A Maori language lecturer says everyone in New Zealand - not just Maori, have a responsibility to keep te reo alive.
Rapata Wiri of Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi is supporting the Auckland education trust, COMET, which believes Maori will only thrive if it's used throughout the country.
COMET says the Government needs to provide funding for the wider community to learn the language.
Dr Wiri says as a lecturer of the language since 1995, he's noticed that more international people who've move to Aotearoa are keen to learn compared to New Zealanders.
He says learning about the language, also means learning about the culture, which he says is about respect.
Dr Wiri has recently launched a mobile software app - a certificate course on the Maori language, which covers aspects of basic Maori language as well as Maori culture.
