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 kitea, kia mahia kia maia ngā tamariki ki te korero, ki te whakaro Māori.

Molly

Our reo is OURS if we don't own it who will? Others will. So we all must do our bit. Ko tou rourouKo toku rourouKa ora ai to tatau reo Maori.

Te Raina

my class would enjoy celebrating te reo wiki this way.

Pirihira

Mahi ki te kohanga reo

Merle

My why is my daughter Ruby. She was born in Aotearoa and Te reo Māori is the language of the place of her birth. To speak another language, to understand where you live is something that everybody should want to do- its a no brainer!

Marsha

Nā te mea, ko te reo Māori tō tātou reo rangatira, te reo tūturu me te reo tuatahi o Aotearoa. He kaupapa tino whakahirahira nei i a tātou katoa ahakoa no hea koe, ahakoa ko wai koe, ahakoa te pakeke o te tangata - me ako tātou, ā me kōrero tātou i te reo Maori hei te whakamana! Ahakoa he manu hōu ahau, he pī ka rere- he nui tāku aroha mō te reo o ōku mātua tūpuna. Ānei tētahi whakataukī hei whakamārama ai te hōhonutanga o te reo, ā he whakamaumahara tēnei i a tātou katoa te whai tīkanga o te mahi ako, te mahi kōrero me te mahi whakaako o te reo tino ātaahua nei- e ora ai te reo! 'He puāwai putiputi te Māoritanga, ko āna taketake ko te reo, tapahi ngā taketake, ka mate te puāwai putiputi, whakakorengia te reo, ka mate te Māoritanga "Ngā mihi nui, ngā mihi mahana. Nā Andria

Andria

nā te mea ko te reo tuatahi o tō tātou whenua he tino reo rangatira. . . this is my never ending journey and I'm so fortunate to share it with my students - it is amazing how they can learn the reo through kapa haka and our class work; and after a few years they can communicate and understand so much.

Rise UP Academy wants to be part of the celebrations of Te Wiki o te Reo Maori 2020, to honour, and acknowledge it's significance in our akonga at Rise UP Academy. We are driven by the diversity of cultures, but clearly know that to be diversified we must first have Te Reo Maori as the foundation of understanding and celebrating diversity.

I am committed to improving my te reo, the first language of our land. When I speak or listen to te reo I enter a different consciousness and feel more connected to the tangata whenua. I started with an immersion course decades ago, and have been learning ever since, with a stronger commitment this year. It's a beautiful language that is coming to live inside me and to feel more and more natural.

Juliet

At primary school, I loved learning the action songs! It wasn't until years later, that I started hearing and loving te reo Maori. At 56 I am about to put up te reo signage around our business in Christchurch. I want to start learning and at the same time encourage others to try! I am also launching a translation of my Children's book in te reo Maori soon, 'Ko te Rangatira o te Awa'. I want this book to help encourage our young tamariki to learn and enjoy te reo in their early years.

Passionate about Matauranga and whānau partnerships Māori achieving success as Māori, Culturally sustaining practices

timely in all ways . . . I have time (now). Anxious times securing our moko in our care are over, we are through the worst of it all and can settle in to some sort of normalcy where we don't have to fight or take flight. Can think of other things we would rather be doing . . . tētahi: e kōrero ana i te reo Māori.

Ka pai tenei kaupapa. Kia rere te reo

Tejo

Kore au e hiahia ki te ngaro aku reo. . taku drive. . take pepi. . he tama ia. . he tamaiti marae ia. .

RaeRae

It is a language that we need to cherish. We nearly lost it and have worked so hard to keep it alive, my drive are our future generations, our tamariki, our mokopuna. Poipoia te reo kia puawai.

I shared the link with email to my classmates of Hauora Tangata Foundations of Māori Health. I love te reo Māori. I have made a commitment to understand and represent proudly the beautiful Māori culture, customs, protocols and language

Because I am pakeha and work in a pakeha organisation. If there is some way I can inject some te reo maori into our mahi then I try, because it may just lead to more understanding and recognition of all things Maori.

Janie

I have been doing Te Ataarangi and as an European kiwi love the Maori culture

Robyn

For my children (could only access one photo on my hard drive) but I want to be a better role model for them in learning the reo. They want to learn as well and I feel like I've failed them by not teaching them what I know - I have maybe intermediate proficiency and have struggled to maintain this myself let alone pass it on.

Marie

Maori language is an integral part of New Zealand society. In the past education systems frowned on the use of Te Reo and many were punished for speaking Maori in schools. It is important we attempt to do what little we can to try and rectify this and protect an important part of our New Zealand heritage.

Previous and past government's are to afraid to make our language compulsory, why because the Tauiwi of this country will do the bloody haka well they are literally right now because a lot of our Tauiwi have embraced our beautiful culture and that is great to see, examples are 1st fifteen rugby teams, you see and watch these young fellas putting there all in when doing the haka and on the sidelines the support from parents has been awesome and school kapahaka teams have Tauiwi taking part and I see the passion through all when participating in Maori culture. Now we have at least 34 Maori MP's in government they have a huge voice now although not all are aligned with the same parties but with 34 Maori MP's surely must be the catalyst to engage with one another to set up a hui and come together to support a call for Maori been compulsory in all schools. Finally we are now going to learn about our own history of this country and I tell you what this is going to be a huge transformation for our Tauiwi and to our own people as well, when they realise how bad it was between 1840 until present day. This is my why! ! ! !

shayne

There are many reasons including I’ve been bought up with te reo and tikanga, I teach te reo and tikanga at a mainstream secondary school, and I have a 7 week year old boy who will grow up knowing his identity.

Whānau My husband is Maori and he has been on his own journey throughout his life with learning te reo Māori. I started learning when my first child was born and am still continuing to learn. We have three amazing tamariki who we are supporting as best we can to understand te ao Māori. I want my children to be confident and comfortable with who they are and I believe connection to culture is a huge part of that. Te reo Māori is a beautiful language and gives so much more than just language I believe learning Māori opens up to a positive culture and perspective.

Michelle

My grandfather was maori and spoke fluent Te reo he was the only member of our family that spoke Te reo fluently. It meant a lot to him that his grandchildren learned the language. So I’m making an effort to better embrace my whakapapa and for my grandfather.

Anna

Kia kaha Te Reo Māori!

We are a tikanga based programme and i love to learn more

I am learning Te Reo alongside the students - love it! !

mo

It’s a opportunity to be more conscious of speaking and listening to te reo by making a Day of it (I need to do it more but it’s good to have a reason! )It’s such a beautiful language and culture and I’m so thankful for my encounters of learning and being around it, especially only been in aotearoa Toru tau!

Marina

Te reo Māori is similar to my mother tongue, Māori Kūki ‘Āirani. . . mou te reo, tuatua te reo, reo manea, reo na matou tupuna.

Maureen

My why - āku Tamariki. natemea ko tēnei tōku Reo Rangatira, he taonga tuku iho 🙏🏽

Sonia

Because it’s cool to kōrero!

Renee

This is our first year in learning Te Reo and we want to take it next level!

Kia pakari tōku nei reo - kia whakaora anō te reo kei rō whare

It's a key part of our nz culture and history and as a teacher I need to lead our next generation as best I can by using it and getting children interested and involved

I think it’s important to keep our culture alive and nourished. I want a generation where all people are encouraged to learn Reo. I grew up in a time where if you didn’t look Māori you weren’t and I had to prove my right to learn alongside my Māori peers.

Amanda

To keep our language alive. To normalize it for my babies

There is a huge need in our schools to provide opportunities to learn te reo Māori. We don't have enough confident speakers of reo Māori. We work with schools to provide these opportunities online. Te reo Māori and Kapa Haka are our most popular classes https://vlnprimary. school. nz/maori-classes/ We want to raise the profile of learning online and get support for more schools to access our expertise and grow their confidence and capability in te reo me tikanga Māori.

Rachel

I am a recent immigrant to NZ from the US. I am so happy to live in a country that is taking action towards delivering better outcomes for the indigenous population, and to normalize bi-cultural society. I want to make sure that my son grows up not knowing that there is any other way.

Christine

As a New Zealander, I am very proud of te reo Maaori, and I want to learn it.

Sujatha

I am currently a Tauira with Te Wanaga o Aotearoa so am encouraged to use Te Reo in all my situations

Robert

I live in Australia. When I hear people speaking in te reo or I see a Taonga around someones neck I feel at home. I want people to know who I am and where I'm from. I'm going to use Maori words proudly everyday and encourage my friends to use them too.

Rhys

I get too whakamā at work, in class and even greeting people on my morning walks. I don't need to be a reo master, I just want to feel comfortable enough in the reo and around other people to speak it. Ko te reo te taikura ō te whakaaro marama!

Joseph

I have a natural attraction to tangata whenua and their ways of being. It's been like that all my life. The knowledge, thoughtfulness, generosity and wairua deeply draws me in and I can't help but have a burning desire to uphold and preserve the language and heritage of Maori. They share a connectedness that my ethnicity will never know. Hence my passion and commitment to keeping all things Maori alive, acknowledged, respected, honoured and celebrated. There is much to learn still but I will be 1 in a million and 20 years from now I'll be 1 more speaker 💕

Cindy

Being an aspiring student in languages documentation, and with my partner being an essential worker in application to transfer to Aotearoa, I began researching the inspiring background of te reo Maori. The more I have learnt about it, -either in terms of its history or morphology, - the more I have realised this culture-bound language both anchors the country’s roots, and ensures its development towards a culturally representative future. It will be an honour to support this movement, however far away I may be in the world. At the end of the day it is our heritage that defines us and makes us who we are. Every single person has a right for theirs to be duly voiced and appreciated.

We should know who we are, what New Zealand is made of. . . its history and mana. I would like to take every opprtunity to push me to learn about Maori and its Te Reo.

I want to see Maori language rise and thrive in Aotearoa!

Whanau, whanau whanau ma Te katoa

Vicki

I am maori and I want to learn te reo.

Because language is one of the cornerstones of culture - because learning languages gives your mind another set of images to create pictures with - because sharing a language gives its' speakers a sense of, and a way to share Manaakitanga.

liz

He aha ai? Nā te tino hiakai o āku ākonga ki te ako i te reo me ōna tikanga te take. Ka noho Te Puna Wairua kei waenganui i te kura ō Tāmaki Primary he kura Auraki, kua kitea i ngā pouako i ngā hua o te reo Rangatiratanga me ōna tikanga kei roto i ēnei ākonga ahakoa kātahi anō i tīmata rātou ki te ako. kei te mōhio ngā ākonga inaianei ko wai rātou, nō hea rātou, he aha ou rātou hiahia.

Lee-Ann

I'm taking part because Te reo Maori is a beautiful language that is unique and special to Aotearoa, and 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!

I would love to see te reo become compulsory in schools!

Becky

Te reo Māori is our national language, we need to keep it alive and well, I love the way the language is used in kōrero, and want to understand more of what I hear, and pass on to my mokopuna.

Kirsty
Alana

At our building in Molesworth Street we have He Tohu a permanent exhibition of the iconic constitutional documents that shape Aotearoa New Zealand. 1835 He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni — Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand 1840 Te Tiriti o Waitangi – Treaty of Waitangi and 1893 Women’s Suffrage Petition – Te Petihana Whakamana Pōti Wahine. These documents continue to inspire the use and understanding of Te Reo Māori.

Rachel

That includes te ao Māori - and, of course, te reo Māori!

Annabel
Deearna

Our learning from our atua. So we can again appreciate our whakapapa again. Let people know it's ok to learn it, don't be afraid of what others will say. We are all learning te reo Maori that was once silenced but not anymore, that is why I want to continue to support my culture.

Cruzz
Sonny
Jude

For me, it is about the past, the present and the future. Connection, whakapapa. Knowledge of te reo and tikanga. Opportunities for my tamariki.

Leanne

Languages are the blood of a country - they tell us the story and also give us a peculiar worldview - if we lose a language is like losing special glasses to look at the world in a different way. We forget where we are and where we come from. I am not born in NZ and treasure my languge of where I am from (Italian and French) because they tell my story, who I am, in the same way I believe learning te reo brings us back to the 'source' of the NZ spirit.

Eleonora
Nick
Jason

Maori are te Tangata Whenua o Aotearoa as per Te Tiriti o Waitangi. I personally believe the success of all our future generations lies in our honestly embracing this truth, and as a citizen whose privilege it is to be born here and will one day die here, I can support this truth and our future generations with positive, informed action now. Learning Te Reo with 'The One Million' is a very good start. People marching in solidarity is a very recognisable part of our history, and this will be the biggest march I have ever been a part of. That is my why.

Tanima
Marisa

My children are proud to be Kuki and Maori. They love their culture, language and heritage, especially performing on stage. My 'why' is my tamariki. Although I am not of Maori descent I too love their culture and have learned te reo from a young in an informal setting. I now teach te reo but have a long journey ahead with my level of reo and I love that I can share this journey with my whanau. 3/4 of our tamariki are over 16 and we have 1 mokopuna but our baby is 5 and is at Te Wharekura o Arowhenua. He is so happy and is learning so much. My 'why' is my tamariki. My tamariki are my heart.

Junior

I come from a generation when "speaking Maori" was actively discouraged.

Doreen

In the past, educators actively suppressed Māori culture and language in the classroom, so now I believe it is our job to right the wrongs of past educators.

Molly
Honey

I want to be a part of the change. The status quo is not ok

Melissa

As a New Zealander, I feel really connected to te reo, even though I am NZ Pakeha and do not speak te reo. It is in our place names, our work, our daily lives and our culture. Kia kaha te reo māori!

Emily
Robyn
Susan
Geoff

Te Reo Māori is part of my heritage, if more people do not learn it and retain it, then it will be lost and our future generations will not know what the sound and speaking of Te Reo Māori are like. Most only know it in waiata and haka, but Te Reo Māori is more in-depth and poetical than what waiata and haka can bring.

Katrina

I want to be more confident and start using reo words as part of my everyday language

Alison
Jax
Sheri

 I want the next generation to be proud of their culture and their language.

bridget
Margaret

I didn't always understand what they were saying on the paepae, but loved how my Pa would capture his audience's attention with his korero. Also loved seeing the other koroua dance around mimicking manu. . . I was intrigued and wanted to know why everyone would laugh at certain times. My dad would say he couldn't speak Maori, yet, any and all Maori words I didn't know, if I asked dad what it meant, he always knew. So I learnt, 'confidence and expressing kupu out of your mouth. . . really make a difference on your reo journey. There is so much more to learn from our reo, its opens a door to our Ancestors world view.

Oriana

It is very important to me as a Maori woman, and not knowing te reo Maori or understanding it, I want to encourage those in my mahi to learn with me. Not only because it's te reo Maori language week, but this is also an opportunity to be able to influence understanding of Tikanga within my work environment. While I have a strong understanding of Tikanga, I don't have te reo. We are a mental health organisation with a high percentage of Maori clients. I want my colleagues to use greetings in te reo everyday so it becomes a normal way to welcome all whom walk in our doors. Nga mihi Charmaine

Charmaine

If we don't do this, who will? The customs, history and waiata all have a part in who we are as a nation. Te reo is only one part of gaining and using the knowledge passed down in history that is unique to Aotearoa.

Carol

I am an elderly English immigrant and am learning te reo as a way of showing respect to the tangata whenua, as a way of acknowledging past and present injustices and as a way of learning about the traditional values of te ao maori which can offer so much to contemporary society.

Bernard

I want to be part of creating the Aotearoa I dream of for our children. Having a population where Te Reo Māori is widely spoken is an important part of that vision.

Amber

I was born in Aotearoa so this is a way for me to honour and acknowledge my birth place and people and to celebrate and thank those champions who paved the way so that te reo be taught in our schools.

Alisa

It is a natural part of the people, land, culture and way of life in Aotearoa/NZ. It is a beautiful, poetic language and I am on a personal, whanau and mahi mission to see it revived. Kia Kaha Te Reo Maori! !

Pip

I want rangitane Māori to feel pride and identity through their reo and to know their own beauty and worth, but for that to happen, we all need to value and kōrero te reo Māori

Fran

I moved from South Africa to the Far North town of Kaitaia in March of last year, and it has been a special opportunity for me to engage with different whanau in our community. I have been able to engage with and work in kura kaupapa environments and have been blessed by the manaakitanga shared in those spaces. Weekly I participate in Te Ātaarangi classes and it has been one of the best things I've done in the last few years. It's sometimes challenging but is always a joy to see how much I've gained from it. My 'Why' comes down to me wanting to be a good Treaty partner. For me this means participating in events in different cultural contexts; seeking to protect the Māori language as a taonga; and being a partner who is aware of the history of the last 180 years. Hopefully these are things my daughter will grow up to value as well.

Mikhail
Jennifer
June
Louise

To celebrate one of our three official languages in Aotearoa. This also follows on from our work around the New Zealand land wars and history of Aotearoa prior to the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi.

Tamsin
Ernie
Joanna
Tanya

I want to make my small contribution to making te reo flourish and take its rightful place as a unique and important language in Aotearoa.

Maria
Hazel

Learning a little te reo Māori is one way I can do that. Besides, I need to be able to keep up with my mokopuna who are learning so much in kura!

Kathy