Hikitia te reo
Uplift your reo
Ready to grow your confidence and take your reo further?
This programme supports you to strengthen your speaking skills, deepen your understanding of tikanga, and plan your own reo Māori learning journey. You’ll explore te reo Māori through four connected ways that build skill and self-assurance:
Apply reo Māori features and structures in familiar, real-life situations
Build confidence to speak and express yourself naturally in te reo Māori
Explore the connections between customs and the language in specific contexts
Focus on your personal reo Māori learning journey that fits your goals and lifestyle
You’ll practise speaking and listening in everyday situations, growing your fluency through kōrero, reflection, and hands-on activities. This programme focuses on confidence and connection — giving you the tools to use te reo Māori more freely while understanding the cultural values that guide its use.
He aha tāu ka whiwhi?
What you’ll gain from this programme
You’ll be able to:
Apply reo Māori linguistic features and sentence structures in familiar contexts
Recognise how Māori customs and values are expressed through the language
Plan and carry out a reo Māori learning journey that supports personal growth
Mā te mahi ka ako
Learn by doing
You will get to:
Practice speaking te reo Māori with other tauira
Develop your listening skills to support real-world kōrero in te reo Māori
Practice tikanga and cultural concepts in real-world contexts
Connect your personal reo journey to the history of te reo Māori in Aotearoa
Develop tools to work through uncertainty, discomfort, and fear caused by language trauma
Ngā ara e wātea ana
Where will this take me?
Keep studying:
Progress your studies with one of the following programmes:
At work:
This programme may support careers in these industries:
Language support assistant and administration
Education
Early Learning including Kōhanga Reo
Primary – rumaki syndicates, Kura Kaupapa Māori
Secondary – teacher aide, alternative education, neuro diverse
Tourism and retail
Forward facing customer service and people engagement
Support to advisory roles
Health
Forward facing customer support/service and people engagement
Support to advisory roles
Support to cultural departments
Social Services
Kaiāwhina
Support to cultural and language advisors
Broadcasting
Support to cultural and language advisors
Forward facing people engagement support
Community involvement:
Support your community, whānau, hapū, or iwi with:
Whakapapa
Tikanga
Iwi, hapū, marae trustee
Papakāinga/ reserves trustees
He meka
Quick facts
- Level 3 (Introductory)
- 60 Credits
- 20 Weeks
- NZ Certificate in Te Pūtaketanga o te Reo (Kaupae 3)
- No Fees
- NZQA Accredited
- Marae Experience
Paearu whakauru
Entry criteria
You can enrol if you:
Are 16 years or older
Are a NZ citizen or resident (includes Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau) or Australian citizen/permanent resident
Currently reside in New Zealand
Have graduated from Te Kahupapa o te Reo Level 2 OR
Can demonstrate equivalent Level 2 skills and knowledge in te reo Māori through a pre-entry assessment
Te wā
Time commitment
This programme is:
Full-time
60 credits
20 weeks long (includes holiday breaks)
Noho marae-based learning, with additional workshops and small seminars
There are two different delivery methods for this programme.
The classroom delivery method has 2 regular classes during the week supported by one intensive noho (intensive workshop).
The noho delivery method has one regular class during the week supported by 4 noho (intensive workshops). These often run over the weekend.
Kōnae ako
Learning modules
Ki hea, mō āhea hoki au ako ai?
Where and when can I learn?
Kaupapa anamata
Upcoming events
Pitopito kōrero o te wā
Latest news
Te Wānanga o Aotearoa launches new reo Māori programmes to help te reo thrive for generations to come
For over four decades, Te Wānanga o Aotearoa has created pathways for generations of tauira to learn, speak, teach and live te reo Māori. That legacy has supported the return of te reo Māori to everyday life, from whānau learning their first kupu, to tauira carrying reo onto marae, and into workplaces, classrooms and homes.
Turning a passion for rongoā into community healing
Rongoā Māori has always been part of Patricia Tangira-Falwasser's life, but it was her studies at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa that deepened her knowledge and inspired her to start a business that now serves her wider community.
Te Wānanga o Aotearoa kaimahi claims gold at Waka Ama World Championship
Ken Henry (Te Whakatōhea, Waikato-Tainui) is a Tauira Support Advisor at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa Whakatāne campus who took home gold at the Waka Ama World Championships in Singapore in August.
A passion for taonga Māori takes Chanel to Oxford
What started as a desire to strengthen her reo Māori has taken Chanel Coromandel (Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Apakura, Ngāti Whanaunga) on an unexpected path, leading to an opportunity to contribute to the care and preservation of taonga Māori at the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, England.
Reconnecting to te ao Māori through raranga
Haylee Roussel (Ngāti Rārua, Rangitāne, Ngāti Maniapoto) was searching for a way to reconnect with te ao Māori when she enrolled in the Certificate in Māori and Indigenous Art, Raranga, at the Waiwhero campus of Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.
A journey shaped by whānau and a love of tamariki
Members of Tayla-Marie Takawe’s (Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Maniapoto) whānau were among the first tauira to graduate from the Bachelor of Education (Primary Teaching) at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.
Finding a deeper sense of self through te ao Māori
Moving to Aotearoa from rural Australia as a teenager, Lily Warring found herself wanting to learn more about the culture and language of the place she now called home.
Creating the spark for business success
With plenty of experience as an electrician, Josh Verstraten was ready to branch out from employee to business owner, but he knew running a successful business would require a new set of skills.
From financial stress to financial freedom for Auckland whānau
For Augustine Kopa, studying the Certificate in Money Management at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa was about creating a better future for her whānau.
Two generations, one reo Māori journey
When Melody Francis (Ngāti Kahungunu) saw the positive impact that studying te reo Māori had on her mum, she decided to jump on the waka and begin the journey alongside her.
