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 te reo is important as apart of kiwi culture and i am proud to be a kiwi learning te reo

Anna

For me, learning Te Reo is a door into a part of Aeotearoa that has always been opening, but I have not had the foresight to walk through.

Nicola

For my work colleagues to be able to confidently recite their pepeha and have an understanding of Te Reo Māori in and out of the workplace. Keeping the taknga alive to pass onto our next generations

Learning shows respect for my adopted home

I believe that all people who live in Aotearoa should be able to speak some te reo Māori. This is my vision as an early childhood kaiako.

Connecting with my tipuna through learning reo as a rangatahi saved me

Krystal

As a New Zealander I want to be able to korero with more confidence when talking with the staff. By understanding the basics and incorporating Te Reo into my conversations even if it is only small I hope to encourage others to learn the language of New Zealand.

Te Reo makes Aotearoa a better place as we all strive to speak more then our youth and children see it as a taonga and a strength to use in everyday liofe.

Jacinda

To understand and learn more about our Maori culture and support the resurgence of te reo Maori

Robyn

Why would anyone not want to speak Te Reo? It’s our language that makes Aotearoa special!

Julie

Whānau

I want to celebrate te reo as a taonga that is unique to Aotearoa New Zealand and all New Zealanders. I want to use more reo in my own life, to champion the language and help influence other people (especially pakeha) to give it a go themselves without fear or self consciousness.

I am pakeha new zealander currently learning te reo Māori in order to better participate with my fellow new zealanders and korero te reo effectively

Vicki

So that i can share our beautiful language with all my mokopuna

Pani

Hoping for a more diverse future for our tamariki and have Te Reo as an option to learn in all education centres across Aotearoa. Honouring the treaty by making the effort to learn, speak and read as well as keep an open mind to ‘new ways’. Thank you for all of the resources, what a great start to help everyone feel welcome and start their journey of growth!

Yorana

I think it's significant and respectful to recognise Te Reo Maori in equal partnership with the rest of Aotearoa. Te Reo Maori should have equal status with the English Language. I have faced many challenges in encouraging my own Mother language with my family as well as for them to also understand and use Te Reo in everyday situations. I am encouraged and pleased that our Presenters use Te Reo phrases in meaningful ways to present the News on TV. Its a great start. My own goal is to attend community Te Reo Maori language course.

Feofanaki

All about our tupuna whanau awhi tautoko & enjoy life

My hope is that Te reo Māori will flourish

Mary

It’s my responsibility to keep my whakapapa alive ❤️

To be able to korero maori with my whanau.

Hine

My mum and dad are Maori. My kids are part Maori. It's my responsibility to keep Te Reo apart of our lives.

Ripeka

I believe everyone in Aotearoa, pakeha or Māori, should learn and know te reo māori before learning English.

Just thought I'd give it a go

We have moved to Perth and our babies (4yrs & 2yrs) were born here, i want to pass down our knowledge, culture, customs and traditions. For them to understand the importance of their heritage and for them to have a connection to the whenua we will all return to one day.

My younger siblings. They deserve to know our reo and so do I!

Ngawahine

It’s important for us the keep Te Reo alive.

Megan

Don't know how to up load. Passion to grasp te reo and be proud of my culture .

It is part of who I am, it is part of who we are. Don’t be whakama. Take up the challenge!

Ange

I am a Scot living in NZ and love the Te reo indigenous language of Aotearoa studied one year but hope to do more ❣

Im a 54year old ngapuhi descendant, who never learnt to speak the Reo. I've always said, I will and never took the steps too. I can understand some but have been too whakama to speak other than basic karakia, greetings, pepeha etc. I want to be one of the million by 2040. Not only for myself but for my own whanau too. Especially my mokopuna. So when my parents at playgroup expressed their desire to learn more, I asked if they were keen to share the journey and they were. Thank you for the opportunity. NgamihiDebbie Alcock.

Because I love Te Reo o maori. I think it is important we work to revitalise and that as kaiako we normalise and use Reo everyday

Kaz

Every New Zealander should be able to korero te reo Maori. It would be a travesty if it was allowed to fall into disuse.

Jan

The positivity of the way Rawinia Higgins described being involved.

Deb

To support the renaissance of Te Reo in Aotearoa and to develop the awareness of Te Reo and Maori values for all New Zealanders.

I really want to learn and speak te reo Maori. My son is learning Maori and he speaks it to his little daughter (my granddaughter) and I want to be able to speak it with her too.

My tamariki are my why, growing up I was blessed to have Te Reo around me, taught at kura and I thoroughly love the language. However maori wasn't practiced a lot when I got older and finished kura and had my own whanau, so I decided to enroll at the Wa and learn Te Reo from the beginning.

Ngapera

Ko te reo Rangatira he kai māku, mā te iwi Māori hoki hei whakanui te ora, te hinengaro me te wairua. Ma te reo ka tūhono tātou ki ōu tātou Tupuna me whakapapa hoki. Ko tēnei te whakahirahira o te iwi Māori.

Maureen

Aotearoa is the only country in the world where te reo is spoken. There is so much knowledge held within the reo that needs to be kept alive through being spoken, sung and chanted in everyday situations. This unique language is embedded in the DNA of mokopuna and for them to make sense of their world they need to be surrounded in rich and vibrant reo.

Annie

I have been welcomed into Aotearoa. It's the least I can do to try to learn the reo.

Harriet

I'm a teacher and believe it's important for everyone to know the basics of Te Reo Māori. I'm not Māori and I'm far from perfect at it myself but I greet, do the roll and end the day in the te reo every day.

I want to continue learning te reo and to support the goal that by 2040 will be a million people speaking Mari.

Gyongyi

Because te reo and tikanga Maori are part of being kiwi and living on the land of aotearoa - this is our culture and it should be celebrated by all!

Because te reo and tikanga Maori are part of being kiwi and living on the land of aotearoa - this is our culture and it should be celebrated by all!

For my whānau, to engage with Reo speakers more often, to feel connected and confident. 🦸‍♀️

Kiri

Mo ngā uri whakaheke.

I want to be part of the preservation and strengthing of Te Reo

Fluent te reo maori speakers in my whanau stopped in my great grandparents generation. I moved home to kaeo in December 2016 with my 4 tamariki from Sydney Australia after living there for 4 years, beforehand I was born and raised in our small town of Kaeo. Since I've been home I've realised how lucky we are, to able to whakapapa to this beautiful place through our tupuna. We are able to occupy whenua through our tupuna, which is a privilege not everyone gets. I started my journey with Te Wananga o Aotearoa in 2018 where I studied my Certificate in Maori Business, from home and fees free which was a bonus for me as I'm a busy mum with no putea to spare. I am now on my last kete studying He Papa Tikanga and it has opened up a whole new world, learning about our culture. I want to learn more an more about Te Ao Maori and one day be able to speak and understand Te Reo Maori. I now have 5 Tamariki, 4 of them attended our local primary school. My youngest Pepi who is 19 months old now is attending the ohanga across the creek from where we live and come from. I am excited to attend ohanga with her and learn as much as I can, while I can. I plan for her to attend Kura kaupapa when she turns 5. Kai karakia is always practised before we eat any meal, and simple maori tikanga around our kainga is also used. I feel by learning and growing in our culture will better me and my tamariki as our culture is very unique and by doing this I know my tupuna would be proud.

Whakapapa, still on the te reo journey

Gerard

As a Maori girl who grew up in New Zealand I find a lot of my personal identity in the reo. It links me to my ancestors and is a way for me to celebrate who I am. I want to pass that on to my son. People also don’t know much about Maori culture so let this be a way to spread the Maori language to the world ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Desire to learn te reo.

Julie

I am pakeha and I do not underestimate the gift of being on this land. Being part of keeping te reo alive and growing is something small I can do.

It's a beautiful language and would be wonderful to be common place in new Zealanders lives

Barbara

Aotearoa is a beautiful place and the Maori people have mana that I respect and envy. My sister is adopted (our parents are British) and she is Maori. As a Pakeha, I have always strongly felt that not enough is done to keep the Maori language at the forefront of Aotearoas culture. I need to start with myself. I need to learn again.

Na te mea . . he tino ataahua te reo Maori!

Robyn

My why is a better place for my four sons and one moko. I want them to have opportunities and choices that I didn't have. Working in health, my other why is that I want my colleagues to find reasons to fall in love with Te Ao Maori!

Tina

Ko te reo Māori te reo taketake o Aoteaora, nō reira, me ako tātou i te reo ataahua nei.

Kalin

My partner is maōri and has been learning Spanish as I am from Mexico, so now I want to learn Te Reo Māori to be able to connect with him and his whānau in a deeper level.

Te Reo is a very interesting language in itself with unique features in its particles, word formation, tenses.

Our tamariki are the reason we are participating. Their enthusiasm to learn anything Kaupapa Maori weather it be a song, reading a book or responding to a teachers request or instruction. Our tamariki learn best from repetition so we keep it basic, hei ako pai nga kaiako me nga tamariki.

Tina

Because I am 40yr old wahine Māori and learning with my 4 year old.

I have links to the Basque country and to Wales. Their languages have had a resurgence in both countries following bans and their use being frowned upon. Now the kanguages are used in schools and most kids speak their native tongue. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if it were the same here. I really hope so, one day.

To try carry on our reo for the many generations after us . . .

I believe we are one country and one people and we expect Māori to speak English so why should European or others within Aotearoa not speak Te Reo Māori. It’s a beautiful language and if it is around in daily news, signs etc. we can all embrace it.

Karen

Sharing the beauty of te reo with othersRighting the wrongs of the past suppression of te reo in Aotearoa - and letting it all hang out! Karawhuia! Supporting Tino Rangatiratanga in Aotearoa. Being a role model for other pākehā that it is exciting to be a learner of te reo. Te reo enriches all our lives. Improving my own beginners te reo. Supporting the creative and important work of Te Taurawhiti. It's a positive and exciting thing to do at this troubled time in the country and the world.

Tanya

I love the language and general philosophy of Mannakitanga and thing Māori

Andrew

Ko te reo Māori te reo o te whenua nei!

a growing realisation that we need to make more of our Maori history in the Mackenzie District - learn more - acknowledge more!

Nā te mea, he tino taonga Te Reo.

Vivienne

I never had the reo growing up even though both my parents are fluent. I want my kids to be fluent speakers and te reo maori to be the first language for all future kids. Goal is to make our whare anake te reo maori by end of 2021

Stevie

I believe our learning experience is limitless

I think as New Zealander's, regardless of our ethnicity, we have a responsibility to learn te reo and help keep the language and culture of our tangata whenua alive and thriving.

I would like to be alive to see the day when the whole of Aotearoa speak te reo Maori

shaquelle

Why - I want Te Reo to be commonplace, normalised and for everyone to appreciate the beautiful language it is. The connection and meaning that come alongside Te Reo are something everyone should experience and be exposed to.

We didn't grow up speaking Te Reo Maaori. I was an adult when my journey began. I have a 10 year old, and 5 years ago we made the decision for her to attend kura kaupapa. I also made a commitment to reo and to speak it in the house. I am still studying reo / he tauira au I te reo maaori. My why is our tamariki and mokopuna, so that they grow up knowing who they are.

Sophronia

For my tamariki!

Jaime-Lee

I work in a kaupapa Maori organisation and want to increase my day to day use of Te Reo

I work in a kaupapa Maori organisation and want to increase my day to day use of Te Reo

E hiahia ana ahau ki te tipu haere i tāku pūkenga i te Reo Māori - ko te reo rangatira.

Sarah

I was learning te reo in the decades past but have had less opportunity to korero since retiring. But I do know a fair bit, just lack practice forming sentences. I often listen to Te Karere and Maori TV channel too. Years ago when I was a student nurse, my Ngapuhi flatmate would not teach me, but told me to keep listening to Te Karere. I trained as a nurse in Rotorua where I had many Maori friends and used to go up to Motatau with my friend, whose father used to tell us the old stories (history) in the evenings by the fire. No TV back then. I also had a lot to do with the family of Hone Te Kauru Taiapa and his wife Mereira at Koutu. They are like family to me but the parents are long passsed. I am in touch with some of their descendants who are very inclusive. I studied nursing papers and psychology at Massey in Palmerston North and in 1990 was unemployed and went again to Massey, but fulltime and did Treaty of Waitangi in NZ Society with Mason DURIE. He also invited me to do his Maori Health paper, for which he handpicked 10 students only. He took me to Ratana to a great health hui, where I met many fine people there including a young Lance O'Sullivan about to embark on a medical degree. He was in our group and a speaker too. I had been to Ratana years before in childhood with my parents too. In 1992 I was doing the paper Te Kakano o Te Reo. But now I am very rusty and need to get busy on it again. The Whakapara people are also very inclusive, that is the marae of Titewhai Harawira and I know quite a few of her family as her next oldest sister is married to my cousin. I see our PM Jacinda is becoming very accomplished at te reo and watched her spek at Ngaruawahia today for the big celebrqaations there. aShe is so clever qqnd a great example to many to have a go and keep at it as we all must learn to preserve this beutiful laanguage. Aileen McKay

Aileen

I am pakeha, and te reo is part of who I am

Learning te ao and te reo Maori is a commitment I feel I should make as a New Zealander.

Haemia

I accepted a job that moved me from the US to NZ two years ago. Whilst I moved because of my career, I wanted the experience of living in and embracing a culture different from my own, and that includes Maōri culture and language. To that end, I’ve been working on learning Te Reo Maōri and incorporating words and phrases in my everyday life.

Jennifer

Improving and expanding my Reo helps me connect with my whakapapa and expand my Māori world view

Dale

It is part of me that has been suppressed for far too long and I want it to be a part of my everyday life, as well as my sons. It's important to me that my son doesn't grow up with the disconnect or feeling of something missing like I did growing up in Tamaki in a mainly pakeha household

He taonga te Reo! Kei te hiahia au ki te whakatenatena i ngā tāngata katoa ki te ako i te Reo Māori. Ko te tumanako, ka rangona te Reo i ngā wāhi puta noa i te motu.

Kirsty

So I can understand more about Maori - te reo and tikanga. So I can feel more connected to Aotearoa and what we are as a nation and people.

Shirley

It is important to be able to communicate clearly to every person in Aotearoa.

Melissa

Because Te Reo is part of here and only here so we should all embrace it! And its ataahua!

Janice

Because through us the ancestors speak

This is an Awesome Kaupapa! Hiahia au ki te tautoko 👌🏼

Maureen

Ko te reo Māori tōku hoa haere ia rā. Kia kaha tonu tatou ki te kōreo i

Rahera

Tena koe, I work in Iwi Radio and have done for many years and keen as to tautoko this amazing kaupapa. Everyday I'm around Te Reo Maori and Maori Waiata but am still a learning just having the basics and have a passion to learn more. More so for my mahi at Nga Iwi FM but also as the first Maori elected councillor for the Hauraki District Council. It's a new challenge for me but an area I'd like to have input into the council not only with local town name pronounciation bit also getting them to understand tikanga and kawa. Growth and knowledge of us as Maori. A personal project for me is to get Maori enrolled and engaged plus an understanding how the Local Government world works. Thank you and have a good weekend.

Equity and fairness

Olivia

Me tautoko te reo Maori. Ko matua tipuna pakeha tōku e kōrero i te reo Maori no reira Ka ako au I kōrero hoki. Whai hoki Ko ngaa pakeha e patu te reo maaori. Ko pakeha au. Me whakahoki te reo .

to korero maori more than korero english.

Harata

I want to connect to my language and learn more. I want to encourage others to learn Te Reo Maori

Maori is the indigenous language of Aotearoa and we should ensure our children have the opportunity to learn to speak fluently.

Halfway Bush Kindergarten

Te reo Māori is more than a national language - it's the heart language of our nation, part of what makes us who we are. I want to do my part to make sure te reo Māori thrives, now and in the future.

I studied Te Reo at college but that was now nearly 20yrs ago so would like to start using it more often, my youngest son also attends Kohanga Reo & actively speaks & understands Te Reo so i would like him to keep it up so it becomes second nature to him.

who doesnt want to hear more of this beautiful language : )

Jennifer