Northland local, Piri-Kapua Allen originally enrolled to study te reo Māori at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa to tautoko his mum on her journey, but it quickly became a transformative experience of his own.

It wasn’t long before he found himself immersed in the language and community, discovering his own passion for learning te reo Māori while reclaiming and strengthening his identity as a proud Māori.

“My mother had enrolled and gone to the first class on her own. I saw how excited she was and I wanted to tautoko my mum however I could. Now I’m on my own journey and I’m loving it.”

This wasn’t the first time the pair had studied te reo Māori together. They tried various local classes, but some were too advanced while others didn’t quite meet their needs.

They felt at home at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa and the challenge of the learning was balanced out with the strong support they received from their kaiako.

“Our kaiako was awesome. She was kind, but she was also strict in terms of making sure we followed tikanga and correcting our kōrero. She made sure things were done right and I liked that.”

Piri-Kapua also highlighted the strong bonds formed among the tauira, which began during their He Pī ka Pao Level 1 & 2 journey and continued throughout their studies in He Pī ka Rere Level 3 & 4 last year.

“I noticed that a few tauira were struggling and instead of letting them give up we formed a study group to help each other. This was the best experience because it wasn’t just about learning but whakawhanaungatanga too,” he says.

The study group also used this time to craft their own korowai, with some proudly wearing them this year as they walked across the stage to graduate from He Pī ka Rere.

Studying te reo Māori in a safe and supportive learning environment allowed Piri-Kapua to thrive in his study and has given him the motivation and confidence to keep learning.

“I want to keep studying te reo and go all the way. My general interest in te ao Māori has skyrocketed. I have a better understanding of myself now, what I want in life and what I want my future to look like.”

Find out more about our te reo Māori (language) programmes.