University of Waikato VC, Neil Quigley and WSU President, Seamus Lohrey
To celebrate Te Wiki o te Reo Māori 2026, University of Waikato Vice-Chancellor Professor Neil Quigley and Waikato Students' Union President Seamus Lohrey shared their experiences learning te reo Māori.
They sat down with Pou Tūhono Manager – Strategy and Implementation, Whetu Taukamo, to reflect on the people who have inspired them along the way, the connections between language, culture and whakapapa, and the whakataukī that have shaped their understanding of Waikato.
Seamus’ journey began when he arrived at the University of Waikato from the South Island, where he says te reo Māori had never really been on his radar. He enrolled in an introductory Māori language paper, where one of his classmates – Bruce, a beet farmer – told the class it was his dream to learn Māori.
"I just really respected that, and it made me ponder more and more on my own journey," Seamus says.
Our Te Reo Māori Journeys
To celebrate Te Wiki o te Reo Māori 2026, University of Waikato VC, Neil Quigley and WSU President, Seamus Lohrey sat down with Pou Tūhono Manager – Strategy and Implementation, Whetū Taukamo, to reflect on the people who have inspired them along the way, the connections between language, culture and whakapapa, and the whakataukī that have shaped their understanding of Waikato.
Studying at Waikato provided opportunities to take his reo further and learn from people with deep knowledge of te reo Māori and te ao Māori. He eventually put his law degree on hold to complete Te Tohu Paetahi (opens in a new tab), the University's one-year total immersion te reo Māori programme. The programme is designed to develop fluency in te reo Māori through six papers completed over a year, with the use of English phased out by the third paper.
“If we really want to lean into the identity of our university, we should be leaning into learning the reo as much as we can, especially while we’re surrounded by some of New Zealand’s leading experts. It’s quite a privileged place to be,” Seamus says.
Professor Quigley's path to learning te reo Māori began abroad, in Vietnam.
While working at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, he helped to establish a university campus in Vietnam and learnt to speak Vietnamese “reasonably well”. The experience made him more conscious of language and pronunciation, including his own pronunciation of te reo Māori.
"I realised that I needed to improve myself dramatically on that front as well," Professor Quigley says.
Like Seamus, he started an introductory Māori language paper before his appointment as Vice-Chancellor at Waikato interrupted his study. Since then, much of his learning has come from the people around him.
"I've learned through the incredibly fortunate process of having amazing people around me who've helped me with that. Patient and wonderful teachers who have encouraged my curiosity about Māori culture, language and spirituality but within a frame where I was not fluent in the language and still am not."
Professor Quigley says learning te reo has also deepened his understanding of Māori history, culture and spirituality, and prompted him to think differently about his own Irish family history in a very personal journey.
Watch the full kōrero to hear more from Professor Quigley and Seamus about their journeys with te reo Māori.
