If you are new to learning te reo Māori, or you’re looking for more resources to support your whānau language plan, we’ve got you covered. Check out our links below.
Make your screen time, te reo time
Browse children’s cartoons in te reo Māori with MāoriNow, including:
- Pipi Mā - essential viewing for all tamariki!
- Living by the Stars by Rangi Matamua
- Inutai – follows a flock of urban seagulls navigating changes to their environment.
Te reo shows for tamariki on Whakaata Māori. A few of our favourites:
- Zoomoo – tamariki visiting zoos and learning about the animals
- He Paki Taonga i a Māui - animated stories from across Polynesia. This is a companion series to the book
- Kia Mau – a great way to learn the words and actions to well-known waiata. Great for parents too!
- Tākaro Tribe - this cartoon is also available in English, but we recommend the te reo version! Follows 5 patupaiarehe living in the ngahere.
- Te Nūtube. Kōtiro kōrero Māori Atareta & Te Haakura make an awesome YouTube-style te reo show!
- Mauri Reo Mauri Ora - This series was createfd for tamariki kōrero Māori in the 2021 lockdown
Other Whakaata Māori content for language learning:
- Haka. We love playing haka in the background so our tamariki can see the artform as often as possible and be inspired!
- Ōpaki, a beginners’ language learning show focused on everyday whānau conversations with Pānia Papa
- Ako, a language learning show for intermediate learners hosted by Pānia Papa
- Taringa - While you can also listen to the audio on Spotify, you can watch video of this great podcast on Whakaata Māori
Youtube channels:
- Tamariki Tākaro – kids love YouTube videos of other kids playing with toys! This whānau made a te reo version.
- Waiata Mai - a playlist of bilingual children’s songs about everyday whānau activites. These are great for learning new sentence structures as the catchy tunes get stuck in your head!
- Tākaro Tribe is also available on YouTube - make sure you select the te reo episodes!
- Māui te Tipua series – Peter Gossage Māui tales animated and read aloud in te reo Māori.
Bonus: If you have Disney+, the te reo Māori version of Moana is available under special features.
Free printables and downloads
Check out these free, downloadable resources for a range of kaupapa by Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori. A few of our favourites:
Teacher Talk free downloads:
- Pepeha templates: Pepeha 1, Pepeha 2, Pepeha 3
- Kupu o te Rā
- Daily words in NZSL and te reo
This free downloadable map of Aotearoa, which is a companion to My First Words in Māori by Stacey Morrison
Twinkle also has a great range of free te reo Māori downloads for classrooms or home.
Whakarongo – Listen
Kids’ te reo content on Spotify:
- Pipi Mā
- Tākaro Tribe
- Te Reo Singalong (which accompanies these books)
- Atareta & Te Haakura from Te Nūtube
- The Moana Reo Māori soundtrack
There is a great range of waiata Māori playlists on Spotify, created by users.
- Waiata Reo Māori is a great place to start
- So is Te Reo Māori
- Also check out the Waiata Anthems compilation albums. There are three now!
- If you like getting into the festive spirit early, this is a great Christmas album by Pere Wihongi
- And this is just scratching the surface! Check out other Māori language recording artists, like Rob Ruha, Maisey Rika, Ria Hall, Stan Walker, Maimoa, Te Kaahu, Te Kahureremoa, and Mara TK.
Podcasts:
- Taringa Podcast by Te Wānanga o Raukawa. The podcast covers all matters Māori - check out the 'Kupu Kupu Kupu' to focus specifically on te reo.
- Starting in te reo Māori podcast
- Te Whanake podcast series
- This Kīwaha podcast by RNZ
- Up to Speed podcast by Stacey Morrison
- Everyday Māori by Hēmi Kelly
- Speak Māori for beginners and advanced learners, with Scotty Morrison and Waatea.
Pānui – Read
We are aiming to collate all the best te reo Māori children’s books in this site, and they are so helpful for adults too! But here are some pukapuka made specifically for adult learners:
Adult Language Learning Books
- Te Whanake. This is a structured course that starts at beginner level. There is also a podcast and videos!
- Check out Te Tākupu to find Mai i te Kākano, Te Rito, and He Iti Kahurangi by Hēni Jacob. Some are also available as audiobooks
- Māori Made Easy by Scotty Morrison - another structured course. These books started as one pukapuka and have since been broken down into multiple workbooks so you can write the answers directly into the worksheets and start at beginner level.
- Māori at Home is pure gold for using te reo with your tamariki, by Stacey and Scotty Morrison
- A Māori Phrase a Day and A Māori Word a Day by Hēmi Kelly
- A Māori Reference Grammar by Ray Harlow
- Te Reo Māori – the Basics Explained
- He Iti te Kupu – Māori Metaphor and Simile by Hona Black
Online Dictionaries:
Social Media
Māori Minute – Quinton Hita has hundreds of videos and translated e-books in the Ngāpuhi dialect, as well as computer games! A subscription is $60/year and there is a 7-day free trial to see if the resources will be helpful to your whānau.
Everyday Māori – Hēmi Helly. Hēmi shares a word or phrase a day in this Facebook group and also in Instagram
Whānau Kai with Naomi Toilalo! Recipes in te reo Māori and English. Keep an eye out for the pukapuka due later this year!
Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori (reomaori on instagram). A great source of reo Māori news, resources, tips for learning, new phrases and kupu, and events. Take part in Te Wiki o te Reo, Matariki, and other celebrations of te reo. They have Facebook and instagram
Te Mātāwai - established to return te reo Māori as a nurturing first language. Te Mātāwai shares community te reo news across the country, including kura reo, and other events and language initiatives to take part in.
Language Planning
Language planning is the act of making deliberate choices about when, where, and how you will use te reo Māori. Language plans are tailored to your specific whānau and your specific needs. You can also make them for individuals and organisations. We hope Te Reo Māori Bookshop can support your whānau language plan!
Here are some options for learning about language planning:
- Kura Whakarauora - we can't recommend this enough. Kura Whakarauora will provide you with the mechanics, basic knowledge, and tools to support you to introduce and/or increase te reo Māori learning and use in your home.
- Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori language planning resources. This content is designed for organisations, but might give you some ideas on where to start before you get along to Kura Whakarauora!
- Reo Māori Mai have a free downloadable reo plan.
