WELLINGTON: When 34-year-old Tze Wee enrolled in primary school many years ago, he went to a Maori-emphasis class because of an administrative mistake. In the class, he learnt Maori words, songs and kapa haka (Maori performing arts) at school.

Born in Singapore, Wee – who is ethnically Chinese and also speaks Mandarin – initially did not find learning Maori useful. But his early exposure to the Maori world planted a seed in him that blossomed into a passion for it.

At 23, he enrolled in a night class to study Maori, later completing a full-year full-time immersion course to build his fluency and knowledge, followed by language papers as part of his major in Maori media at the Auckland University of Technology.

Wee is now fluent in the language and also goes by his Maori name Nga-Tai – meaning “two tides” – given to him by the mother of a close friend who is Maori, to symbolise two cultures coming together.

“Learning te reo Maori (the Maori language) has made me feel more connected to Aotearoa,” he told The Straits Times, using the Maori name for New Zealand, which means “land of the long white cloud”. The name is increasingly used alongside or instead of “New Zealand” in the country in everyday speech, media and official documents such as passports.

Working as the front-of-house of a cookie shop, Wee said he often surprises customers by replying in Maori.

“It has been really cool and encouraging to see people around me giving it a go.