Our story
Ko te reo, ko au.
The language is me.
Ako Tahi started as a personal mission and grew into an app used by thousands of learners across Aotearoa and beyond.
A developer and a learner.
Ako Tahi was built by a developer of Ngatihine, Ngapuhi and Ngatipourou descent — someone who had felt the distance from te reo firsthand, and decided to close it.
The app began as a side project: what if you could learn just one phrase per day, consistently, without pressure? What if te reo Maori felt as natural on your phone as checking the weather?
That idea became Ako Tahi, meaning "learn together" in te reo Maori. A simple, beautiful app that delivers one te reo lesson every day, building fluency through consistency rather than intensity.
Today, Ako Tahi has over 410 ratings across Apple and Google with an average of 4.8 stars, and it is growing into a family of apps, each one focused on a different dimension of te reo learning.
Te reo Maori for everyone.
The kaupapa of Ako Tahi is simple: te reo Maori belongs to everyone in Aotearoa. Whether you are Maori and reconnecting with your language, or a non-Maori learner wanting to honour the place you call home, you are welcome here.
We believe the best way to revitalise te reo is to make it accessible, consistent, and joyful. Not a chore. Not an obligation. But something you carry with you, on your phone, in your pocket, every day.
Every design decision we make is guided by respect for te reo and the tikanga that surrounds it. We work with speakers and iwi to ensure the content is accurate and appropriate.
He ako i ia ra, i ia ra
Learning every day. We believe in small, daily habits over intense bursts.
He waka eke noa
A canoe that belongs to all. Te reo Maori is for all New Zealanders.
Accuracy first
Content is reviewed and updated to ensure cultural and linguistic accuracy.
Free and accessible
Core learning features are always free. No paywalls in front of the language.
With gratitude.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Te Huinga for their generous support of our kaupapa for Ako Tahi. Their contribution has enabled us to access essential resources, allowing us to improve the app and create a better learning experience for everyone.
We also want to acknowledge and thank our iwi, Ngātihine, for their unwavering support. This collective effort has been instrumental in advancing our kaupapa, and we are deeply grateful for the shared commitment to preserving and promoting Te Reo Māori.
We are equally grateful to all those who contributed to our Givealittle page. It has been over two and a half years since we first launched the page, and while we were genuinely touched by the contributions, the amount raised at the time was unfortunately not sufficient to move this initiative forward. We made every effort to return contributions to those we could identify.
Now, with the generous support from Te Huinga, we are excited to finally move forward and bring this vision to life. This initiative supports the kaupapa of a new, free mobile app, Ako Tahi Tamariki, a Te Reo Māori app designed specifically for parents.
Start learning today.
Ako Tahi is free. No excuses. Just click download and begin.