Since 2021, Emma Ralston-Wyllie has been a kaiako of first He Pī Ka Pao and then He Pī Ka Rere at the Waitākere campus of Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.

A sound engineer by trade, she never intended to become a teacher.

“I enrolled in Te Rōnakitanga ki te Reo Kairangi because I wanted to get back to my reo. I wanted to learn again. I did Te Aupikitanga ki te Reo Kairangi and then I was invited to apply to be a kaiako. I still wanted to keep learning my reo so I enrolled in Te Pīnakitanga ki te Reo Kairangi in 2022 while I was also teaching. A previous kaiako had said I’m good at explaining things, why don’t I give teaching a go. Now I don’t want to do anything else.”

She’s now so passionate about being a kaiako that she immerses herself where possible in reo Māori spaces to grow her own skills. She travelled from her home north of Auckland to attend Toitū Te Reo in Heretaunga in August.

Celebrating language, culture, and the identity of Māori and wider Aotearoa, Toitū Te Reo — the world’s first Māori language festival — was held over 2 days at Toitoi Hawke's Bay Arts & Events Centre. Organised by reo advocate, Jeremy ‘Tātare’ MacLeod, the event was a resounding success, bringing together thousands of people passionate about reo Māori.

“I went to be immersed. Like at Te Matatini, it’s a natural space for us to speak and listen to the reo and just be around Māori. I want to learn how to revitalise te reo Māori, and improve my teaching skills. And the whakawhanaungatanga.”

Emma bumped into a former tauira of hers while she was there, and the joy in seeing each other confirmed the impact she has as a kaiako.

Part of her role is guiding her tauira through their own feelings of shame and shyness that can come with learning te reo Māori.

“I tell them, there’s no harm in giving it a go. They want to be there anyway, but I’m encouraging them and supporting them to deal with and accept their feelings and help them find tools that help to get them through. I remind them I’ve had more opportunities come to me since I’ve learned the reo.”

He Pī ka Pao is the Level 1 & 2 reo Māori programme at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa and provides a great foundation level for tauira to learn pronunciation, basic sentence structures, and introduces tikanga practices. He Pī ka Rere, Level 3 & 4 builds on this foundation to expand on sentence structures and encourage confidence.

Emma has found that with growth and confidence comes value and opportunities. She no longer looks for jobs or opportunities, and is being sought after for her skills. She wants others to feel as she does, proud to be able to kōrero Māori.

“I felt out of my depth being asked to be a kaiako but that’s how you learn and grow. I don’t have to look for jobs, don’t have to worry about any of that now. I’ve even had to turn them away! It’s been so valuable.”