Seven Sharp reporter Te Rauhiringa Brown says te reo Māori is a "beautiful language" which needs to be shared and celebrated.
Brown has been sharing weekend weather presenting duties on 1News at 6pm while Renee Wright is on maternity leave.
She uses both te reo Māori and English.
She told Breakfast on Friday she is continuing the legacy of her tupuna and "standing on the shoulders of giants".
Responding to some critical social media comments, some of which were republished in the NZ Herald earlier this week, Brown remarked:
"I just think that small minority are very loud and some media outlets like to take those, I guess, loud comments and amplify them."
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Brown said her delivery of the weather had "triggered heaps of positive conversations" and said she had received more positive feedback than negative.
Given her grandfather had been physically abused for speaking te reo Māori, Brown remarked: "So what's a few racist comments?"
Mai FM was one media organisation which can't understand the backlash over the use of te reo Māori, while Radio Waatea reported Brown isn't put off by the racist reactions to her use of her language. Te Ao Māori News did a piece with Brown in July on her promoting one of Aotearoa's official languages while presenting the weather.
TVNZ is proud of its presenters and how they embrace Aotearoa's unique cultural identity.
"Our presenters and journalists are welcome to use a combination of English and te reo Māori where appropriate," a spokesperson told the Herald on Tuesday.
Māori academic Ella Henry has celebrated Brown's use of te reo Māori and told the Herald negative perceptions of the language can be given "undue oxygen" in the media.
"I genuinely believe the revitalisation of te reo me ngā tikanga Māori, Māori language and culture, has become an unstoppable force that enriches, rather than diminishes, what is unique and distinctive about Aotearoa New Zealand," Henry said.
Brown told Breakfast te reo Māori is her first language and the language of the whenua.
Andreea Calude says some people complain when they don't feel like their worldview is being represented. (Source: Breakfast)
"Where else am I going to use this beautiful language? And so that's me in my truest form, speaking te reo," she said.
Brown remarked she only used 12-13% teo reo Māori in Sunday's broadcast and pointed out she translated the teo reo into English straight after.
"Not only is it a beautiful opportunity to learn more te reo Māori, you're learning about the weather in te reo Maori."
Brown said te reo Māori was "beaten out of our ancestors" and people today are making an effort to bring the language back and revitalise it.
"In order to do that we need allies, we need to share it, we need to celebrate it ... The landscape is shifting now, it's changing."
READ MORE: 1News Māori phrase glossary
Q+A presenter Jack Tame appeared alongside Brown on Breakfast. He said learning te reo Māori is an "enriching experience" and "will make your life better".
He remarked it was a "tiny sliver of New Zealand society" who make negative comments about the use of te reo Māori on Facebook.
"I pity people whose lives are, dare I say, so empty that they think it's a good use of their time to go online and slag off someone they've never met for saying a few kia oras. I just think 'really? Is this the life you want to be living?' If you can do the opposite and just lean in a little bit, you'll find a really enriching experience."
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