Languages and your family in Auckland

Auckland is an English-speaking city where the first words your kids learn at school might be "kia ora" and "ka pai". Te reo Māori isn't a hurdle, but it's woven through school and public life in a way that surprises most Brits.

The short version

Te reo Māori is an official language of New Zealand, and you'll meet it from day one in place names, greetings, government department names and school assemblies.
Since 19 November 2025, the law says a school board must take all reasonable steps to provide for students to be taught, and to learn, in te reo Māori when their parents or caregivers ask [1].
Māori-medium schooling, in kura and in rumaki and bilingual units, follows its own curriculum, Te Marautanga o Aotearoa [2].
Children who move to New Zealand and are still learning English can get ESOL-funded support for up to five years, but not if their first language is English [3].
All children aged 6 to 16 must go to school or be home-schooled in New Zealand [4].

Te reo Māori: the second language your kids will meet

Unlike Ireland or Ontario, New Zealand doesn't make a second language a compulsory exam subject for every child. What it has is something more everyday: te reo Māori runs through school life. Expect your children to learn greetings, songs (waiata), a karakia (a short prayer or blessing) at the start of the day, and their pepeha, a short speech introducing themselves and where they come from. Kids from Leeds learn to name a mountain and a river just like their classmates.

How much te reo they get as a subject depends on the school. Some English-medium schools teach it every week; many secondary schools offer it as an option alongside other languages; and some have bilingual classes.

The 2025 law change

This is where things shifted recently. Under the Education and Training Amendment Act 2025, which came into force on 19 November 2025, a board's objectives now include taking all reasonable steps to provide for students to be taught, and to learn, in te reo Māori on request of their parents or immediate caregivers [1]. Boards must also seek equitable outcomes for Māori students [1][5].

Before the change, the duty on boards was broader: they had to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, including taking all reasonable steps to make instruction available in tikanga Māori and te reo Māori [6]. The ministry says the new wording matches the rule that applied from 1989 to 2020 [6]. The change was controversial and has been challenged before the Waitangi Tribunal, so it's worth keeping an eye on.

What this means for you: if you want your child to learn te reo at school, say so to the school in writing. The law now hangs on parents asking.

Māori-medium schooling

A kura (Māori-medium school) or a rumaki or bilingual unit inside a mainstream school teaches through te reo Māori, following Te Marautanga o Aotearoa rather than the English-medium New Zealand Curriculum [2]. From 2025 these settings had to use the new Te Reo Māori and Pāngarau (maths) learning areas [2]. Most British families won't choose full Māori-medium schooling, which works best when te reo is spoken at home too, but a bilingual unit can be a good fit for a young child who's keen.

What it means by age of arrival

Pre-school and new entrants: children soak up te reo through songs and routines. Kindy and early childhood centres often use it every day.
Primary age: your child will catch up on greetings and waiata within a term. If you want more, ask whether the school runs te reo classes or a bilingual class.
Intermediate and secondary: te reo is usually an option among other subjects. A teenager who arrives from the UK can start from scratch alongside others.

There's no catch-up exam to worry about, and no exemption process, because there's no national requirement to sit te reo as a subject.

Te reo in daily life

You'll see te reo on road signs, in government names (Inland Revenue is Te Tari Taake) and in work emails that open with "Kia ora" and close with "Ngā mihi". Using a few words is normal, and getting them roughly right matters more than getting them perfect.

Word or phrase	Meaning	Where you'll hear it
Kia ora	Hello, thanks	Everywhere
Ka pai	Good, well done	School reports, the classroom
Whānau	Family, extended family	School newsletters ("whānau evening")
Kai	Food	The school lunch box
Mahi	Work	The office, homework
Tamariki	Children	School and council notices
Kaiako	Teacher	School emails
Ngā mihi	Regards, thanks	Email sign-offs
Haere mai	Welcome	School events
Aroha	Love, compassion	Cards and assemblies

Vowels are short and pure, and "wh" usually sounds like an "f". Our guide to rugby, Kiwi culture and te reo has more on pronunciation and Matariki.

Learning te reo yourself

Live online lessons in te reo Māori are hard to find. For te reo, local classes or a local tutor are usually the better route, and apps help with the basics. Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori, the Māori Language Commission, points learners to lessons and resources [7]. Ask your local library, your employer or other parents what's running nearby; classes tend to pop up around Māori Language Week in September.

Keeping English strong

Children learning English

If your children's first language isn't English, perhaps because one parent is French, Filipino or Brazilian, schools can apply for ESOL funding to support them. Migrant students who score below the English Language Learning Progressions benchmarks can be funded for up to five years (20 terms) [3]. New Zealand-born children with a migrant parent and another language at home can get up to three years [3]. Children whose first language is English don't qualify, and nor do international fee-paying students [3].

Partners whose first language isn't English

Many New Zealand residence visas set English requirements for the main applicant and sometimes for partners. Check Immigration New Zealand's page for your exact visa before you apply, because the rules and accepted tests vary.

Exams

IELTS is widely used for New Zealand visas and university entry for applicants whose first language isn't English.
Cambridge English Qualifications, such as B1 Preliminary and B2 First, give bilingual teenagers a recognised certificate.
Professional English for interviews matters too, though Kiwi workplaces are famously informal. Don't be surprised when the boss signs off "Cheers, Dave".

Your first steps

Ask each school how it teaches te reo and whether it has bilingual classes.
Write to the board if you want your child taught te reo; the law now hangs on parents asking [1].
Learn ten words from the table before your first school assembly.
Swap tips with other parents in our community group for Brits in New Zealand.

If you'd rather learn with a live teacher online, our language partner is below.

Languages and your family in Auckland: te reo Māori at school and in daily life