My Māori friends and family have suffered immensely from discrimination, both personally and at the hands of the compounding effects of colonial violence and intergenerational wealth. I will learn Te Rēo in defiance of the recent 2024 National, ACT and NZ First coalition policies that seek to erase it, and push Māori people further into the margins of society in Aotearoa. I will learn Te Rēo to enrich my mind, art, and my connection to my Māori comrades in this beautiful country.