Days out from Maori Language Week, there are signs our indigenous language may be in danger.

A new report from the Royal Society shows fewer New Zealanders were able to speak the language in 2013 than in 2006.

The decline is the first since the language question was introduced in 1996, and in some age brackets the number of speakers has declined by as much as a third.

It's being put down to Maori speakers passing away or moving overseas, and fewer people learning the language at home or school.