A journey of Te Reo Māori and Whakaahua Whenua

Earlier this year I heard a whakaaro that listening is sometimes the best way to learn te reo Māori: specifically listening to te reo o te taiao.

I have this dream for myself, that one day, I won’t choke up when I go to speak te reo.

I dream of a time when kupu will come to me as much as they flow from me: without the sweating, without the averted eyes, without the fidgeting, without pulling out my phone to find a mihi I can read out of my notes app, and without the need to settle for a simpler version of my pepeha, for fear of making mistakes.

So when I heard this whakaaro, that you can find te reo in te taiao, I started searching for it.

From there, whakaahua whenua were born; as a way to not just hear the whakaaro, but to feel it too.

There is so much to be learned from sitting at the foot of your maunga, looking up at your tipuna and learning who they are; from planting your feet in your own awa or your moana to whakanoa; and from basking in te waiata o ngā manu tīoriori in your ngahere.

Whether you find it in art, or in te taiao itself, if you’re on this haerenga too, know this: you are te taiao, and te taiao is you.

That alone, is enough to fuel you on your journey to recognising who you are.

Throughout December, I'm releasing a limited collection of my whakaahua whenua.

Each print is a taonga, a moment captured in te taiao, waiting to connect with those who are ready to whakarongo and to take the huarahi to learning about their tuakiritanga too.

Find those for whakaahua for sale here.