Kia ora, Ko Luke ahau. He tauira ahau o te reo māori i tēnei tau. Āku whāinga mō te anamata i te kōrero māori ia rā, ā, kei te pīrangi au ki te tuku iho i te reo ki āku mokopuna. I grew up knowing I was Māori but never fully having the tools to understand what that was or how to embrace it. It has been a long haerenga in learning and reclaiming what was stolen from our whānau but I am still here. Proud and unapologetically Māori! My reo journey started at high school and I am still going 8 years later in full immersion. Being the first in my whānau to learn the language. What a wild ride! I wouldn't change it for the world. This is a karere to my whānau and a dream holder for my future. These photos were taken in 2025 after completing my first year of te reo Māori study for level 3 & 4. Not the beginning of my journey but a pivotal moment in prioritising te reo Māori for my future. Te reo Māori is rich and irreplaceable so I hope it is engrained even deeper into the culture of our country than now. To my mokpuna, embrace your language. Embrace your rich whakapapa. Be proud to be Māori and share this gift to the world. Ki te whakakapi, ānei tētahi whakataukī ki te whakamārama i āku whakaaro. E kore au e ngaro, he kākano ahau i ruia mai i Rangiātea. Mauri ora.