"And I didn't know ... That was shame on me ... I thought 'that's not good, you should know the common words'."
So five years ago, the family and their other staff members - including a Bangladeshi man - began with the basics.
They learned simple greetings and once striking up a conversation with customers, they would add to their vocabulary.
"They would come up with eggs and we would ask for the Maori word for eggs.
"We've learned from our customers."
A local school teacher and regular customer would often stop to exchange a few sentences and teach them new words.
Their repertoire now includes basic greetings, most of the items for sale in their store, as well as basic conversations about the day and weather.
People were always surprised when they greeted them in Maori, they laughed.
But the reception was always positive.
"When people come in and we welcome them in the Maori Language, they love it," Mr Patel said.
"Lots of people say 'good on you' ... We've got lots of support from locals. It's thanks to them teaching us."
Shasha's brother, Jitu Patel, believed every New Zealander should learn the basics.
"It's a national language so you need to know a little bit."
The family were glad their children were learning the language and they were looking forward to the day they could share a te reo conversation.
Maori phrase
E iti noa ana, na te aroha - Though my present be small, my love goes with it
