Kei tōku manawa tōku reo. Kei tōku ngākau tōku reo.
I ruia mai te kākano o tōku reo i taku tamarikitanga, i te kāinga, i te wā ako ai tōku Pāpā i te reo i te taha o ngā mātua rātou ko ngā kaumātua o te kāinga.
I kite au i tōku Pāpā e kōrero ana i te marae mō te kura i ngā wā haere ai te kura ki te marae. He taonga te reo me ngā tikanga o tērā kāinga.
Wehe atu ai tōku whānau i te kāinga, ka ngaro aua āhuatanga.
Haere ai ahau ki te kura tuarua, i kōwhiria ahau kia ako i te reo Māori, ahakoa te kōrero, “E mate ana taua reo”, ahakoa te whakaaro a ētahi kāore he take ako i te reo Māori. Ko taku aroha mō te reo me ngā tikanga taku take ako.
Mutu ana te kura tuarua, ka haere au ki te ako i te reo i te whare wānanga, ahakoa te kōrero, “Kāore he mahi mā ngā tāngata e whai tohu ana i te reo Māori! Ka aha koe ina tutuki ai koe i tērā whāinga?” I tutuki au i tērā whāinga, nō te mea i tōku manawa, i tōku ngākau tonu tōku reo.
Kua whai mahi au i ngā ara reo Māori mai i ērā wā tae noa kia oti aku mahi, nō te mea kei tōku manawa, kei tōku ngākau tonu tōku reo. Tokomaha rātou kua tutakina au, nā rātou au i ako, i tautoko, i manaaki i aku whāinga. Ka nui te mihi ki a rātou.
Nō Airangi ētahi o ōku tīpuna rātou ko tētahi o ōku kaumātua. Nō Koterangi ētahi o ōku tīpuna. Nō Aotearoa ōku mātua, nō Aotearoa hoki te tokomaha o ōku kaumātua. Nō Aotearoa ahau. Ko tōku reo tōku ohooho, ko tōku reo tōku māpihi maurea.
My desire to learn te reo Māori comes from a rich childhood, begun where reo and tikanga Māori were part of life. My Dad learned te reo i te taha o ngā mātua rātou ko ngā kaumātua o te kāinga. He spoke on the marae on behalf of the school. I am extremely proud of what my Dad achieved. I had a childhood where ‘tātou tātou’ was real. When we left that childhood home, the community changed and I longed to have the one of my earlier years back. I had the opportunity to learn te reo Māori at college and so I did, I also took it further to te whare wānanga and I have always worked in the positions involving te reo Māori. My love of te reo Māori began early in my childhood and has never left me.
