The debate over cultural identity and language is a contentious issue that is discussed amongst Maori and Pakeha alike.
Are you less Maori if you can't speak Maori? How important is te reo to Maori cultural identity?
Te reo Maori expert Paraone Gloyne says it's crucial that Maori learn te reo if it is to have any chance of survival: "We need to stop making excuses as to why we haven't applied ourselves to learning te reo Maori."
Dame Tariana Turia disagrees, saying "It's my whakapapa that determines who I am".
A non-speaker, Dame Tariana says her inability to speak Maori is not for a lack of trying and is still a cause of anguish.
"I think it's extremely painful if I'm being honest. I think back to my mother's generation, our whole hapu -- not one of us in my generation has the reo. And we’ve always been embarrassed when people have come to our marae.”
Maori current affairs show The Hui delves further into the cultural debate on Sunday, 9.25am on TV3.
Newshub.
