When a group of Kerikeri youngsters feared for the survival of their language, they didn't just wring their hands and say it was too big a problem to solve on their own.
Instead, they set about doing what they could to save te reo Maori in their own community - and that three-year effort has won them a chance to represent New Zealand at an international problem-solving contest in the United States.
The six Kerikeri High School pupils - Breeze Durham, Tamiana Iorangi, Savanah Peters-Heihei, Rawiri Webb, Caleb Wilson and Jasmin Winikerei - say their town is only nine per cent Maori, according to the 2006 census, and just 3 per cent speak the language fluently.
"The Maori language was being lost in our community, so we wanted to strengthen it," Tamiana says.
"We started with our school, because that's our community, and then we want to go wider," Jasmin adds.
So far they have used the tech department's sign-making machine to produce Maori signs for the school grounds and encouraged others to pronounce Maori words correctly. Mangled place names, like "Kerry Kerry" and "Wongaray", come in for particular attention from the self-styled te reo police.
In February they organised a stay at Whitiora Marae in Te Tii where the school's 50 international students experienced waiata, legends, mau rakau (a martial art), tititorea (stick games) and a hangi; and they've turned the tables on their teachers by inviting them to lunchtime lessons in te reo.
Rawiri says on average five teachers came to each lesson over 14 weeks last year; classes are about to start up again this term.
Each week they cover a different topic, from pronunciation to numbers, days of the week and colours; at the end of each term the teachers fill in an evaluation sheet stating how well they think they've done as students.
"There's no homework, but we do ask them to practice their pronunciation and use it in their classes," Rawiri says.
Jasmin said the effect was noticeable. Pronunciation has improved, some teachers have started writing up the date in Maori, a few have even enrolled in evening classes with Te Wananga o Aotearoa.
The kids' efforts have attracted national attention - they've been special guests at the Maori Language Awards and met Maori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples - and late last year they won their division in the National Community Problem Solving Championships in Auckland. In June the 12 and 13 year olds, of Ngapuhi and Tainui descent, fly to the US in the hope of repeating their feat on the world stage. Jasmin is cautiously optimistic about their chances.
"I think we'll do pretty well. I'm really excited.
"It'll be a cool experience competing against other countries.
"Then we can go international, and people can use our project for other indigenous languages.
"It'll be cool to get te reo noticed," she says.
Coach Kim Rogers isequally upbeat.
``They've got a unique project, onethat's very important and near and dearto their hearts.Whether or not theycome anywhere,they'll be promotingtheir language for future generations.''