• Putiputi
• Hori
• Matenga
• Moe

Our tauira (students) come from all different backgrounds and iwi. Some are Māori born over here, others long-term residents, and still others are recent arrivals.

We range in age from 20s to 60s,and in our knowledge of Te Reo. Some are complete beginners; others are already proficient and supplement their classes at Te Reo Maioha with specialised classes in whaikorero, karanga etc.

What brings us together is our common desire to learn more about the language of our tupuna, and our Māori culture.

"Putiputi"

Ko Horouta te Waka, Hikurangi, te Maunga, Waiapu te Awa, Ko te Whanau-A-Ruataupare te Hapu, Ko Ngatiporou te Iwi. Ko Paaniha Waiti (White) raua ko Whakaara Henare oku matua, ko Putiputi(Lorraine) ahau. I have tribal connections to Ngapuhi-Ngati Hine (mum's dad) and Hauraki- Ngati Tamatera (mum's mother). My connection to Taranaki, Te Wharekauri and Ngai Tahu is via my dad's mum, and my paternal grandfather is Ngati Porou with a dash of English. Must not forget our pakeha forbears.

My husband is of Te Whanua-A- Apanui, Ngati Awa and Te Arawa. We have five children (the potiki of the five is a whangai of Whakatohea and Tainui connection). Eight mokopuna who are connected to all the iwi pakeha included. We are blessed.

We moved to Australia 21 years ago for economical reasons, my husband working in the Trucking Industry, and I in the Hospitality and Health Industry. Two of our children moved back to N.Z. and consequently we do trip home as often as four times in a year.

Both myself and hubby were brought up in a Maori speaking world, my mother especially was very limited in speaking English, I remember having to translate for her in the English world and thought nothing of it, until she went out and became educated and mastered the language as good as she spoke her native tongue. A proud moment for the whanau when she graduated in English literacy.

For us ourselves once we moved from home, we lost the art of speaking te Reo, possibly because we weren't hearing it on a daily basis, our understanding of it however was still intact. The turning point came when we reunited ourselves back to Church and the seed was renurtured, and reconciliation gradually took hold. Husband and I are now Kaikarakia at Te Wairua Tapu Church, and enjoy our work immensely, as the speaking of te Reo is an integral part of our services, and it keeps us grounded.

I have been attending Reo classes almost eight months now and in doing so, coupling that with my church work, has made me realise that te Reo or any original or native language is the essence of who we are and that it is truly a taonga that has been handed down through the ages as ordained by God.

How about that for discovery. I enjoy going to kura, and have met some wonderful tauira, however for me they have become whanau. Our poukaiako deserves some credit, as he stirred the ashes of a diminishing fire and the flame has been reignited, and it is up to me to keep it burning. I think I hear my tipuna applauding and my mother must be saying, "Kei ia koe te kaha. Korero, kia rongo i to Reo rangatira." "You have what it takes, Speak, so that the divine language is heard."

"Hori"

Ko Mataatua te waka
Ko Tawhiuau te maunga
Ko Rangitaiki te awa
Ko Rangipo te wehenga o te tuna
Ko Ngati Manawa te iwi
Ko Tangiharuru te tangata
Ko Moe Whare te marae
Ko Te Whaiti Hakaraia White raua ko Mere Waihi Henare oku matua
Ko Hori Winiata White ahau

I don't know when I first wanted to learn to speak Māori but looking back there was a passive build up since my father passed away five years ago. It reached a crescendo after my uncle and my mother died earlier this year. There was also the unveiling of my son's headstone last year. When one is immersed in the tikanga of tangihanga, question were raised in my mind. What are they saying? What does it mean? These questions had been raised before, but this time they stayed with me. It was during this period that I learnt about "our tupuna" and "our wairua". Ka mau te wehi! this was a huge step forward, and was reinforced later on, 350 miles away, when I made a commitment to help finish the wharekai at Moewhare - Ngati Manawa, a project that had been left for more than 30 years. Why I made the committment, I don't know why, especially as I live in Australia. I have been back to NZ three times, and each time a bit more work gets done. And my tupuna and wairua were constant companions.

I found Te Reo Maioha thru Mikaere and Matenga. Mikaere delivered a mihi at his 50th birthday. Blew me away. My first day at class I learnt the karakia "E Kore". My tupuna had truly steered me. Te Reo Maioha is the perfect vehicle to learn Māori. The support by the other tauira and kaiako is simply awesome. Like Putiputi I consider Te Reo Maioha members as whanau. I am now more spiritually aware but I suppose that can't be helped when my tupuna sits upon my shoulders.

"Matenga"

“There’s an old saying that if you want to understand the people first you must understand the language.”

Tēnā koutou katoa. I was born Te Arawa and lived next to our marae – as a child I grew up with English as the educated language. Māori was spoken on the marae and I always wondered what our kaumatua were talking about at hui, tangi etc but with nine children in our whanau education was paramount. Many years later, after completing my City & Guilds chef’s exams, I travelled overseas and found while moving through different countries that learning the language was fairly easy when totally immersed in the culture. After years of travelling I could converse basically in different languages but I came to the understanding that the only language I couldn’t speak was my own.

I lived in Australia for many years before the opportunity of learning Māori under the total immersion system run by Te Atārangi presented itself. So I took the ball and ran with it. I started Te Atārangi last year and was immediately aware of the professional manner in which the kura was conducted. Knowing only limited Māori, it allowed me to progress at a steady pace. Because of the emphasis on karakia, waiata and mihi, learning Te Reo also allowed me to understand the connection between the spiritual world and everyday living which has been passed down to us by our tupuna, by our kaumatua. This is my second year and although I still have a long way to go the journey for me has started and new levels of understanding are constantly being presented. I have met many like-minded people from all over Aotearoa with similar stories and together we embrace the learning of our Reo, Waiata, Karakia and Tikanga. We all carry our Tupuna with us. We are the twinkle in their eyes. We are unique. We are Māori. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

"Moe"

Ki te taha o toku whaea ko Tainui te iwi, ko Ngati Mahana te hapu, ki te taha o toku papa ko Italia te iwi. My mum arrived in Sydney in 1968 and my sisters and I were born and bred in Sydney. I've always wanted to learn Māori, ever since I was a child, and one day i want to be able to understand and speak it. Kura is great. The teaching method is effective, using all the skills/senses of the student, listening, speaking, talking, looking, singing, actions, thinking, makes it fun. It shows that Māori is a living, breathing, spiritual language. learning is what we are there for regardless of how much or little we know so we have respect for all fellow students and the teacher. It has enhanced my life in many ways, by meeting new people, learning and understanding customs of our ancestors, identity and a sense of wholeness, "he taonga te reo".