The Covid-19 pandemic has left many feeling down in the dumps - but advocates say the use of te reo could help boost morale.
Nearly one-in-three people reported experiencing poor mental wellbeing in the latest Stats NZ figures - and it was even worse for Māori.
But there is a silver lining - the number of people able to speak some te reo has jumped by 25 percent in just three years.
Māori Language Commission Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori chief executive Ngahiwi Apanui spoke to Susie Ferguson.