more - at work a lot of the new products have a Maori name and I would like to say them correctly.

vanessa

It is a beautiful language and part of what makes NZ unique. As a teacher, it is my responsibility to introduce and share the language with my children.

Vanessa

Because this is our culture

Tui

Me piki ake te ora a tō tatou nei reo rangatira.

Tui

Its about honouring our tipuna and their fight for the preservation of our reo .

Tui

An old proverb from my birthland says wherever you place your feet, there the sky above you to stare, to respect. That means we need to learn and respect any values around us the place we live in. And languages are parts of the representation of our social - cultural - spiritual life. I love languages. I want to learn and respect more about Maori through languages . . . because I am here.

Triyoga

We are committed to culturally responsive pedagogy at our kura. We want to build the reo of our tamariki through deliberate teaching, waiata, kapa haka etc.

Tracey

It’s important for me to be able to connect through language with other people. It’s respectful and a way to embrace a beautiful language and culture.

Tracey

It's so special to know our language

Toni

to me, Te Reo is part of being a New Zealander. I am Pakeha but I believe I honour the people of the land by speaking Te Reo.

Toni

So i can learn my Te Reo Maori better

Tomai Ariki

It's important for me to honour and show my deep respect to our country's ancestors, and make up for the lack of respect in the past. And I'd love to get better at te reo, especially my pronunciation, which Maori Language Week always helps me improve.

Tina

I’ve just started my journey of learning my reo, I’m hungry to learn more and pass the hunger on to my whanau.

Tim

So I can learn for my tamariki

Tess

"KO IA RA HE TAONGA, KO IA RA HE RANGATIRA, KO TATOU TERA"

Temairiki

I am learning te reo Māori in order to become fluent enough to have everyday conversations and to find employment in the Māori sector.

Teina

E arohanui ana ahau ki tō tātou roe Māori!

Te-Arani

I love our beautiful language. I am so proud to be maori. I want my children to be able to understand and speak it as well. I jus need more encouragement to speak it more round the house and/or in public.

Te-Ao-Rangi

Pai rākau, pai hua

Te Okahurangi

He raukura au no Te Aho Matua.

Te Hiraka

Because Te reo māori is part of my identity it has impacted who i am today and the more people who get involved the longer it will live within Aotearoa and te ao whānui

Te Ao Marama

Its important that i part take in this to join others in keeping and empowering our culture

Taysha

It is important for me to take part so that my baby can grow up learning te reo māori and for my future generations.

Tatiana

Our Taonga. Our Tuakiritanga. Our Whakapapa.

Tatiana

Connecting to roots of new zealand

Tanji

It is who I am!

Tania-Jane

Because I want to see my country evolve and grow towards a much stronger bicultural Whānau of 5 million

Tania

I am proud to be Maori and to be able to speak some Te Reo Maori

Tania

Spent a lot of time wishing I could speak te reo. Now I realise it's always been up to me and I just need to start taking action. I've enrolled in my first steps for te reo next year. Until then il make an effort to learn something new everyday. Mauriora!

Tamara

Was never aloud to speak te reo back when I was young. So it's never to late now ageing 52.

Sydney James

Te Reo is important for the health of our country.

Susan

because it is a part of the story of New Zealand

Steven

I have recently learnt more about New Zealand history and I don't want to see te reo Māori become extinct.

Stephanie

Ko te reo te mauri, o te mana māori

Stephanie

Not only can I brag about being one in a million but It’s also to plant the seed of Te Ao Māori through Te Reo! We are part of the revitalisation of our culture

Stacey

Ko taku mokopuna

Sonia

I love learning Te Reo Māori

Siobhan

To bring back maori traditions aswell as language

Sinnead

Language is culture and we are bi cultural so we are missing out on one culture of Aotearoa by ignoring the language

simon

Kia whakaora ai te reo

Simon

Te Reo Maori is one of our official languages, and I would like to be able to use more phrases beside greetings and the occasional word to do it justice and to connect more deeply with my chosen country of residence.

Siiri

Kia kaha te reo Māori. Ma whero ma pango ka oti ai te mahi, I believe that if everyone does there part, the language will survive. I want to change peoples perspectives on the language and introduce them and educate them on the culture and our beautiful poetic language. I feel that people feel that they have to be brown or Māori to speak te reo but, I want them to know that it is not true. As a white Māori myself, it has been a real struggle feeling accepted rather than thinking I don't belong because of my appearance or lack of a cultural upbringing due to colonisation.

Sidonie

I need to learn and understand New Zealands indigenous language, and stories so I can help myself and whanau to be present in such times of change. When I grew up we werent encouraged to learn Maori and teachers actively avoided and discouraged its use, it wasnt and still isnt acceptable.

Shona

Te reo Māori is a national language, it is a taonga and should be both learnt and used so as not to be lost.

Shirralee

Maori is part of my culture and I feel more a part of it when I can communicate in te reo. . be it even a few small kupu.

Shirley

To keep our native tongue alive. And to set an example for my kids. To be fluent in our home to korero maori by 2030.

Sherri

To show it’s never too late to learn Maori and use Maori language in every day life

Shaun

The importance of identity.

Sharon

Because to kōrero Maori is to respect our tangata whenua, Goes a little way toward actively upholding Te Tiriti o Waitangi and helps me raise my children to become beautiful adults.

Sharleen

I’m a wahine Māori and I’ve got a pepi and it’s important that we find our turangawaewae in these times, given that indigenous knowledge and practices are crucial to helping combat climate catastrophe

Savannah

For my four tamariki

Savanah

Te Reo is our native language and an important part of who we are as a nation. I also want to encourage my children who are Maori to learn and speak te reo

Sarah

Currently I'm enrolled with Te Wānanga o Raukawa learning more of the reo. I'm at a point now where I'm overwhelmed with all the reo I'm using daily so I need to build my confidence and join more of these things so I can confidently speak.

Sarah

We feel as a preschool and part of a larger community that it is important that we celebrate the Maori culture. This is a wonderful way to celebrate with all of New Zealand.

Sarah

I want to bring the maori culture alive in an area where it has become silent.

Sarah

To teach my children so they can be confident when speaking it.

Saphine

As a non-Indigenous water professional, it is important to connect with Indigenous language and culture and learn from the mistakes of the past and help to build a brighter and more inclusive future that celebrates a culture of care for land and water

Sam

It is important for me to take part because I don't want to see Te Reo Maori die because I'm a seed born of greatness and my language is my strength. I think it's important as students and teachers at school need to be able to understand and treat Maori with respect

Sam

As a teacher I believe all Māori children have the right to turn up to their Early Childhood Centre and feel at home. This is their country so their language, values (Te ao Māori world view) should be at the forefront of Education in NZ.

Sally

I have recently decided to start learning te reo so that I can feel more confident using & understanding it. Living in Aotearoa it is so important to acknowledge & strengthen its use every day!

Speak Up

In this day and age, strengthening the connection with the homeland can only be a plus.

Rudi

I was born in Aotearoa and moved to Ireland in 1998 before returning in 2016. Since then I have gained a degree in public health and currently enrolled in a masters of indigenous studies through Otago University. My thesis is centred around Māori health and how we can improve/develop prosperous outcomes for our community in within this Western dominated society. I have realised along this journey of re-connecting to Māoritanga, that te reo Māori is not only important in pursuing a working career in our communities, but moreover, it connects and strengthens our identity as Māori. This is very important for me in so many ways. Kia ora

Royal

I’ve always wanted to be able to speak Te Reo and teach the children I work with. I also think it’s really important that all of New Zealand uses Te Reo in their day to day conversations

Rose

We want to be part of the 1 million te reo speakers before 2040. He taonga te reo Māori.

Robyn

Because I am a New Zealander. :)

Robyn

It is important to support all cultures in New Zealand especially indigenous. It is important to be culturally responsive and support the Treaty of Waitangi

Robin

My Wife Letticia and two children Tahi and Marama are Maori, I'm Pakeha Australian and have semi retired here in 2018! I told my kids that when I did I would learn Te Reo and so far have done one term at Northtec in Whangarei!

Rob

To keep te reo alive and be pro active in learning and sharing our language. For the future.

Rina

āku tamariki. 2 attend kura kaupapa and I really need to get this a into g so I can korero with them on a daily basis

Rikirangi

because i want to feel like belong and feel united with the others who are learning and celebrating

Rhondalyn

Because Maori culture and language is So important to our country, Aotearoa!

Rhonda

It is important for me to take part because I have a voice and I want to use my voice to help everyone know of the importance of revitalising Te Reo Māori. Language is the soul of each culture. Te Reo Māori is the soul of the Māori culture.

Rhonda

This will help me to being awareness of Te Reo language within the children we teach. As a migrant it will help me to learn more about the Maori culture too.

Reshmi

As a children We where not encouraged to learn our Maori language but we did join the couture group as little Kidd’s and I joined the Maori couture group at college my I loved to my biggest accomplishment from that was travelling as part of a bigger group of other skits and acts from Kuranui collage and preform in neighbouring towns schools Five in total it’s where I learnt to sing

Reinga

We've been making more of an effort in our workplace to use te reo Māori. Four of us take classes each week, with our kaiako Joan Costello, and it's a highlight of our week!

Rebecca

As an Australian that now calls NZ home, it has been important to me to learn and understand te reo Māori and the culture and history of Aoteoroa, and to continue my learning through events such as this

Rebecca

I am currently training to become a primary school teacher and promoting Māori language is important to me.

Rebbeca