Children and connections with tribal identity have been revealed as significant factors in the use of Te Reo Maori.

A new report out from Statistics New Zealand confirms the strong link between how well and how often people speak the language, and their connection to aspects of Maori culture.

According to the report, 62 percent of Maori who had a thorough knowledge of their pepeha, or tribal identity, were found to use at least some te reo in the home.

That's compared with 16 percent of those who knew less about their pepeha.

Having children in a household is also linked to greater use of the language.

Maori with children were twice as likely to speak te reo as those without.