Ko Bobbi rāua ko Billy tēnei.

He uri ngā kōrua o Te Whārua!

Bobbi and Billy are proud uri of Te Whārua o Ruatoki & Tūhoe through and through.

For Billy, Te Whārua, Ohinemataroa and Te Urewera are integral in what makes him who he is. He is of this whenua and it is him.

While for Bobbi, Te Whārua is also home, but it’s one she’s been only been able to reconnect with so deeply only recently, a journey she owes to hers and Billy’s aroha.

Bobbi says Billy was the one who pushed her to “hoki ki ō maunga kia purea koa e ngā hau o Tāwhirimātea”, a journey for her that has helped her to feel whole again.

At a time in their lives when they have three beautiful children and a long life of love already, the pair asked me to capture their story of aroha as a young Māori couple from Te Whārua, which weaves together whenua, whakapapa and tuakiritanga.

Ngā mihi nui ki a kōrua Billy & Bobbi!