News & Inspiration - Te Rangaihi Reo Māori

Two generations discuss their journeys with te reo Māori

23 Sep 2021

“I've had many conversations where it is like, ‘Oh that's so cool that you're learning te reo Māori, it's such a good hobby to have’. It’s like, no, I’m not learning how to knit, I’m not learning how to dance. I’m learning my voice.”

Re:News

Couple met learning te reo Māori, now its their son's first language

19 Sep 2021

Casey and Nathan met in a te reo class at work. Now, it's the only language they speak to their toddler son.

Stuff

Samoan multilinguist shares inspiring story of learning te reo Māori

18 Sep 2021

Tuiloma Lina-Jodi Samu is a Samoan multilinguist with eight different languages under her belt. One of those languages is Aotearoa’s very own te reo Māori.

TP+

HRC to stop hearing individual complaints on use of te reo Māori

17 Sep 2021

The Human Rights Commission will no longer consider individual complaints over the use of te reo Māori or the term Pākehā.

RNZ

Māori Party launches petition to change official name of New Zealand to Aotearoa - NZ Herald

16 Sep 2021

The petition also aims to use te reo Māori names for all towns, cities and places by 2026.

NZ Herald

‘Nau mai te rekareka’: We’ve got some sexy reo Māori for you

16 Sep 2021

It’s important we get to use te reo in all the ways it can be, including the sexy ways!

Re:News

‘35’ by Ka Hao feat Rob Ruha is the TikTok anthem of Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori

16 Sep 2021

We spoke to two rangatahi behind NZ's #1 hot single.

Re:News

Kea Kids News: New video game features wahine Māori

15 Sep 2021

The game developer hopes Guardian Maia wil inspire more indigenous video gamers.

Stuff

Graphic designer a 'one wahine waka' taking te reo Māori into homes

15 Sep 2021

Aroha Tamihana never learnt te reo as a child growing up in Tajikistan, but she's making up for it with a vengeance.

Stuff

How famous New Zealand landmarks got their Māori place names

14 Sep 2021

What's in a name? When it comes to our place names, expect rip-roaring yarns taking in everything from early explorers to star-crossed lovers.

Stuff

TikTok, Twitch new ‘vehicles’ for Māori creators to kōrero, ako te reo Māori

14 Sep 2021

Thanks to Sonny Ngatai, more than 175,000 TikTok users know how to correctly pronounce Paraparaumu. A further 97,000 know different ways to sign off their emails in te reo Māori.

Stuff

‘You’re not going to get a job in te reo Māori’: 3 people who proved this wrong

14 Sep 2021

Today we are seeing the fruits of those sacrifices our tīpuna have made in order to save the language. Featuring Te Aorere Pewhairangi, Te Rauhiringa Brown and Hēmi Kelly.

Re:News

More than 'mā te wā': How Air New Zealand is helping te reo Māori fly

13 Sep 2021

Araraurangi (Air NZ) have released a new app 'Kia Rere' for staff and passengers to practise and improve their reo. The app has a section where users can fill in the details of their journey and learn the sentences in te reo Māori needed to talk about their trip.

Stuff

Affirmations for when you need a reminder of your connection to Te Reo Māori

13 Sep 2021

These words have been written as something for you to say to yourself so that you remember your connection to this reo.

Re:News

A short history of Te Wiki o te Reo Māori

13 Sep 2021

Kua tae ki te wā e te whānau! Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, when te reo is proudly marched down the street, when staffrooms around the country are suddenly covered in post-it note reo and when all the Karens and Dons prepare for the apocalypse.

Re:News

Learning te reo Māori 'like going home', says fashion designer Kiri Nathan

12 Sep 2021

Finding a year to study full-time was never going to be easy, but Kiri Nathan realised being unable to speak her language had become too painful.

Stuff

'I'm beginning a journey': The inside story of Lorde's surprise mini-album in te reo Māori

09 Sep 2021

Ahead of Te Wiki o Te Reo, Lorde today releases Te Ao Mārama, five songs from Solar Power re-recorded in te reo Māori, the Indigenous language of Aotearoa New Zealand.

The Spinoff

Te reo Māori game gets native trees in the ground this lockdown

08 Sep 2021

"We’ve partnered with Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori to release a reo Māori version of our popular “Tree Snap” game, Taukapu Rākau," A card game designed to help anyone spot native rākau in the wild so that people can to get to know our taiao in a fun, friendly way.

Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori

An Open Letter to Aotearoa - Professor Rawinia Higgins

08 Sep 2021

We were anxious not to put pressure on people this Māori Language Week because there are so many things we are being asked to do. It isn’t always easy to live in lockdown, separated from the people and places who make us we are.

Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori

Popularity of te reo Māori challenge surprises organisers

10 Sep 2021

"I looked at some of the other months, you know, you've got Dry July, No Junk June or whatever they are and then you've got Movember, and I thought: I'm gonna do one for te reo." Since then, Mahuru Māori has grown into something of a movement.

RNZ

Six60, Stan Walker, Anna Coddington and many others release new music in te reo

04 Sep 2021

Artists including Stan Walker, Che Fu and Six60 have re-released their hits in te reo Māori for another series of Waiata Anthems.

Stuff

Waiata Anthems: Anna Coddington's mission to normalise te reo Māori for her tamariki - NZ Herald

10 Sep 2021

Anna Coddington has always been on a reo but said her children were the real 'catalyst'. The singer-songwriter is one of many New Zealand artists who have released a new single in te reo Māori for Waiata Anthems Week called Aho / Beams ft. Louis Baker...

NZ Herald

Learning new poi each day in lockdown

27 Aug 2021

Ihaka Whanarere Tauri was only a baby when he picked up the poi and has never let it go ever since. Now at 11 years old, he has set up a personal challenge on social media, attracting over 30,000 viewers in three days.

Māori Television

Kiwis using lockdown to learn 'easy to access' Te Reo Māori

27 Aug 2021

Learning te reo in lockdown has been made easier for many, thanks to the efforts of those like Hēmi Kelly, who during the first lockdown started a community group on Facebook . 'A Māori phrase a Day' now has 92,000 people in its waka

1 News

Te Nūtube Releases New Hit Reo Māori Single “Paki Mati” In Lockdown! | Scoop News

23 Aug 2021

Atareta Milne (11) and Te Haakura Ihimaera-Manley (9) from Te Nūtube are back to entertain tamariki and whānau across Aotearoa, and bring light to our lockdown living. Their new hit waiata (song) “Paki Mati” releases across all major music streaming ...

https://reomaori.co.nz/

South Taranaki students help with reo Māori video to recruit Māori into trades

23 Aug 2021

A new video entirely in te reo Māori features students from South Taranaki. The campaign aims to show young Māori where a career in trades could take them. The digital campaign coincides with Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week) and will run throughout September.

Stuff

Learning the features of verbs in te reo

21 Aug 2021

In te reo there are two main classes of verb: verbs of “doing” (action verbs) and verbs of “being” (stative verbs). - Learn with David Karena-Holmes

Stuff

The wāhine Māori bringing te reo Māori to audiences through Korean pop music

14 Aug 2021

Taylor-Rose Terekia performs Korean pop song covers, but with a twist — she translates them into te reo Māori.

Stuff

Māori Language Moment 2021

20 Aug 2021

New Zealanders are being invited to be part of history and help shape the future as the Māori Language Commission seeks to set a new world record with its award-winning Māori Language Moment. “Last year 1 million New Zealanders celebrated te reo with us, this year we are hopin...

Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori

A kaiako on the year's best te reo Māori books for children

11 Aug 2021

Pati Hakaria shares her own te reo story, and talks about some of the picture books shortlisted for the Wright Family Foundation Te Kura Pounamu Award for te reo Māori.

The Spinoff

Ngā Tohu o Matariki o te Tau: Māori excellence celebrated at this year's Matariki awards - NZ Herald

02 Aug 2021

Stacey Morrison has been recognised for her contribution to the revitalisation of te reo Māori and tikanga. Although she did not speak te reo Māori until adulthood, the mother of three achieved her goal of becoming fluent by the time her children were born.

NZ Herald

Teachers say learning te reo is making them better at their jobs

01 Aug 2021

Principal Nicola Ngarewa said the simple act of pronouncing children's Māori names correctly made those children feel valued.

RNZ

'It’s everything': 11 wāhine tell us about their relationship to te reo Māori

29 Jul 2021

For Māori, our relationship with reo and culture isn’t straightforward. We’ve had to fight for our language and customs - a journey which looks different for everyone.

Re: News

School Report: Kura kaupapa drive top te reo Māori marks up

26 Jul 2021

Students are leaving school with levels of Māori language proficiency not seen in decades, experts say.

Stuff

Newshub's Oriini Kaipara on te reo, TV and racism in New Zealand

25 Jul 2021

Kaipara is a television anchor and mother of four, and she’s only 37. You know her because in 2019 she made headlines for becoming the first woman with a moko kauae, a traditional chin tattoo, to present a mainstream news show when she filled in on TVNZ’s noon bulletin.

Stuff

Frozen, The Lion King to be dubbed in te reo Māori

23 Jul 2021

Production is underway to create te reo Māori versions of Disney classics, Frozen and The Lion King.

RNZ

A Māori Siri: Voice apps that recognise te reo Māori a possible future

02 Jul 2021

Human: “Hey Siri, can you take me to Kaitaia?” Siri: “Which car tire?”

Stuff

Masters study for te reo to launch in July, following national demand - NZ Herald

29 Jun 2021

"The programme is about providing Māori language excellence for highly competent Māori language tauira." says kaiako, Pania Papa. The course is said to be very similar to Te Panekiretanga o te Reo, a top Māori language academy which closed its doors two years ago.

NZ Herald

Calling in on The Godfather

18 Jul 2021

"I’m good with anybody who makes the effort. I’ve learned other languages and they’ve been quite tolerant, too. So I believe that if the effort is sincere, then give them all the help they want." - Tā Tīmoti Karetū

E-Tangata

Album of songs will celebrate 50 years of Te Matatini

28 Jun 2021

Songs that epitomise 50 years of Te Matatini will be recorded in an album marking the 50th anniversary of the national kapa haka competition in 2022. “You will hear a vibrant and new sound that will help elevate the Māori language”

Māori Television

Veteran Māori broadcaster stunned by pilot's perfect announcements in te reo

24 Jun 2021

A pilot's perfect use of te reo impressed a passenger so much that he asked to meet him and was blown away to discover the pilot wasn't Māori, but simply endeavouring to learn and use te reo as much as possible.

RNZ

Pop-up cafe helps students gain barista and te reo Māori skills

24 Jun 2021

People can get a discount off their kawhe by using te reo Māori at Awatapu College's pop-up cafe. This is to encourage the normalisation of the language.

Stuff

Matariki: A lot can change in a year - Shilo Kino

04 Jul 2021

When we first started learning about the kaupapa of Matariki six weeks ago, I didn't think it would be another exercise in decolonising but I was wrong. Everything in te reo Māori is hōhonu - deep - because there is life force in everything we learn. He mauri tō ngā mea kātoa.

Newsroom

Trade training in Te Reo Māori launched in Waikato

23 Jun 2021

Ngā Taiātea has teamed up with BCITO to provide the first NCEA level 3 building, construction and allied trades skills units in Te Reo Māori. Up until now, only English versions have been available.

Māori Television

Pop chart launches for te reo Māori songs

20 Jun 2021

A weekly chart for the most popular songs in te reo Māori is being launched today. The official chart will compile the top 10 songs in te reo Māori by sales, streams and airplay.

RNZ

Artist calls out racism after te reo Māori sticker gets graffiti complaint

16 Jun 2021

Hohepa Thompson is trying to encourage the everyday use of te reo Māori, so he put a label reading rāpihi (rubbish) on the council bin outside his store, but the sticker kept disappearing and then the bin disappeared too...

RNZ

Christchurch teen elevating te reo Māori usage - one floor at a time

15 Jun 2021

Rangimarie Te’evale-Hunt, 15, fought for two years to have te reo Māori spoken in her school's lifts. After the involvement of Fair Go, lift company Schindler Lifts agreed to changing the elevator voice to a bi-cultural one.

Stuff

How learning te reo Māori helped me heal my mental health

15 Jun 2021

Like many of our rangatahi, Katelyn Vaha’akolo struggled with her mental health as a teen, but over time she’s found the things that keep her wairua tau and changed her perspective on life - now she wants to encourage others to speak up and find what helps them.

Re: News

Mind your language: the backlash against the te reo revival

11 Jun 2021

Why is a minority still threatened by the use of the Māori language?

Stuff

The Backstory: Why Stuff’s homepage greets you with 'Kia ora, Aotearoa!' not 'Hello, New Zealand!'

10 Jun 2021

Here’s the beautiful thing about inclusive language: it doesn’t exclude you.

Stuff

Gentle, respectful, humble: how non-Māori can help revitalise te reo

16 Apr 2021

“The way that Pākehā engage with te reo is going to be different to a Māori person who has grown up without their ancestral language, seen it battered – literally, beaten out of their whānau..."

The Guardian

Former Katchafire member Hāni Dread releases new waiata saluting te reo revolutionaires

31 May 2021

Former Katchafire member Hāni Totorewa says his new waiata Kōkiri “is for those who fought for the maori language to be recognised”.

Stuff

How to Bring a Language to Life - Dr Ruakere Hond

21 Aug 2018

Dr Ruakere Hond is a long-time kaiako (teacher) of the Māori language through a community-based approach to learning. A passionate proponent of the revitalization of the Māori language, Ruakere shares why indigenous languages are so important in modern society.

TEDx New Plymouth

Robert Rakete brought to tears by te reo translation of The Breeze radio jingle

20 May 2021

“I’m so proud that we are doing this — not just because we want to do the right thing — we’re just doing it because we should,” The Breeze host said.

Stuff

'It was very spiritual': Musicians share stories of song and te reo while recording Waiata/Anthems

02 May 2021

"I walked into the studio, met Don, sung it a few times and then left. Little did we know what it would go on to become."

Stuff

This doesn’t make us less

02 May 2021

“Some of my generation may never receive the precious gift of time and energy to learn te reo Māori. This doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt. This doesn’t mean it doesn’t cut deeper each day.” Shelley Burne-Field on the pain of being 'reo-less'.

E-Tangata

Māori Language Moment recognised in global awards

29 Apr 2021

Māori Language Moment named a finalist in the globally recognised Reed Awards.

Māori Television

Language, and more: The challenges for kura Māori students arriving at university

23 Apr 2021

Raiha Cook grew up attending kura Māori, but when she decided to study at the University of Otago she found the move from te ao Māori to European-style learning difficult. Now she's researching that transition to help make it easier for students to feel safe at mainstream univ...

The Spinoff

How non-Māori students play a part in te reo revitalisation

23 Feb 2021

A research first has highlighted the important role of non-Māori learning te reo for the revitalisation of the language. Charlotte Muru-Lanning spoke to Dr Will Flavell about where the language is going. Before he started learning te reo Māori, Dr Will Flavell (Ngā Puhi, Ngā...

The Spinoff

Poetry of US civil rights activist Maya Angelou translated and heard in te reo Māori

16 Apr 2021

For the first time, well-known poems by famous poet Maya Angelou have been translated into te reo Māori and recited to celebrate wāhine and te reo rangatira.

RNZ

Making te reo Māori cool: what language revitalisation could learn from the Korean Wave

16 Apr 2021

The state-sponsored pop cultural renaissance of Korea shows how language isn't an obstacle to world domination.

The Conversation

Stacey Morrison: Te reo growing pains

16 Apr 2021

When there were cries of "Māori snowflakes" in the media, it seemed to me the writer was inadvertently confirming the genuine snowball effect that Te Reo.

Reikura Kahi: Fuelling a love for te reo

16 Apr 2021

“It's up to us to keep fighting for our language and ensure its survival. Our language is essential to our identity as Māori.” — Reikura Kahi.

I'm non verbal, but that won't stop me from speaking Māori

16 Apr 2021

“For me, te reo adds another dimension to being Māori. It enables one to feel a sense of belonging and connection to their culture and I want to be able to experience that privilege.”

Re: News

Keep your complaints about te reo Māori to yourself, BSA rules

09 Mar 2021

The regulatory body that investigates complaints about our TV and radio programmes has today made it clear that the use of te reo Māori is not a breach of any broadcasting standard. Since June last year, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has received 27 enquiries about the...

The Spinoff

Reclaiming what was lost

07 Mar 2021

“That bridge tragedy in 1947 severed my links to my taha Māori. And only now, in my early 40s, am I reclaiming what was lost.” — Cornell Tukiri.

E-Tangata

Record enrolment for te reo Māori, foreign languages down

24 Dec 2020

The number of teenagers studying te reo Māori at secondary school has passed 30,000 for the first time.

RNZ

No longer scared to speak my language

06 Dec 2020

My whole life I’ve been scared to speak my language. First I was scared of getting it wrong, then I was scared that I was wrong to be speaking it at all.

E-Tangata

Keeping Māori storytelling alive

29 Nov 2020

In a world where technology is taking over and oral traditions are at risk of dying with our kaumātua, Lee Timutimu, with the help of a few famous friends, has made it his mission to keep Māori storytelling alive.

E-Tangata

Te Reo Māori: A new era for the language - Hēmi Kelly

13 Feb 2019

Hēmi Kelly explores the benefits of learning te reo Māori, and addresses possible obstacles that have hindered learning in the past, so that the language can continue to flourish and reach new heights of recognition in the future.

TEDxAuckland

A whānau affair

21 Nov 2020

“We have almost four generations of te reo Māori speakers in our family. My goal in life before I leave this earth is that those teachings will funnel down to the next three generations after my children.” — Eli Smith.

E-Tangata

Fish and chips and a serving of te reo

15 Nov 2020

The Matthews have been serving up te reo to their customers since 2018. The response from customers was so enthusiastic that they decided to host a beginners reo Māori class at the restaurant. Free. They were blown away when about 3,000 people showed interest.

E-Tangata

This Pākehā life

12 Nov 2020

“I decided to enrol in an immersion course at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, in South Auckland. My friends were impressed, commending me for my ‘bravery’.” — Alison Jones

E-Tangata

Reflecting the reo world

15 Nov 2020

Kristin Ross on the challenges of raising children in a reo-Māori speaking household. “Their decision to be a reo Māori-speaking household instantly cut off friends and whānau who either didn't agree with their decision or found it too challenging...”

E-Tangata

Karena Kelly: Translating Dr Seuss into te reo Māori

26 Oct 2020

Dr Karena Kelly, a specialist in Māori language and linguistics, took on the task of translating Seuss’ last book published before his death Oh, The Places You’ll Go.

RNZ

Young Māori clothing designer finds his passion through te reo

18 Oct 2020

Luke Moss is a clothing designer from Te Kuiti who makes clothes centred around Māori identity. Luke grew up hating being Māori but connected with his culture after learning te reo.

RNZ

Pay attention to those who go before - Tainui Stephens

03 Oct 2020

"The words of our old people are the stars that guide us on our language journey", says Tainui Stephens. Here he writes about some of the kaumātua who showed him the way.

E-Tangata

Revitalising te reo a three-generation process: Prof Rawinia Higgins

19 Sep 2020

Hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders joined together to speak, sing and celebrate te reo at midday on Monday. This "Maori Language Moment", part of Te Wiki o te reo Maori, was the single largest celebration of the Maori language in our history.

RNZ

Justice Joe Williams on te reo Māori, and synthesising Aotearoa law

19 Sep 2020

“I learned the reo out of joy for the world finally making sense. And I learned the law out of optimism that if it was the agent for the destruction of my koroua’s mana then it equally could be the agent for the reconstruction of the mana of his mokopuna and great mokopuna...”

Stuff

Māori studies expert shares 'significant' history of how Te Wiki o te Reo Māori came to be

15 Sep 2020

Vini Olsen-Reeder says a petition delivered to Parliament in 1972 sparked generations of action.

1 News

Hinewehi Mohi: Beyond Twickenham

13 Sep 2020

“We’re talking about the creation of a bilingual music industry... Eventually, all our artists will know that this is something they can access and do, and it will become normal that an artist might have a reo Māori track on their album, as much as they might have a remix.”

E-Tangata

A yearning for the reo

20 Aug 2020

“We need to re-establish communities where the language is used in homes and there’s a support network. We want the language to be caught, not taught. We want a living language, not a textbook language, so my whole dream is to reinstate intergenerational transmission ...

E-Tangata

Stacey Morrison: Learning te reo Māori is sometimes a luxury

16 Aug 2020

Learning te reo Māori is not just an academic exercise, says the broadcaster.

Stuff

Finding your voice through the reo - Tainui Stephens

02 Aug 2020

For a long time, I thought that learning te reo Māori was just about learning a language. How wrong I was. Any language represents the personality of the people who speak it. The hardest part about learning Māori, is learning how to think Māori.

E-Tangata

Welcome to the reo-volution: On the explosion in Māori language learning

02 Mar 2020

With te reo Māori classes about to start for 2020, the ‘no vacancy’ signs are going up around the country as people continue to flock to learn our native language. There’s no denying that a reo-volution is underway across Aotearoa.

The Spinoff

Pimp my reo - Moana Maniapoto

09 Feb 2020

I’ve always wanted to be confidently fluent and, at times, I’ve felt like it’s been within my grasp, that I’ve almost got there. But then I let it slip away. Other priorities and distractions, life and stuff... I’m going in. It’s time to . . . ā-ā-ākona te reo.

E-Tangata

Rawinia Higgins: We’re not being too PC about te reo Māori. We’re worried

16 Jan 2020

One of our most well-known food companies, Watties, launched a campaign recently that deliberately misspelled place names, in te reo and English. New Zealand’s first language is endangered. We can’t afford to normalise misspelling and mispronunciation any more than it already is.

The Spinoff

Celebrating our reo warriors

01 Dec 2019

“When the Māori Language Commission first opened its doors in 1987, te reo was viewed by many New Zealanders as something that would divide us. Māori language proponents were often seen as the enemy.”

E-Tangata

Timoti Karetu: A stickler for standards

27 Oct 2019

A couple of years ago, Timoti Karetu, who’s now 82, was knighted for his services to Te Reo Māori. That KNZM wasn’t any surprise because, in a career spanning 60 years, he’d been a major force on behalf of the language — as a school teacher, university lecturer and professor,...

E-Tangata

The woman who fought to say 'kia ora'

18 Sep 2018

In 1984 Dame Rangimarie Naida Glavish was almost fired for saying 'kia ora'. We take a look at how her protest paved the way for Te Reo in New Zealand 🙋🇳🇿...

Re: News

Wellington law firm to train all its staff in te reo Māori

21 Jun 2018

Wellington firm becomes first private organisation in NZ to adopt a "Reo Plan" with Māori Language Commission.

Stuff