Vincent Olsen-Reeder

Guest writer

Dr Vincent Ieni Olsen-Reeder is the Director of ReoPol Limited, a newly established pakihi Māori that believes in quality Māori language policy for the nation, removing government-imposed barriers and reestablishing te reo Māori as a functioning and flourishing language across the nation.

David Seymour, Winston Peters, Chris Luxon, and Shane Jones have all been outspoken against the use of te reo Māori by the public service.

Te reo Māori isn’t a political problem – it’s the public service’s greatest opportunity

The average New Zealander shouldn’t accept a public service that literally cannot speak to all citizens.

By Vincent Olsen-Reeder | 10th November, 2025

Chey Milne, Oriini Kaipara and Kereama Wright in a panel discussion on Te Ao with Moana (Design: The Spinoff).

Reo and rage: why I’ve stopped taking the bait

Arguments about who’s 'really' Māori, who can wear moko, and who can speak on the marae are growing old.

By Vincent Olsen-Reeder | 16th October, 2025

What would Aotearoa look like with te reo Māori as the predominant language, again?

The future we spoke into being: te reo Māori as Aotearoa’s first language

Half a century on from the first Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, we're looking at the past, present and future of te reo in Aotearoa.

By Vincent Olsen-Reeder | 18th September, 2025

Elizabeth Rata. (Photo: Supplied; additional design The Spinoff)

Lost in translation: The real cost of a ‘knowledge-rich’ curriculum

Is it about education, or erasing inconvenient truths?

By Vincent Olsen-Reeder | 13th March, 2025

When a judge slaps down a lawyer for a few words of te reo, it’s about power

When a judge slaps down a lawyer for a few words of te reo, it’s about power

High Court judge Justice Timothy Brewer asked a lawyer if she was making a "political point" by using te reo Māori. Sociolinguist Vini Olsen-Reeder unpacks the bias underpinning those comments.

By Vincent Olsen-Reeder | 5th January, 2019

When a judge slaps down a lawyer for a few words of te reo, it’s about power

When a judge slaps down a lawyer for a few words of te reo, it’s about power

High Court judge Justice Timothy Brewer asked a lawyer if she was making a political point by introducing herself and her client in te reo Māori. Socio-linguist Vini Olsen-Reeder unpacks the bias underpinning those comments.

By Vincent Olsen-Reeder | 12th November, 2018

ROB THORNE (CENTRE) AND THE NEW ZEALAND STRING QUARTET

Rob Thorne is taking traditional Māori instruments into new worlds

Vincent Olsen-Reeder writes about collaborating with experimental Māori musician Rob Thorne and the New Zealand String Quartet, and the push and pull of multicultural exchange and taking traditional forms to new worlds.

By Vincent Olsen-Reeder | 10th April, 2018