McDonald's New Plymouth staff member Jemmel Te Paerata Kumeroa Abraham speaks te reo Māori at home and on the job.

A man who recently mumbled his late night McDonald's order in Māori was in for a pleasant surprise when the drive thru operator responded back in fluent te reo.

The woman on the other end of the speaker was McDonald's New Plymouth staff member Jemmel Te Paerata Kumeroa Abraham.

She utilises the Māori language in all facets of her life, including at home with her six children and on the job.

"Nearly every order I take I try to say tēnā koe," the 30-year-old said.

She said customers responded positively to her use of Māori, and others also threw a te reo greeting or phrase into their conversation, which always impressed the mother-of-six.

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Other fluent speakers who come to the restaurant looking for a fast food fix will place their order totally in te reo when they know they are speaking to her.

Last month, Hastings McDonald's launched bilingual menus, written in both English and Māori. A selection of items from the menu have been translated onto a card for customers, information they can use to place their order in Māori.

Meanwhile, hundreds turned up to free te reo lessons in Christchurch in May and classes offered by Te Wānanga o Aotearoa are at capacity across the country.

"It's really neat to see how te reo has grown over the years," Abraham said.

Her own use of the Māori at work has also been rubbing off on her colleagues.

"I know the team has had to pick up a few words here and there," she said.

"It's great hearing the staff use it."

Abraham grew up with the language from birth.

Although from Taranaki, she was raised in Whanganui and attended kura kaupapa schooling there. So when she returned to the region, it took her a couple of years to adjust to the differences in dialect.

The gift of having her indigenous language is something she has passed onto her own children, who range in age from 2-11 years.

While her youngest son attended Te Pi'ipi'inga Kakano Mai Rangiatea in Spotswood, the others attend mainstream schools.

"I struggle a lot with English and I didn't want them to struggle," she explained.

But te reo is still spoken at home and Abraham said it meant a lot to her that her children will have their mother tongue for life.

While juggling her job as a parent, Abraham works five shifts a week at McDonald's and just recently finished her studies.

She plans to work in the agricultural sector in the future as an artificial breeding technician.

Try these kupu (words) out at the cafe or takeaway bar:

Mōrena - good morning

Ngā mihi o te ahiahi - good afternoon

E pēhea ana tō rā? - how's your day going?

Rourou - combo

Pākī - burger

Mōwai - flat white

Tiakarete wera - hot chocolate

Kaputī - cup of tea

Hei heri atu - takeaway

Ki konei koa - have here thanks

Ka kite anō - see you later