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 keep the language alive

Mel

It is important that everyone in Aotearoa has at least a basic understanding of te reo and the more people who can korero Maori, the more support there will be to help others speak and understand more of the language.

Mel

As a pakēha on this land, I want to dig deep into stepping back but also absorb what is so willingly shared by the indigenous of Aotearoa. In learning Reo Māori it will allow me to connect, gain more understanding and have wisdom around how to walk forward in a holding role. By everyone embracing Reo Māori we collectively take a step towards healing.

Mel

We should all be using te reo Māori in our everyday life. Let’s stand together to show we can do this!

Meg

To normalise Te Reo Māori me ōna tikanga at our kura. To honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi - Article 2 - our language, our taonga To celebrate and embrace our beautiful language.

May

I am limited in Te Reo Maori. I am and will always be very passionate about our language. Nga mihi

Mautiki

Solidarity

Matthew

I would love to be confident speaking Te Reo at school.

Marlie

I'm proud to be Maori

Marissa

I'm lost and I would like to take the time to learn about Te Ao Maori.

Maringi

Because we are kaiako and it's important to us that tamariki and whānau value and learn te reo Māori.

Marilyn

I grew up when maori was new in schools, I know colours and counting but that's about it. I want to be able to keep up with my daughter

Marie

Piki ake i tōku eo Māori.

Marie

I need to learn and to practice the regular use of te Reo, as, although I am not of Tangata te Whenua descent, I am a child of this land, Aotearoa. Thus, I feel it is incumbent on me to learn and speak te Reo. Kia ora!

Marc

Te reo is the language of the people of Aotearoa and in order to be truly bicultural and honour all the people of this country we need to make this part of the everyday.

Mara

The more I practise the more I will comfortable using Te reo Maori in everyday communications all the time, not just this week.

Mandy

I was not brought up with the gift of te reo maori. I see it as a taonga that is slowly becoming more and more recognised as that. the value of it is going one way and that is up. by taking part, I hope others will see te reo maori as an invaluable resource that can help in any and all aspects of life

Manaia

Te Reo Māori is a taonga. It is our responsibility to share and engage in our language not only during this special week but everyday! I'm still on my journey to reclaim my reo, but I'm grateful I have the opportunity to do so.

Maia

Maori language and culture has been sidelined for too long (that’s putting it mildly). I’m committed to being an anti-racist. For me part of that journey involves learning all I can about te Te reo Maori.

Madeleine

It is very important that I understand the spoken word and that I pronounce words correctly

Lynda

Te reo Māori is not only an official language of Aotearoa but its indigenous language. Although my understanding is very small, I recognise that to learn and to speak te reo Māori is to begin to understand te ao Māori. I believe it serves also to act as counter to the cultural dominance of the coloniser.

Luqman
Luke

Because our language is beautiful and sacred. The best way to preserve it is to speak it, read it, write it and allow it to evolve moving forward through time.

Lucian

Te reomaori is our language. It signals our whakapapa, where we are from and where we belong. The language is a treasurer and we must take care to pass it on and use it

Louvain

I grew up in Wales when the movement to grow the Welsh language was in full swing. I saw the importance of it there & I see it here too.

Lou

Keeps the Māori culture, language and traditions alive and brings global exposure, deepens appreciation for the Māori way of life.

Lorraine

So our language isn't lost

Lorna

For me as a Pākehā, learning te reo Māori (even just some), but most importantly pronunciation (especially of names and place names); is a step toward healing and unity.

Lorella

te reo is becoming more common in media, workplaces, schools. Keep learning or you die - so keep learning

Liz

I think all New Zealanders should value our first language so that it is protected and not lost.

Linley

E ora ai tō tātou reo, me kōrero.

Leilani

To realise the dreams of my ancestors

Laura

I come from a family where on one side the hurt and damage of colonisation separated us from the reo/culture and on the other side it was beaten out of us. I grew up with this imposed knowledge that being Māori was to be less than. In my twenties I became a Christian and had this realisation that to be Māori, to kōrero Māori and everything else is a tāonga and extreme privilege I wouldn’t get anywhere else in the world. Such a treasure! I set a goal to be fluent by 30 (not quite there) and since the birth of my son, my passion for reo has increased. Movements like this inspire hope because it fans into flame the little spark us Māori (and also, is kiwis) are born with. Kia kaha te reo Māori Aotearoa!

Latitia

I feel Te Reo Maori should be compulsory at schools just like English is. I want my kids to fluently speak our beautiful language

Latisha

I love learning languages, but this way it is the language of the country I love and I can use it every day.

Latifah

After eight years of living in Aotearoa and picking up many words in te reo, I‘d love to be able to start putting those words into sentences and, perhaps one day, even have a conversation in te reo.

Laskarina

I really enjoy the Maori language and don’t wNt to see it diminish like other things In our culture

Larissa

Because it's ours! And our language is the window to our culture.

Lara

To keep the reo strong.

Lance

To honour my tipina

Kyra

Because the Maori language is awesome and it needs to be a priority. It's part of our culture. It's unique and beautiful.

Kym

te reo is our taonga, our treasure

Kristina

If we as a country don't do something we will lose a beautiful taonga, te reo Maori.

Keryn

Kia arohaina aku tamariki i tō tātou reo.

Keriata

I feel the Māori language is important for our people, our land(economy) and our history. The language sets us apart from other cultures and countries and also reminds us of important parts of history when we did not act in the best interest of our people and hopefully encourages people not to repeat those same mistakes.

Kelly

to have a connection to my whakapapa

Keiana

It is important because Te Reo Maori needs to be normalised and our tamariki need to hear our language being spoken so they can grow to be confident learners of our language to.

Kaya

It’s a weakness of mine and I want to better myself and others.

Katrina

As a nurse its important to me to honour te reo maori as our language, to continue to forge relationships with my maori patients , to speak te reo maori and amplify the voices of wahine toa.

Kate

Embarrassed when my moko speak Te reo and i don't understand or converse back to them

kathy

Because we are a whanau of 5 million!

Kath

I'm taking part because I think we should all learn Te Reo Māori and build a bilingual Aoteaora. Why should all our transactions be conducted in the language of the coloniser?

Kate

Ki ahau nei me ako tātou katoa i te reo Māori, kia ora tonu ai tēnei taonga nui whakahirahira o Aotearoa

Kasia

No matter when your journey starts with te reo and where in the world you are, we will be one in a million or more

Karen Moetu

I am passionate about using and teaching te reo in the classroom.

karen

To connect to my wakapapa

Kara

Like many other Māori I don't know the language and feel embarrassed at times. It's important to me to take part and show people that its ok to not know and we all have to start somewhere.

Kahu

Language has a deep connection with culture and identity. Events such as this help keep te reo alive and encourage more people to learn the language and about Māori culture.

Justyna

Te Reo Maori is a part of what makes New Zealander's who we are. . I look forward to learning more, sharing with my Daughter and Friends. . Thank you for the opportunity to learn more :-) Kind regards Julie Nielsen

Julie

I’m a New Zealander celebrating New Zealand’s national language I do it everyday.

Julia

It is important for me as a foreigner to integrate into NZ culture and to expose my class to Maori culture.

Juergen

To be part of a greater good

Judy

To be proud to speak Te REO Maori

judith

Te Reo Māori is an official language of NZ. Whether we’re of Māori heritage or not, it’s up to all of us to keep the language alive & give it a go. He waka eke noa.

Joy

It is important to me because i want to be able to fluently speak my language- Te Reo. i have grown up speaking English and not knowing how to korero te reo. this has always been something that i have felt i was disadvantaged in, sense of loss in culture and identity. it is important to me, my mana and my mauri and wairua that i can one day become a confident te reo speaker. i love everything about my people, culture and language and just want to be able to embrace it. When i have tamariki i don't want them to grow up without having te reo as a part of them. It is something i missed out on and i do not want that to happen for my tamariki and future generations.

Josina

Because its important to continually breathe life into our language, to expand my world through reo, and open my eyes to the world of my people.

Josh

its really important to me to respect and value Te Reo and integrate it into our every day lives ❤

Josephine

Kei te Akonga taku Reo, he tuku iho ngā korero mai ōku Kaumātua. Kei te korero au ki aku tamariki, me aku mokopuna, I a ra, I a ra.

Joseph

Generations before me were Maori, I am maori and my children and future generations will have Maori in them, it is important they not only know who they are but everything that is incorporated with being Maori, the language, tikanga, waiata, whakapapa, etc.

Jordan

Being able to keep our culture and more importantly our language alive is so important in itself, being able to enable people that live in Aotearoa be comfortable to use maori words.

Jordan

I'm of Ngaitahu decent- this is important for my Whanau

Jonathan

To acknowledge the reo, Encourage speaking Te Reo so it can become normalized.

John

He tangata au, o te motu nei Ko Aotearoa, i te Moana nui a Kiwa Rakiura, me Rekohu, Te Wai Pounamu Me te ika ā Maui, ēnei ngā motu Kua eke mai nei ngā tūpuna Māori i ngā waka o mua, i nuku ai rātou Enei ngā kakano, nō Rangiatea Nō Hawaiiki nui, i nuku ai rātau Tēnei te taonga i tuku mai iho Ko te reo tuatahi, ko te reo Māori! Kia manawanui, i te reo rangatira Kia rangona ia, rite tonu hau Hau! Rite tonu hau.

John

Möku ake nei, e hiahia ana au ki te whakapiki ake te reo māori i töku ao me töku wāhi mahi. Ka whakanoa au i te reo māori mö te roanga o te wiki.

Jock

I am proud to be a New Zealander. It’s important in my life that I live as a te Tiriti o Waitangi partner as best I can.

Jocelyn

Being away from whanau and our whenua I need to reconnect.

Joanne

Participation in Te wiki o te reo Maori ensures that I keep learning and extending my knowledge, understanding and confidence to practice in the culture of my whanau. Te reo Maori is our past our present and our future and understanding this guides our journey through life.

Jo

Te reo maori is my language, my passion and the language of my ancestors.

Jo

Te Reo is our national language and we're keen to encourage more of our staff and farmers to learn, and use, more words relating to the dairy sector.

Jo

Learning more about myself, my whanau and my home

Jo

Support keeping te reo alive in Aotearoa

Jo

It’s part of who we are in nz and it’s one of our national languages

Tejo

Te Reo is a beautiful language and more importantly it's unique to Aotearoa and should be celebrated. More voices will hopefully lead to greater acceptance. Our history is fascinating and to hear it told in Te Reo is something special.

Jill

I think it’s vital for everyone to do their part to keep our native language alive and thriving. Gone are the days where it was prohibited to talk Te Reo. There’s no excuse these days so we should all be learning or understanding the language as it is our native language.

Jess

Language is a gateway into understanding and appreciating a unqiue culture. For me it's about understanding and connecting as a fellow NZer, helping to keep Te Reo alive.

Jessica

To reclaim te reo maori for my whanau. So my future whanau will not know what it means to feel distant from their native tongue. I wish to be able to indigenise all spaces I enter including with te reo maori.

Jessica

As a New Zealander I think it should be my duty to learn our official languages- and learn as much as I can about the people around me. As a history teacher I know how much wrong us pakeha have done when it comes to Te Ao Maori and in particular Te Reo.

Jessica

For awareness and connection. Although Maaori is not in my blood it's certainly in my heart, soul and home culture. I need to do this for me, my family and to help strengthen Maaori culture.

Jess

A language has to be used to stay alive, te reo Maori belongs here in Aotearoa and we can all give it life by using and learning to understand it. A language carries the world view of its speakers which is unique and we can be better people if we embrace what makes Aotearoa a special place, a place where we strive to know ourselves and others.

Jennifer

Respect for tangata whenua. Supporting the movement for Te Reo Maori to be our default, not an after thought.

Jeanne

We need to preserve the great toanga we have been gifted

Jayne

I want to learn more māori language and inspire the children I teach to do the same thing.

Jayne

Keep te reo fresh in my mind so i never forget

Jaxon

To show that i am also part of nz and i can learn maori language.

Jarnail
Jared

Te reo is the language of tangnata whenua. I have the responsibility to learn to understand and use te reo so that I can better understand and respect the peoples, land, water, mountains, bush, sky and all that lives now and before.

Janet

I want to feel connected to my culture and community. I want to give a little back to those around me. I want to celebrate some of what make me, me!

James

I think it is important to celebrate our diversity. We are not just a country with one culture or identity, we are a mixture of different cultures, values and ideas that help make up our countries identity. Māori language week is just one way to celebrate that diversity, to bring people together all across New Zealand.

James

Te reo Māori represents the heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand and it is part of the role of local government to support and promote te reo Māori alongside our mana whenua partners. Our organisation, Hastings District Council has a range of internal initiatives running across the week at all of its facilities, as well as out in its community. Tihei Heretaunga!

Te aute

It's important to me because I was born in New Zealand growing up in small towns and being aware of Maori culture and Te Reo from a young age. I have fond memories of marae visits and Te Reo lessons during previous employment enjoying waiata, finding out about local history and the generous hospitality. My son is now at school learning Te Reo and waiata in his class. He is picking it up fast and I want to be able to join in and take part and help him if needed. I'd also like to be able to say simple phrases and become more confident with Te Reo. E noho ra.

James