Scholarship season is upon me. Am I really ready to answer the questions leveled at me about my contribution to Māoridom.
Actually, I want their money, so yes just answer the damn questions. Here are my answers.
1. What does you whakapapa mean for you?
My whakapapa starts with Ranginui and Papatūānuku, which in turn means I am connected and not separate from the environment around me. I am a descendant of the land that I tread each day and in doing so affirm my connection to both this whenua and all whenua. In turn, my belief and value system imply that all people are descended from Ranginui and Papatūānuku therefore we are all siblings, whānau, karangatanga, brothers, sisters, connected. My connection is not limited to tangata, I recognise that all living creatures are in fact tuakana, descended from the many atua that came after and before the embrace of Ranginui and Papatūānuku. We are all inseparable.
My understanding of whakapapa, is that everyone and everything has it. It is that which connects us all. It provides understanding and gives a point of reference in a society that chooses to separate us, to ‘individualise’ us. It connects us to our purpose and our beginning, to our mokopuna and our tupuna. We don’t have to do anything to prove it, or show it, or explain its understanding. We are whakapapa embodied.
2. Describe your involvement in Māoritanga
I was born in to the iwi of Ngāti Pikiao, Te Whānau-Ā-Apanui and Ngati Kahungungu ki Te Wairarapa. I was raised by my parents and grandparents as well as a plethora of Aunties, Uncles and Cousins. I am grateful that my grandparents were native reo Māori speakers and they passed the language on to all of their mokopuna. My grandmother taught in Kohanga Reo in the mid-1980’s which inspired me to pursue teaching.
In 2014 I trained as a Kaiako in Te Ataarangi, an internationally recognised method of teaching reo Māori in total immersion. I have worked as a Kaiako now teaching adults in the community for several years. I currently run community reo classes in marae and schools. It has been a rewarding experience and I estimate to have taught well over 300 people over the course of six years
My focus now is on whānau Māori and providing spaces and domains where reo Māori is celebrated. In 2018, with the support of other reo champions, I started a whānau reo Māori club. A club where whānau meet to participate in fun activities in total immersion. We are now in our fourth year. This has been the most meaningful contribution I feel I have made to māoritanga. This club has empowered whānau to take reo back into their homes but has also created a community of whānau who support and uplift each other.
3. How would you describe your commitment to your whanau/hapu/iwi in the past and in the future?
I acknowledge and recognise my birth and existence in Te Ao Marama as my commitment to my tipuna and mokopuna. This drives my passion to understand, extend and further my work amongst whānau Māori and language revitalisation.
I wish to embark on the journey of gaining my Master's in Indigenous Studies in order to gain insight, examine and explore the area of language revitalisation in hopes that it may inform and empower my work moving forward and into the future.
My work as a Kaiako under the umbrella of Te Ataarangi has instilled in me a deep sense of connection and commitment to the Māori community, and as my whakapapa lives within me, I will always be connected to and therefore committed to my whānau, hapu and iwi.
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