Te Reo Māori is the original language of New Zealand and is one of our three official languages. It's an increasingly important part of our national culture.
Whether you want to learn a few basic phrases or plan on doing a PhD, here's our guide to what's on offer at the main tertiary institutions around New Zealand.
AUT University says their Te Reo Māori courses provide students with a broad understanding of New Zealand's indigenous language and culture, and work to sustain Te Reo.
"The degree will give them a chance to help develop their language while they develop skills for the workplace," an AUT spokesperson says.
AUT offers Māori language beginner to intermediate courses as a nil-tuition fee programme. As well as their in-depth degree and post-graduate options, this allows students from in the workforce to learn Māori.
In addition to Lincoln University's Māori Studies programme, there are informal refresher courses to brush up on Māori language skills.
The Whenua strategy, the University's overall Māori strategy, informs Lincoln's strategies for education, research and relationships with Māori communities.
"Massey University offers a range of courses and papers that feed in to degrees. All can be studied by distance learning," says Dr Darryn Joseph, Senior Lecturer Te Pūtahi a Toi, Massey University.
These courses include everything from an introductory paper in Māori language for students who have no previous knowledge, to the use of Māori language in specialised areas and in sectors such as health, education, justice and commerce.
"Massey can reach into their home, or overseas, or they can come into a small class on Palmerston North campus where we get to know their names and their particular language goals and provide a structured language course which can contribute towards a degree," he says.
Te Ataarangi is an initiative that's been at the forefront of revitalising Te Reo since 1979. It engages Māori communities in learning the language in homes and on Marae.
It offers:
Te Wānanga o Aotearoa's Māori language courses offer all New Zealanders, with any level of ability, an entry point to learn Te Reo and deepen understanding of New Zealand's indigenous culture.
"All the courses are absolutely free, and students receive all the resources needed to pass the course," says a Te Wānanga o Aotearoa lecturer. "We have a range of types of delivery, from full time to part time, and from day to night classes."
"It represents the cultures of Aotearoa/New Zealand, and it's important to maintain as a culture who we are."
The Certificate in Te Ara Reo Māori (Level Two) teaches students to correctly pronounce Māori words, names and place names, and understand and follow tikanga (protocols). Level Seven courses provide students with fluency to the level of sophistication and eloquence used in karanga and whaikōrero.
Te Wānanga o Raukawa offers Te Reo Māori courses from a certificate to a post-graduate level.
"Te Reo is one of the most important subjects we teach here," a spokesperson says. "We offer a fully-immersed Te Reo degree and at least 75 percent is delivered in Te Reo."
Poupou Huia Te Reo is an online Māori language course suited to language learners at the beginner to intermediate level.
Heke Reo Māori introduces students to the Māori language and develops their confidence, and Poutuarongo Reo Māori expands on the diploma level programme and aims for students to achieve a high proficiency in Te Reo and tikanga Māori.
"That is where our Mana comes from - our Te Reo. For Māori to understand who they are and maintain their traditions, they need to understand what they are," the spokesperson says.
Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi offers courses from beginners to post-graduate level.
The free Te Awa Reo Bridging Certificate in Te Reo Māori is a one-year full-time programme designed to revive Te Reo through the daily use of karakia, waiata, kīwaha, whakaari, rangahau, tuhituhi and pānui.
Te Awa Tūāpapa is also a one-year full-time programme, and the next step for students who have already studied the Level One and Two Certificate in Te Awa Reo, or an equivalent. The focus is on developing skills in Te Reo Māori at an intermediate level.
Above these are the Bachelor of Mātauranga Māori and Te Tohu Toi Tangata: Bachelor of Humanities, which will provide students with a three-year, full-time degree programme and further develop their fluency in Te Reo.
Unitec's Maia Māori centre offers a range of Mātauranga Māori electives for current students and free Te Reo short courses for everyone. The Kura Po - Te Reo Māori evening classes - are ideal for busy people. These free, evening short courses provide an introduction to Te Reo Māori from beginner to advanced levels.
Current Unitec students can complete Mātauranga Māori electives as part of a certificate, diploma or degree programme. Courses available include beginner and intermediate levels.
Another option is the one-day workshop Te Rito short courses, which are aimed at professional development for corporates, schools, not-for-profits and community organisations.
"Te Wānanga o Waipapa at Auckland University teaches Te Reo Māori at Stages I, II and III and into Post Graduate Studies," says Dr Arapera Ngaha, Senior Lecturer of Māori Studies at Wananga o Waipapa, University of Auckland.
"The Stage I Courses are designed to pick up on absolute beginners, helping people to begin to learn the language and speak proficiently, as well as studying the structure of the language.
"Unlike many other languages that are studied here, Te Reo Māori is only heard in Aotearoa. One's culture and its inherent value can only be addressed firstly in the language of that culture, thus understanding the reo gives one greater insights into the practices, protocols and understandings of the world of Māori in Aotearoa."
She encourages students who are not of Māori whakapapa - Māori descent - to learn Te Reo, as learning another language expands people's horizons allows them to learn respect and humility for others and other ways of thinking and being.
"We welcome new speakers of Te Reo Māori and we encourage all residents in this land to learn more about who we, Māori, are."
The University of Canterbury's Te Reo Māori programme offers the opportunity to study Māori language to a high level of proficiency.
Students can engage with the Māori culture by learning Te Reo Māori and practising it outside of the university environment. Students actively study the Māori language and how it has developed over time through influences such as colonisation, slang and even text messaging.
Aotahi offers a wide range of topics including:
"We have a variety from introductory through to 400 level mostly taught using the Te Whanake Māori language curriculum that was created by Professor John Moorfield," says Tangiwai Rewi, senior lecturer and Māori Studies programme co-ordinator at the University of Otago.
"The language is important for Māori to fully participate as Māori. The language is equally important for non-Māori to fully participate in forums with Māori that are delivered in Māori language," she says.
The University of Otago is focused on making Te Reo a living language on campus for staff and students, and all students are able to submit their work in Te Reo Maori.
"All of which contributes to the language's survival so our children can continue to describe the ever changing world they live in," says Ms Rewi.
"Te Reo Māori is the ancestral tongue of the tangata whenua of this land. The Treaty of Waitangi was written in Te Reo Māori," says a spokeswoman.
"If any language - in particular Te Reo Māori - is to survive as a vernacular for another generation, then we need speakers of Te Reo Māori. A language cannot survive if there is no one to speak it."
Waikato offers a range of introductory to post-intermediate levels programmes including Te Tohu Paetahi - an immersion programme which concentrates on Te Reo Māori, a stream for tikanga Māori/Māori culture taught in Te Reo Māori.
"As teachers of the language we are all part of the movement to revitalise and regenerate Te Reo Māori," the spokeswoman says. "We are unique in that we are the only mainstream University to offer a programme such as Te Tohu Paetahi for 25 years."
Victoria's Māori Studies courses and programmes range from the Diploma in Māoritanga, to PhD degrees.
There is also an eight-week course for absolute beginners which will start students on the journey to learn Māori tikanga (culture) and introductory Te Reo (language) at a steady, comfortable pace, as well as a course for workplace Māori.
Victoria University believes Māori culture is a living and dynamic reality in New Zealand/Aotearoa today, and a positive future for our country will increasingly rely on both Pākehā and Māori having a greater understanding of Māori culture and society.
You can see their full Te Reo video here:
More than 140 institutes across the country are accredited by NZQA to teach Te Reo.
Newshub.
