I am 57 years old, a 5th generation Pākeha tane, ( i love being called Pākeha, i am definitely NOT white, rather a ruddy pink and orange ginga maybe).
I grew up in Tauranga & Rotorua. As children were exposed to and took part in many things Māori, however i always felt that i was only living in 1/2 of Aotearoa.
I wanted to be able to have the right to say "Kia ora" and it mean something. As i heard it said "To be able to walk in the Māori world and the Pākeha comfortably". Learning Te Reo felt like a home coming , as i was embraced by the Aroha of my Kaiako and fellow tauira.
I can still only kōrero at the level of a 2 year old but i have so much more now than at the beginning of the journey.
I can not recommend it highly enough.
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