Kia ora,

Ka rere taku manu ki tōku iwi o Ngāti Kahungunu ki Te Wairoa

Ka whakatopatopa ki te Rohe o Heretaunga

Ka tau ai ki te maunga o Whakapūnake

Ka titiro whakararo ki te moana e ngunguru ana i te ao, i te pō Ko Te Wairoa Hopupu Hongenge Matangirau

Ka pā mai te ngaru ki te hapū o Ngāi Te Apatu

Kei reira te whare kōhatu i takatakahia ai e ngā Mātua Tipuna

Ko Courtney tōku ingoa.

Kāti aku kōrero i konei,

I am on a journey to reclaim and strengthen my reo. For so long, I turned away from my culture and identity, only to discover later that they were what I had been searching for all along. Our culture, our people, and our reo hold a power to heal that words can barely capture.

My hope is that in 50 years, our iwi will no longer need to fight for recognition or survival, but instead live in a world of peace, where te ao Māori is embraced and celebrated.