The Maori Language Commission says it's getting harder to find places where Te Reo Maori is commonly spoken.
The latest Census shows fewer people can hold a conversation in Maori than at the last official count in 2006.
The number of people speaking Te Reo has dipped to 125,352. It's part of a decline that's been happening for almost two decades.
Commission chief executive Glenis Philip-Barbara says not enough students are going through kura kaupapa or kohanga reo.
She said people are losing confidence in their ability to use Maori and it's hard for people learning on their own.
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