Coming from Ireland I strongly believe in the importance of protecting language as a part of culture. In Ireland there is a phrase "Tir gan teanga, tir gan anam" which means a country without it's language is a country without its soul. I want to do whatever I can to support the use of Te Reo Maori as an integral part of New Zealand culture. I have completed a Level 2 Te Reo course through Te Wananaga o Aotearoa and I enjoy using Te Reo with my daughter. Te Reo is used a lot at her daycare and many of her first words have been in Te Reo. I look forward to suppoting her to grow up having Te Reo as a natural part of day to day life.