"During the time of Mahuru, we'll be sharing with your stories of different journeys on te reo Māori from some members of our beautiful kura. We hope to inspire, enthuse, and encourage you to embark in your own reo journey. Today we will hear Hana Old's story and how it's been weaved by te reo and tikanga Māori from a very young age. Hana is one of our wonderful kindergarten assistants in Pohutukawa Room.

When did you start your Reo journey?

I started my Reo Journey when I was born - I was priviledged to grow up with Reo around the house as my three older siblings speak and my Pākehā parents were and are still on the learning journey. But officially I would say it all started when I was 5 and became a part of Te Whanau o Ngā Rito, the immersion program at my local kura. Together with my siblings we grew up learning to write, do maths, weave etc in Te Reo.

Why did you want to learn Te Reo?

My parents have and continue to be anti-racism activists, and my reason is pretty tied to theirs. To whakamana Te Reo Māori, matauranga Māori and Tangata Māori and to draw on our knowledge and experiences to support justice and equity in this whenua.

How did you go about it?

My Reo Journey has primarily been through my education. My primary school experience was in immersion, my high school experience was mainstream but I did NCEA level 1, 2 3 to keep it up and my degree at uni was back into immersion, majoring in Te Reo Māori and Matauranga Maori. To support me as I was learning I made up heaps of playlists in Te Reo because waiata are such a fun and accessible way to learn new kupu. I also read as many books as I could in Te Reo, watched Maori TV (there are heaps of great reo + bilingual shows on there!), listened to the bilingual podcast Taringa (which is an awesome resource!!) And practiced with friends who could speak.

Any words of encouragement to others?

It can be challenging to learn Te Reo as not only is it a new language and new sounds to get your tounge around - but it also brings to light our shared history and the violence that has shaped it. The emotions that bubble up for Tangata Maori/Tauiwi/Pākehā will all look different, but make sure that you have people to call on to support you to process them as you navigate the journey. When it comes down to it though my encouraging words are: be gentle and courageous! Focus on taking steps that are accessible to you right now but just stretch you beyond your comfort zone. Kia kaha koutou ma!

What are your Mahuru Māori goals for this year?

This Mahuru I am speaking for two hours a day in Te Reo Māori --