Tēnā koutou katoa,
E whakahonore ki te Atua, naanaa nei ngaa mea katoa, ka mihi ki Te Arikinui Kuini Maaori aa Nga wai hono i te po me te Kahui Ariki.
Pai marire
Ko Taupiri te maunga,
Ko Waikato te awa,
Ko Tainui te waka,
Ko Waikato tooku iwi,
Ko Ngaati Mahuta raua ko Ngaati Maahanga ooku hapuu,
Ko Turangawaewae tooku marae
Ko Hinatamariki Kahukareti Pokaia tooku ingoa
I whanau mai i te rā, tōru tekau mā tahi o Hereturikōkā, i te tau, kotahi mano, iwa rau me iwa tekau mā waru. No reira, e rua tekau mā rua ōku tau.
I tupu ake ahau ki Kirikiriroa, ki te taha ō tōku mātua tupuna ki te taha ō tōku whaea. He nui ō rātou aroha ki ā au, nō te mea, he nui tāku aroha mō rātou.
Ko au te mātāmua me te tuakana ō tōku whanau, heoi anō, he huatahi au.
Te reo means so much to me. I've grown up watching my koro engage and teach te reo maori to our people and I would watch my nan engageand contribute to our māori community to ensure our culture would thrive. I ne
I grew up in a world surrounded by the Kingitanga and te reo maori. My grandfather was a teritary educator in te reo maori and then later worked in the kingitanga. My nana dedicated her life to helping our people in the community. She would provide social wrap around services to aid our underserved communities and kept engaged with te ao maori in any way she could.
My grandparents have been inspitrational guides to my jounrey in te ao maori.
Te reo maori means so much to me. I have enrolled at Te Wananga o Aotearoa to begin my te reo journey in 2026. After hearing our Kuini Nga wai hono i te po speak at her first koroneihana,
"Tino Rangatiratangatia tō reo, Mana Motuhaketia te taiao, Tino Rangatiratangatia tō hauora, Mana Motuhaketia tō pā harakeke, kei aua kaupapa rā te tino oranga mai o te Māoritanga"
Her words have inspired me to start this journey. I hope in 50 years I can truly speak te reo and that I have passed it on to my kids and across our family.I hope in the future Te reo is embraced by all people across Aotearoa and it is truly a beautiful language
