The New Zealand Curriculum states…

Ko te reo te manawa pou o te Maori,

Ko te ihi te waimanawa o te tangata, Ko te roimata,

ko te hupe te waiaroha.Ko toku nui, toku wehi,

toku whakatiketike, toku reo.

Te reo Maori is indigenous to Aotearoa New Zealand. It is a taonga recognised under the Treaty of Waitangi, a primary source of our nation’s self-knowledge and identity, and an official language. By understanding and using te reo Maori, New Zealanders become more aware of the role played by the indigenous language and culture in defining and asserting our point of difference in the wider world.

Ko te reo Maori te kakahu o te whakaaro,

te huarahi i te ao turoa.

By learning te reo and becoming increasingly familiar with tikanga, Maori students strengthen their identities, while non-Maori journey towards shared cultural understandings. All who learn te reo Maori help to secure its future as a living, dynamic, and rich language. As they learn, they come to appreciate that diversity is a key to unity.

Te reo Maori underpins Maori cultural development and supports Maori social and economic development in Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally.

Understanding te reo Maori stretches learners cognitively, enabling them to think in different ways and preparing them for leadership.

By learning te reo Maori, students are able to:

• participate with understanding and confidence in situations where te reo and tikanga Maori predominate and to integrate language and cultural understandings into their lives;

• strengthen Aotearoa New Zealand’s identity in the world;

• broaden their entrepreneurial and employment options to include work in an ever-increasing range of social, legal, educational, business, and professional settings.

Ko te manu e kai ana i te miro, nona te ngahere.

Ko te manu e kai ana i te matauranga, nona te ao.