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'

Jodi-Anne

To honour my tipuna, to teach my mokopuna to ensure our history is never lost again, for myself as I journey towards receiving my moko kaue.

Melissia

Since the age of 8 I have been surrounded by our culture, however I could never fully grasp our language. This is my time to stop sitting on the sidelines and do the things that are important to me, and learning our language is high on the list.

Tanea

Te Reo Maori is a huge part of my cultural identity and my heritage to claim! The Te Reo journey may include Whakapapa, karakia, waiata, whakatauaki, hononga. It may incite a sense of belonging and being proud. In our Reo is beauty and playful witty humour My journey is set to honour our tupuna

Ngawhariki

My biggest regret is not knowing my own beautiful language. It was always present when i was growing up especially with our nanny but when we got our own home, mum & dad never taught us & when i took it up at high school the teacher was from the east coast so imagine a ngapuhi/ tainui going home & speaking eastcoast maori back in those days. I can laugh about it now but boy those days of getting my ears screwed were bloody sore.

Kathy

Shared language creates connection and understanding. Kia kaha te reo Māori 🙌

Ali

Learning te reo maori has been a massive journey. Sometimes testing, but mainly rewarding. Reo has helped me on my journey of whakapapa aswell. Being a whangai baby, I had a huge feeling of Ko wai au? No hea koe Erana? And with these questions, came the start of my journey into Te ao maori. I am currently signed up to TWOA doing my papa reo course, and I will carry that on until I am speaking fluently to my tamariki. Te reo maori is also important for myself, for my tamariki! Knowing who they are, where they whakapapa from, not feeling left out when being spoken to in reo maori aswell. I am a proud maori women, who looks forward to seeing where our language ties us all in the future! ! Kia kaha te reo maori Aotearoa 🤍❤️🖤

Erana

Mo aku mokopuna

Tinaka

Learning, utilizing, and excelling in Te Reo Māori adds a sense of real belonging to who we are as tangata whenua. This helps shape the value of our identity, and encourages Aotearoa to be the best indigenous country! Kia Kaha Te Reo Māori

Keesha

He Kaiako ahau, as a teacher I want to be part of a movement to make reo compulsory in kura our tamariki are the future and they should be speaking the language of our whenua

Emilie

Mō āku mokopuna. . .

Teina

Toitu Te Tiriti, I am Maori Proud to be Maori.

Louise

Mō ngā mokopuna o te ao āpōpō.

Anahera

I want to ensure my children and also each generation have the knowledge to blossom and learn their roots.

Nicole

My whanau 🍃

Sharon

As a wahine that whakapapa's Maori and who works with Whanau Maori, I want to uphold and enhance their mana while also increasing my kupu.

Kiri

He aha ai e ako ana au i te reo Māori? Nā te mea, ko te reo Māori ko te reo rangatira o Aotearoa. Ko Aotearoa anake te kainga o te reo Māori. E hiahia au ki te tautoko i te tipu o te reo - he mea ngākau nui ki a au. Ko tōku reo tōku ohooho, ko tōku reo tōku māpihi maurea. My language is my awakening, my language is the window to my soul. Learning other languages has led to my own growth in self-awareness even as Pākehā. Te Reo Māori has a special and beautiful poetry and soulfulness that resonates deeply with the way I feel about life, the earth and everything around us. Ngā mihi nui!

Sarah

Tooku Mokopuna

Dell

I know who I am where I'm from I know my mum an my dad's whakapapa I want to understand maori when listening or hear korero some words I know but wanting to learn more

[email protected]

I am an education support worker working alongside Kaiako at multiple Centers. I try to incorporate Te Reo as often as i can while at mahi and in my whare as i believe it should be a language used freely and often

Aleisha

I grew up not connected to my Māoritanga, and now I take every opportunity to whakapiki tōku reo i roto i te ao Māori. I've done Te Tohu Paetahi, I'm a kaiako in a reorua and next year I'll be continuing my reo haerenga at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa

Hinetoko

I am starting my journey for my pepi, our next generation. She deserves to have a mama that can pass down our reo to her so she is able to pass down to her kin.

Camelia

I am learning Te Reo to strengthen my own knowledge, and then to encourage and strengthen my children's knowledge so they can be unapologetically maori.

Renee

Ko te reo māori he rongoa mo te iwi māori

L

He manuheke, he Tangata Tiriti ahau. Anei āku mihi tautoko ki te reo taketake o tēnei whenua waiwaiā.

Tanja

its my turn. . .

Blake

Ko te mea nui ki au nei, ko nga Purākau mai nga wā o mua te whakapapa ō nga whakapapa, hei whakakotahi tātou i roto i te ao nei, ehara nga mahara rangirua. ahakoa te kiri a waho, he orite tonu te toto mai i roto, nāu nga mōhiotanga kia kawe atu i roto i nga Whakatipuranga mai nga iwi katoa.

Kita

For not only my tamariki and mokopuna but for all iwi māori 💜

Te Awatea

Te Reo is important to me but I wasn't taught as a child. I'm now nearly 60, I've weaved taniko since I was 16-17yrs and did my first cloak over 10 yrs ago. Te Reo still leaves me blind. I have confusion over the original writings of it.

Pania

It is our heritage😊😊

Delwyn

Te Reo Māori is important to me because it makes us unique and gives us identity. It is the sole reason why we have been able to retain our whakapapa, Waiata and it's the way we cement ourselves as tangata whenua.

Renata

I am Pakeha and have a Maori partner and children. I feel that everyone residing in our beautiful country Aotearoa should be encouraged to learn Te Reo. It is very important to me and my whanau that our mokopuna know their whakapapa. Kia kaha Te Reo Maori

Leanne

I was denied te reo when my parents were beaten for speaking te reo. To protect me, they didn't want us to speak it. I'm here to reclaim what was denied to me. Toitū te reo Māori

Ruahine

Kōrero te reo māori

Sasha

I am Pakiha, and a Father and grandad , my children and grand children are all Maori on their mums side of the Family. My oldest son over the past 5 years has taken up te reo Maori studies, and ive noticed a real change in him. Before he did so he seemed lost in a Pakiha society, and since he started his new path, he is a very content human being. Ive watched his progress, and i support him in every way i can, i know some words and phrases that i learned while we were a married couple, and have hung onto that little. Im keen to learn more now im retired. so i can support my sons journey,

Archie

At Beststart Russell Street, Palmerston North, the Tamariki practiced tu tira mai on monday, and tuesday and produced a performance for all our whanau on Wednesday! Everyone was super excited and super proud! !

Joy

“Whanau”

sonya

To understand more of what's been said at tangi, i have find it sad going to a whānau tangi and not knowing what is being said.

Carlene

Bit of a throwback! We have tried to incorporate as much Te Reo Māori in our akomanga as possible through fun and engaging ways! A crowd favourite this week has been using the tī rakau and learning E Papa Waiari. The tamariki have loved it! !

Anneliese

I konei te roopu Kaitiaki Ka tautoko maatou ngaa turoro i roto i te hohipera o Waiora o Waikato E tautoko ana maatou Te wiki o te reo Maaori Ake Ake Ake Mahuru Maaori koutou Karawhuia

Sharlene

Tamariki from Turitea wharekura performed Kapa Haka items for the public at the Spring Fling event. There was lots of positive feedback and there is no doubt that they will be asked to perform at next year’s event.

Trish

My 7yo participating in Te wiki ō te reo Māori by entering this poster into his Kura competition. So proud of him.

Dana

Tēnā koutou, Ānei tāku he aha ai, tāku tamāhine ki te ako i te reo Māori. We might not be in the next Aotearoa's got talent. Engari kei te ako māua i te reo Māori

Maraea

It is my tūākiritanga. It is my tātai whakapapa. It is my hononga to my tūpuna❤️

Tina

In The Dunedin Contact Centre for Ministry of Social Development we have embraced Te Wiki o te Reo and have had daily Te Reo challenges, quizzes and performed a Waiata Challenge as well as a shared lunch. Today we had a mufty day at work where we all had to wear Manumangu, Whero or Ma. We had a few of our staff try the challenge of speaking hte longest place name in the world "Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapiki-maungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu. " That was fun.

Lee-Anna

I have labelled everything that didn't move. So, now I have to label everything that does. Mauri ora !

Jade

The workplace likes that Computer = Rorohiko = Electric Brain

Jade

In honour of Te wiki Reo Maori week, I decided to text in te reo Maori when I text my Māori colleagues. It is not easy and I need to google most phrases. I am sure that I am not pronouncing them correctly either, but it is a nice experience. :) Marietjie

Marietjie

Dual labelling. Whangai te Reo.

Jade

Ka mau te wehi. Celebrating Te Wiki o Te Reo as a mahi roopu. 100% to be Maori 💜💯🧡✋️👍

Tania

As a workplace we strive to answer the Kuwi and friends' questions. Many laughs and a great opportunity to learn and incorporate Maori language into day-to-day life.

Jade

BECAUSE I AM A MAORI AND I AM A MUSLIM. . . I STAND WITH OUR PEOPLE AND PALESTINE I STAND WITH THOSE AMOUNGST POVERTY AND PROXY WARS OUR TAMARIKI & YOURS HUMAN & ANIMAL RIGHTS LTD ALHAMDULILLAH 🤲 PRINCESS 👑

Princess Margaret-Margarita-Mariam-Maryam

As a staff we have been progressively building a Bananagrams collection of kupu atāhua. We love how Te Reo carries beautiful concepts within the language.

Carolyn

I have grown up around the rich indigenous culture, values and history of Māori~ I pursued history throughout high school and enjoyed learning about the very people who are the foundation of many communities around our country. Kia Kaha Te Reo Māori! !

Mekaylar

I lived in Tāmaki Makaurau for all my life and i've always loved maori colcher so my teacher said to look hear

Sam

To help connect me fully to my māoritanga and culture. Hopefully to bring the country as a whole towards kotahitanga through te ao māori

Cameron

I treat te reo Māori as a taonga. In addition i work in health education so see advocating for it's use as one element of cultural safety

Bee

My why is to keep our hononga with our pakeke and tamariki. Passing down of knowledge.

April

I am doing daily challenges and using a new saying each day to increase my te reo knowledge. I am giving a go at writing a waiata to increase my learning - I won't learn if I don't try.

Andrea

Te Reo enables me to connect to my tūpuna, my wairua, to our whenua, to my whānau. My long journey of reclamation of our language is one that I will continue to embark on for myself and for my tamariki!

Annalise

I was married to my late husband (Maori) for 52years, for the past 15 years I have done various night classes in te reo but not very brave in public, so talk and answer to myself a lot in private. Love the language and would attend more classes if they were close to home. No Finland ahau, warutekau ma wha taku tau.

Liisa

My why is because my heart aches for it! I've heard the calling to come home, and I want to learn, live, and breathe the mauri.

Jacinta

As my partner is Māori sharing their culture and embracing it has become a big part of my lifestyle. Their māmā is fluent in Reo and hearing her speak is ataahua. To immerse myself and learn about Aotearoas native language is very special to me as someone who lives in Aotearoa.

Georgia

Ko Pākehā ahau- and tangata Tiriti - I have learned a little te reo Māori and learned much more about te ao Māori in the process. It's not so scary. Everyone should give it a go. If nothing else 'Whāia te mātauranga hei oranga mō koutou Seek after learning for the sake of your wellbeing'!

Gabrielle

Learning Te Reo Māori makes me feel well, full and connecting to my tūpuna. It is hard, but worth it.

Romane

My why, is that Te Reo is whakapapa, and it is my connection to my Tūpuna(Ancestors). Mauri Ora! !

Dayna

Kia Kaha te reo Māori

Maria

Why I love my country. I wake up every morning to the sight of our Koro Taranaki Te Maunga, our native birds singing everyone awake. Seeing other countries who could never amount to ours. Aotearoa kei te aatahua.

Amyra

Its important because its apart of who we are and our culture. Not only to Māori people but to all New Zealanders. It has a rich culture and should be celebrated throughout NZ

Bae

We have tikanga in our whanau through my wife's lineage - nga puhi. We're all very proud of this and enjoy the learnings and opportunity to embrace an important part of our family connection and New Zealands unique culture. Kia kaha.

Gray

I am not good at learning languages, I would like to at least learn the basics, and how to pronounce words correctly. I think it is imperative to keep Te Reo alive and turn Aotearoa into a truly bilingual country, if Wales can do so can we.

Finn

This post is in moderation. Only you can see this because you are the author.

Share your why

I am not good at learning languages, I would like to at least learn the basics, and how to pronounce words correctly. I think it is imperative to keep Te Reo alive and turn Aotearoa into a truly bilingual country, if Wales can do so can we.