As a child Nat Hape's first tongue was Te Reo Maori. But as time passed so too did her grandmother who had taught and encouraged her to speak te reo and by the time she was 14 she had lost her native language.
Her parents didn't speak Te Reo Maori having
been encouraged to learn English because "it would get you a job".
"When my grandmother died, so too did te reo basically," Ms Hape, 35, told the Bay of Plenty Times. But 10 years ago she decided to revitalise her understanding of Te Reo Maori by studying the language. Since then she has started working for a Maori organisation _ Te Matahauariki _ where part of her mahi (work) involves speaking te reo.
And to ensure she doesn't lose Te Reo Maori again she has joined a group _ Te Karapu Reo _ where Bay people meet up for a coffee and a korero once a month in a cafe and speak strictly in te reo.
Keeping Te Reo Maori alive is important to Ms Hape, whose three children have all gone through kohunga reo and kura kaupapa to ensure they learnt the language.
Ms Hape's story is not unlike others who have joined group.
Te Aroha Luttenberger, who also works for Te Matahauariki, spoke Te Reo Maori with her grandparents growing up in Hairini, but over the years the amount of te reo she conversed in dropped dramatically.
She often speaks te reo at work but rarely at home, as she is married to an Austrian man, who doesn't know a word of Te Reo Maori.
"It's been good to get together in a social setting [in the te reo coffee group] rather than in a classroom ... it's just like when you get together with your mates and have a conversation," she said.
Te Karapu Reo organiser and Te Reo Maori co-ordinator for Ngati Ranginui Iwi, Tawharangi Nuku, said the purpose of the get-together was to keep the language alive. Those who studied Te Maori were left with few options to develop further if they didn't speak te reo in the home.
In the group, some are fluent, while others know only the basics. It doesn't matter because each wears a sticker indicating their level of competency.
A cafe was the perfect setting because it is on neutral ground _ meeting on a marae would mean going through formalities, Mr Nuku said. The idea was also to use Te Reo Maori in an everyday situation.
Anyone who can hold a conversation (even basic) in Te Reo Maori is invited to join Te Karapu Reo which meets every third Thursday of the month at different cafe's in Tauranga. Ph 571-0936.