Mariam Arif found solace in both her Muslim faith and tikanga Māori after the Christchurch terror attack as she knew people directly affected.
"I just want to send out our aroha and prayers to all New Zealand. We are in this together and we need aroha."
Mariam Arif taking notes in her total immersion te reo Māori class in Auckland Photo: RNZ Insight / Leigh-Marama McLachlan
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The Iraqi immigrant speaks beautiful fluent sounding te reo Māori but insists she is still learning. She only started speaking te reo two years ago but is motivated to keep learning.
Her first exposure to the language was when she lived in Hamilton. The Waikato region is at the heart of the Kīngitanga movement.
At first she took te reo Māori classes as part of becoming a Kiwi and to help her feel more at home here. But instead it has totally changed her life.
"We didn't know there was this parallel world that tagata whenua get to enjoy," she says. "So as immigrants we just learned what mainstream was and we thought we were being good New Zealanders.
"But then I discovered we weren't being good New Zealanders as there was this whole world we hadn't tapped into."
The mother of two is a devout Muslim and she talks to her kids regularly in both te reo and Arabic.
Mariam encourages more migrants to learn te reo Māori as well as their own indigenous language.
"Having said that though, we are still connected to our Arab heritage here in our homes although we integrated well in New Zealand and it's definitely home. We have the best of both worlds."
Her mum is from Syria, and her dad is from Iraq. Mariam arrived here in 1996 when she was six years old. Back then she thought Auckland was a bit of a ghost town.
"We moved from Abu Dhabi, near Dubai, which is very bustling and very busy and a bit like Auckland today. Back then it was just so quiet and people used to walk around barefoot - something out of the question in the Middle East. You don't do that."
"I also remember mince pies was one of the main things [too]. And I still love mince pies by the way," she says with a laugh.
Samuel Nelapati Photo: RNZ / Sara Vui-Talitu
Northern Indian migrant Samuel Nelapati says language is one of his passions.
"Language is very close to my heart," he says with a big grin.
Samuel migrated to New Zealand in 1997, already fluent in four languages and with te reo he now speaks five.
"I do believe that language is the heart to communicate one to one."
He adds Māori is very similar to his own indigenous languages from India.
"It's close to telegu, like the rolling of the tongue and speaking words which is very easy and simple to me," he says. "The culture is very similar too as we are very family oriented."
Samuel believes anyone can learn a language that might not be their own, like te reo if you put time and effort into it.
"When you are outside the world of te reo Māori you judge a lot, but when you are inside Māori, you know them a lot and that's what I learned so much."
But Samuel doesn't like it when people talk negatively about Māori.
"It makes my heart and my blood boil."
He says he has experienced first hand being adopted by people of Māori ancestry, through the concept of whāngai. This is a customary Māori practice where a child is raised by someone other than their birth parents.
Samuel never expected that learning te reo would open up other pathways for him. These days he speaks te reo Māori regularly at work, as he teaches maths and science at Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Mangere in South Auckland.
"For me, I can connect to my students with te reo and it's a great reward."
Mariam Arif at home and she shows how the artwork on the wall captures two cultures. Photo: RNZ / Sara Vui-Talitu
Mariam's wish is for more Kiwis to learn and appreciate te reo Māori.
"Be it Arabs, be it other ethnic minorities, or be it Māori, there is a whole world behind what you see on the face of people you see," she says.
Samuel believes te reo Māori is such a sweet language, and it brings all the people of Aotearoa together.
"I want to be a role model for immigrants who are coming here into this country that I might inspire them and be a guide for them and make te reo Māori a language that can be easily recognised."
"If we all speak that language [te reo Māori], how pleasant and how even more beautiful this country would be," he says.
The United Nations has declared 2019 the year of indigenous language around the world.
Te reo Māori is one of Aotearoa New Zealand's three official languages alongside sign language and English.
Samuel Nelapati outside Te Kura Kaupapa Maori O Mangere Photo: RNZ / Sara Vui-Talitu
*Also check out the RNZ podcast Kīwaha -Give it a go!
