Potential Rebuts
If they say "the Māori language is an oral tradition, we will say "Stories are also told in whakairo , ta moko, kakahu, kowhaiwhai, ngā tohu o Ranginui rāua ko Papatūānuku, kai"
If they say "How else will practice traditional customs e.g powhiri" we will say "may aspects of the powhiri are in song and gestures"
If they say "without kōrero, everyone is silent, there is no communication. We will say "ae, kōrero is important, but it cannot stand alone as the only kai of rangatira. It must be buttressed by other things - whenua, whānau, wairua, tinana...
If they say : tōku reo, tōku ao, we can say
"hoea tō waka, engari ki a mātou: tōku whare tapa wha, tōku ao", me te aha anō: I tēnei ao hurihuri tērā pea, te kai a te rangatira, he moni!