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 there is a part of me that is connected to Maori. I have been wanting to learn Maori and your language to understand more of my missing part.

Cindy

Te reo Maori is us, all of us. Te reo Maori is beautiful, it carries our home spirit, our soul. Like so many my whakapapa is huge mix Maori with European; Ngati Manu hapu, Nga puhi iwi, English, Scots, French & German. I am so grateful now to have more opportunities & encouragement to use te reo Maori, even though my skills are just learning. This is something that is important to me because I want turn around the shame & punishment my grand & great-grand parents received - which made them stop speaking te reo Maori. Ngaa mihi nui for giving me the opportunity and focus to do this.

Debbie

Because Te Reo Māori is part of being a New Zealander, part of this land, part of the people.

Karen

I'm taking part because! Te reo Maori is a beautiful language that is unique and special to Aotearoa. I think new immigrants should learn some korero as well as all nz citizens. I'm learning later in life and while I wish I had learnt earlier, but better late then never! Karawhuia!

Kristin

Because as a young rangatahi our language is dying and we need to try and keep it living on for our future generation

Paea

I'm taking part because! Te reo Maori is a beautiful language that is unique and special to Aotearoa. I think new immigrants should learn some korero as well as all nz citizens. I'm learning later in life and while I wish I had learnt earlier, but better late then never! Karawhuia!

Kristin

Although I am pākeha, my nephew is Māori, and I want to do my part in ensuring te Ao Māori becomes embedded in the NZ culture.

Sharon

The importance of my participation in this kaupapa is ensuring our reo stays alive. Sharing my knowledge with my tamariki at Kōhungahunga and celebrating our culture through waiata of our iwi, Ngāti Uenuku.

odette

Te Reo is our language and we all need to get behind keeping the language alive. I work for Corrections and feel it is important that I grow my knowledge of Te Reo and Te Ao maori in order to be more effective in my work with Maori. And also " it's a beautiful language and culture"

briar

Working with rangatahi maori, we embed culture in everything that we do and recognise the importance of Te Reo as well as the missing connection present for many of our rangatahi.

Tori

I grew up knowing that I had some connection to the Māori culture but didn’t know how deep. I’ve been isolated through fractured relationships with whanau that has prevented me from knowing my whakapapa. My why is ko tōku reo ko tōku ohooho. I linked in with an amazing kaiako to start my journey of learning our ataahua te reo and break the whakama of knowing very little of our culture. I am proud to stand as a Māori tane connecting with my whakapapa and understand the sacrifices of our tūpuna who fought for us to koreroreo! He waka eke noa! Mō ahua, mō tōku hoa wahine, mō tōku tamariki!

Ben

I have been in Aotearoa for almost 10 years. Although my reo Māori journey is still going far more slowly than I would like, it has benefited me greatly by helping me connect to incredibly rich Māori concepts and culture. My tamariki were born here and I want them to be able to join me speaking te reo Māori when they are older so they can have that same connection.

Miriam

Part of our history, present, and future.

Sian

Morena, My main why for wanting to learn Te Reo is because this is the language of our tipuna xxx I want to be able to korero to our whanau and help teach or share with anyone who is intetested. I feel the way we express our emotions in Te Reo goes deeper than using english. Nga mihi

Matekino

I want to know more, I want to be part of the culture of this nation as a bi-cultural kiwi

Jacquie

To show that you don’t have to be whakama about learning the language. Where ever you are in your journey, you not alone! ! ! Kia kaha Te reo maori! ! !

Ami-Jayne

As a pakeha kaiako I value and recognise the importance of building a passion for Te reo Maori with our learners.

Michelle

Tena koutou Maori language learning and speaking has my full support my message is in English because I would like to encourage non speakers of Te Reo to learn There is a ton of resources available on line I find YouTube helpful learning in your safe space is a great start, I encourage speakers of Maori to be kind and correct people in a kindly way. I hope your reo journey is going to be enjoyable and enriching Kia Maia koe be persistent and patient you will get there Kia ora Meng Foon

Meng

Heritage, tradition, pride and so we don't allow the language to be lost for future generations.

Alicia

Very simply. . . . . . . . It's cool to speak Māori!

Hugh

My journey with te reo Māori is helping me understand my own identity as Pākehā. The deeper the journey, the more important I realise te reo is for Aoteoroa.

Marcel

Empowering whanaungatanga, whanau and tamariki, making connections with whakapapa through manaakitanga and Ako

Delwynne

Te reo Māori is the language of our whenua. They are inseparable. I love Aotearoa, and for me using te reo is an expression of love for this whenua. It is a gift, a taonga carried by our Māoritanga, and part of our kaitiakitanga. Strong reo; strong whenua; strong tangata.

Jamie

I am a new resident of Aotearoa (from Australia) and I believe that it's my responsibility to learn the original language of the nation. But also, te reo is so beautiful that it's for mere pleasure as well.

Kath

I want to be able to raise my children to be bilingual but mainly to pass down the stories of our whakapapa and culture.

Nick

I want to be part of the reo revitalization as it is one of our many sacred taonga

Rory

To be able to effectively communicate with my patients. This builds better rapport with patients and will give them a sense of being included.

Kristin

Because we cannot afford to lose te reo - otherwise who are we without it? We all have to play our part in scaffolding around success. Plus. . . it is such a cool language why wouldn't we want to learn / speak it! !

Helen

Learning more about Te Reo is good for all of us - to understand and to honour.

Steph

Te Reo Māori is the indigenous language of Aotearoa and it is our responsibility to maintain this as a taonga tuku iho.

Troy

As a 4th generation Pakeha, I have finally reached a place where I feel as if our Māori heritage IS my heritage to an extent also. And in that case, I am embracing the opportunities to learn and speak as much as I am able so that in my role as a kaiako I can 'normalise' this heritage as part of life in Aotearoa.

Deborah

To practice and encourage others to give it a go

Michelle

Because we are part of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Janet

I believe Te reo Māori is what connects people to the land and environment like nothing else - if we can reconnect with our land in a deeper way maybe we can begin to reverse the damage that has already occurred to our country.

Cara

1. He mea whai tikanga mā tātou te hunga whānui e tukuna te reo kia rere 2. Ki au nei, kei te āhua māngere au ki te korero e ia rā, nā tērā, kā timata taku pukenga ki te korero ki te hemo. 3. Ko te tumanako, ka māia taku korero I te reo P. S. whai mai i toku whārangi TikTok @araperataiapa, ki reira ka rekoata tāku haerenga I a Mahuru Māori 😁

Arapera

I can express myself freely in English - by learning Te Reo, I can allow others to do the same in the language close to their hearts.

I love my culture, my Māoritanga and all we stand for

Kiaana

So our Whanau can actively use our Reo at home therefore our beautiful Language isn't lost.

Ants

In support of this kaupapa 100%

Tuiata

In 1970’s l was part of a teachers group at Waikato University which was wanting to introduce Te Reno into primary schools. We even had a proposal that we put to the Minister of Education, Phil Amos. Nothing happened.

Grant

To give non-Māori New Zealanders a strategic position and role in the country's future. Te Reo is NZ's Native language, we should celebrate this! :)

Samuel

Because we should have done this years ago, we need to acknowledge the history of the Maori people and bring te reo into the mainstream, people need to attempt Maori words correctly.

Marie

Here at BestStart Te Aroha we are always striving to upheld a bicultural environment for our tamariki. We value and use Te Reo each and every day. We want our Maori learners to feel that their culture and language is important and valuable to us.

Ashley

I believe it is important for all New Zealanders to learn and understand as much te reo Māori as they can. New Zealand has 2 national languages and I would like all New Zealanders to be fluent and bilingual one day.

Natalie

Wanting to be able to speak Māori to teach it to my children

Tamara

So all of us on Site can take part and learn.

Sonia

Kia whakarauika i te tangata kia ākona, kia kōrerotia i tō tātou reo rangatira, hei whāinga mō ngā uri whakaheke/ ngā rangatira mō te āpōpō.

Amanda

I began learning Te Reo 18 months ago at the Waitemata DHB, who have provided weekly classes for free. I don't want the language to die, and I am excited to see that more and more emphasis is being placed on introducing everyone to new words and phrases, on TV and in the media. I am excited to be part of this. It is the best thing I have ever done, and it's opened my eyes, my ears and my heart to Te ao Maori and could enrich my life in ways I cannot even yet contemplate in the future.

Paula

I grew up with my parents not speaking the reo. I learnt it at high school but wish i would have continued my journey with it. My son is now in high school and I want to be part of his journey rather then he drop it like i did.

Joleen

As a Māori I have always have a yearning to identify more strongly with our people, being able to speak te reo. . . for it to become the beloved language I feel that it is. Te reo sounds beautiful and makes me both sad and happy when I hear it. Sad because I can't speak it that well and cos I don't always understand. Happy because it us and my tamariki are growing up knowing that it's cool to kōrero :) That wasn't or hasn't always been the case in my life. . . love that my kids have a different view :) :) :) So my why. . . so that my children and eventually moko will know who they are and be able to tell the world who they are in our language!

Therese

We acknowledge that Te Reo Maori is an official language of Aotearoa and we are excited to be part of this event with millions of others, helping to promote Te Reo Maori!

Michelle

I am of Maori descent and want to take part in all kaupapa to do with promoting Te Reo Maori! 'KIA KAHA TE REO MAORI KI TE AO KATOA"

Taneisha

My aroha for my culture and how beautiful it is even though I lack it all. Aroha conquers all

Marama

I've lived in Rānana for the last decade - A place of many languages. . . I'm now a father. I was brought up to be proud of who I am, where I'm from, who my whanau are, my Iwi and Māoritanga. . . It's important to me that my young daughter has this knowledge too, I want to give her the opportunity to converse in our beautiful language - it's the foundation of maori culture. Ko te kete-tuauri Ko te kete-tuatea Ko te kete-aronui

Christopher

Demonstrate there are many ways to keep our language alive. Demonstrate Internal discipline and focus are an important part of determining why the language is important, it's benefits and usefulness. Demonstrate that Te Reo Māori is a language of beauty, of purpose, of mana

Te Ariki

Kia whakamana te reo rangatira ki taku wāhi mahi.

Hector

We would like to support the kaupapa and help to provide a platform for our community to access and take part in celebrating our beautiful language of Te Reo Māori.

Lagi

Because Te Reo and Maori are the first people of the land and have been held down by racist narratives for two hundred years.

Dean

Linguistics/'foreign' languages are highly perishable unless they are kept alive and practiced … ergo!

Peter

Reconnect and reestablish myself into my culture.

Hinetara

Our kura is based in the bottom of Te Waipounamu. We have an attached bilingual unit and all staff and students are using te reo on a daily basis within their akomanga.

Lisa

Mo to tātou mana motuhake!

Hilda-Rose

E hira ake ana i te Reo Māori ki te wairua me te whakawhanaungatanga ō nga tāngata tuarua ō te motu nei. The learning of this beautiful language, so fundamental to the wellbeing and esteem of Māori, is central to the ongoing strength of the relationship of our two people thriving together.

Chris

Te Reo Maori is miharo! ! ! ! !

Kellie

To embrace and acknowledge Te Reo for future generations for all who live here in Aotearoa

Loops

Because it’s my culture

Tyler

Ko te reo te mauri o te mana Maori.

Robyn

To teach our students a karakia kai which we can implement in our lessons.

Katherine

It is important to whakanui nga mea iti, to help revitalise and whakamaori te reo, to reduce the whakamā of not knowing our reo me ōna tikanga, to mitigate that feeling we should know more than we do - it's okay to do a little, learn a little, reclaim a little of ourselves, ia rā ia rā.

Kahurangi

to immerse myself in the culture fully - understanding my tauira that I teach everyday. Understanding where they come from and why they do the things that they do.

kendall

I am 62 years old and currently in a Te Reo Maaori course, although not my first, I am relearning what I learnt 20 years ago. The business that I work for allowed over 20 of us to attend class once a week from 3. 30pm without deducting our wages. This for me was a huge bonus to us wanting to either learn for the first time or relearn what we have forgotten. When I learnt 20 years ago Te Reo Maaori was not deemed as accepted or as important as it is now. Maaori TV plus other channel news readers, reporters and TV programs have lead the way for us and those non-Maaori who have learnt themselves the correct way to pronounce Maaori words. I no longer have to suffer the insult and hurt I felt when I heard so much mispronunciation on TV. I now feel much safer in using my own language in NZ. We still have a long way to go as a country to work in equal partnership with Maaori however, we have made great progress towards this by accepting the Maaori language as an official language of Aotearoa and using this type of forum to encourage people. Ngaa mihi ki a koutou katoa.

Fay

Everyone must do their part to normalise Te Reo Māori and we need to support all areas

Kirsten

This kaupapa is important to me because I strongly believe that our 'te reo' is a taonga. I always refer to a whakatauki from Sir James Henare; Ko te reo te mauri o te mana Māori Ko te kupu te mauri o te reo Māori E rua ēnei wehenga kōrero e hāngai tonu ana ki runga i te reo Māori Ko te reo, nō te Atua mai. The language is the life force of the mana Māori The word is the life force of the language These two ideas are absolutely crucial to the Māori language A language, which is a gift to us from God.

Waimarie

I am a teacher in Aotearoa and belive all teachers should fully understand our story/history. Part of that is understanding who we are as Pakeha, sitting with the discomfort of colonisation and what our dominant culture has done. Knowing this and understanding this, I can fully embrace and open both my head and heart to learning Te reo Maori and Tikanaga. My why is this is a must. I am must know my identity as a New Zealander both Maori & Pakeha. Thank you for the incredible mahi you all do to revitalise our identity as New Zealanders.

Carey

Maori is a part of who I am. I want my daughters to know that I am proud to be Maori and they should be too!

Joshua

Te reo is an important part of being New Zealander. It is our heritage and what makes us kiwis

Leaia

The preservation of Te Ao Maori

Marshall

I feel like a failure not knowing in confidence my whakapapa off by heart and I really feel like I am missing in that part of my life. I want to learn my reo so that I can teach it to my future generations so that the reo doesn't die out.

Maia-Rose

Te reo Maori is unique to Aotearoa and we should be protecting it as an important taonga

Evelyn

I feel ashamed I am not proficient in one of our national languages.

Alex

It's important to me as pākehā living in Aotearoa to take responsibility for my own learning of Te Ao Māori

Rachel

"Ko te reo te mauri o te mana Māori. " Whakatauaki Normalising te reo Māori in Aotearoa is a personal passion.

Lena

I only just discovered that this went to Parliament before I was even born! And I'm old!

Dena

Part of my journey to learn Te Reo

Wendy

I want to learn about the Maori language and culture

saima

We all have a duty to preserve the history and culture of Aotearoa. Te Reo is such a beautiful language and every word each kiwi adds to their knowledge makes us all stronger, better people. I grew up with little connection to my roots and I want to change that for my tamariki.

Tara

I've always been one to take an interest in other cultures.

Caleb

I work in a government department and feel it is important to embrace and be part of celebrating te reo.

Tracey

More signage and English/Maori versions of words side by side. Just been to Te Papa and Zoolandia. A tourist in my own country! Was great to see the use of Maori language at these places and I found myself trying to pronounce many of these words. I even went to an Indian restaurant and translated my curry number 36 into Maori as I have just taught myself numeric translation.

Angela

Maori language is ataahua, even though I am a pakeha its important to share and make reo available to all, . Along with learning and sharing reo its also incredibly important to share the real history of New Zealand especially with my pakeha friends who haven't had the opportunity to learn.

sarah

For my kids - they are Maori and it’s their heritage and I do t want it lost I want it normalised

Margaret

It's part of us all. My son was born into a pakeha family but has embraced the Maori culture so much that he now has a kirituhi representing his whanau (us) on his arm. I am proud of him, proud that he has embraced a culture that was not his at birth but actually he feels part of. I want to learn more and be more and that means becoming involved and being open to learn.

Andrea

To keep our language alive. I will be sharing a new word or whakatauki within my work place to encourage the togetherness.

April

My wife and Children are Maori and speaking the language is a way to help them identify with their heritage.

Andre

I want my 3 year old daughter to be able to speak her native language

Cheiralee

He aha ai? Mõ āku tamariki, irāmutu, whānau Mõ tõku Iwi, Hapū, Marae Mõ tõku Kõhanga Reo, Wharekura, Hapori Mõ ngā tikanga o te ao māori Mõ ahau

Kororia

Learning and been part of that learning experience in te reo. Love the language and to me it sounds peaceful, the waiata’s are beautiful

Ange

I have been wanting to for a long time

chelsey

Te Reo will only thrive if it is spoken. It doesn’t take much to learn a few words and phrases.

Kate

Shared land, shared language. Promoting correct everyday pronunciation of place names in our area.

Dianne