Heather | Kawerau

Photo of Heather | Kawerau
Ko Ben Nevis rāua ko Pūtauaki ngā Maunga te rū nei tāku ngākau. Ko Clyde rāua ko Tarawera ngā awa e mahea nei āku māharahara. I whanau mai au i te taha ō te awa ō Paisley, nō Scotland ahau. E mihi ana ki ngā tohu ō nehe ō Tauranga Moana; e noho nei te whānau ō tōku hoa tane. Kei Kawerau a māua e noho ana. Ko Heather Murphy tōku ingoa. I moved to Aotearoa in 2015, from Scotland and was taken in by how much Te Reo Maori was everywhere!! When I learnt about its revitalisation and what occurred through colonisation I knew I had to be part of the resurgence. I have been blessed to be learning through Te Wananga o Aotearoa for 4 years now, and this learning journey has shaped my life here massively. It is so important to me that I hold space for and respect the indigenous language of this country, and I believe its something everyone should do. If people cant or wont learn, they should at least be respectful about Te Reo, and at the bare minimum learn place names and peoples names correctly, not just "how its always been said". Kia kaha Te Reo Maori!