Data showing fewer tangata whenua are speaking Te Reo Rangatira is prompting the Maori Language Commission to call on everyone to try and speak the language.
Census 2013 reports that 4.8% percent fewer tangata whenua speak their language compared to 2006 data.
This year, figures show 125,352 Maori can hold a conversation in Te Reo about everyday things.
Maori Language Commission chief executive Glenis Philip-Barbara is concerned by the downward trend of Maori speaking their language since 1996.
The perilous state of Te Reo requires effort by all sectors of society, and she encourages whanau everywhere to speak it.
