I was raised in kohanga from a baby, Te Reo is my first language, but as I grew up I was slowly but surely colonised and whitewashed. When I moved to a different kura where English was spoken, I was mocked for speaking Māori because i didnt know hoe to speak or read or write in english, that made me embarrassed to speak Māori. Now I am slowly re-learning my reo and trying to gain back the confidence to speak it. Now I am a student Teacher, part of my journey is to make sure none of our tamariki go through what I went through.