Te Reo o te Whānau focus of Te Matoe o te Reo

Hundreds of whānau came together to celebrate our taonga, te reo Māori, at the 2025 Te Matoe o Te Reo symposium held in Te Papaioea, Palmerston North in April.  

The theme was Te Reo o te Whānau and included kaikōrero, stalls and kapa haka performances. Panel presentations were shared by the Durie, Twomey, and Kawana whānau on their journeys to overcome challenges to create a healthy and thriving te reo Māori future for their whānau, hapū, and iwi.  

Meihana Durie said it was his koro that kickstarted his whānau reo journey. 

“If it hasn’t been for my koro and some of our whānau saying ‘you know boy, you’ve got to do something,’ I wouldn’t have taken the journey I’m on and these ones (my kids wouldn’t be speaking Māori.”  

Āwhina Twomey spoke about the impact of hui rangatahi on her reo path and how the Kaiako from band Tauira “made te reo Māori cool.”  

“One thing you should never think is ‘kua mutu o rā ako.’ Oh yeah I’ve cracked it, that’s me I’m out. Engari he mea iti e whai ētahi hoa kōrero Māori. Kia whai etahi pūkenga kōrero Māori kia matatau kē atu tō reo,” Āwhina Twomey said.   

Diana Kawana said when you bring reo and tikanga back into your whānau you might face resistance.  

“Keep going. Keep doing you. The generational impact is going to be massive and one day your whānau will stand stronger because of it,” she says.