Mōu Te Reo

Te reo Māori is unique to our country and it’s one of our official languages. Mōu Te Reo is our campaign to inspire and support all children and young people in Aotearoa New Zealand to learn in and through te reo Māori.

Mōu te Reo logo

Our aim is 'kia manahua te katoa ki te reo Māori': every child and young person is learning in and through te reo Māori by 2025.

We want te reo Māori to thrive in all areas of education and to make sure everyone knows the benefits of learning the language. Learning te reo Māori deepens learners’ knowledge and understanding of Māori culture.

Kura Been You

Kura Been You is a series of videos made with The Māori Sidesteps.

Watch to see the upside of learning in and through te reo Māori:

Part 1: The interview

Part 2: Baa Baa

Part 3: Training

Part 4: Clubrooms

Te reo Māori in education

The proportion of tamariki actively learning te reo Māori is increasing. In 2017, 185,000 learners were learning at least some te reo Māori in kura Māori, schools or early learning.

There are two ways of accessing te reo Māori in education:

  1. Māori medium education: where learning is achieved in and through te reo Māori at least 51% of the time (immersion levels 1-2). Examples of this include kura Māori and rumaki (immersion units) within English-medium schools.
  2. Te reo Māori in English-medium education: where learning occurs in and through te reo Māori up to 50% of the time (immersion levels 3-5).

What we know about learning te reo Māori

The most effective way to help learners improve their language proficiency is through at least six years of high-quality language teaching. High-quality Māori-medium settings embed Māori identity, culture and language into all aspects of the school. Educational success is higher for tamariki that stay in the Māori-medium pathway.

We also know that for learners to be successful, iwi, whānau and the community need to be involved in their children's learning and the language of learners needs to be embedded into all learning settings. 

Last reviewed: Has this been useful? Give us your feedback