Tuiana Davidson 

Ngāi Tahu 

Poutuarongo Te Reo Māori Graduate 

Pouako reo Māori, Te Pūkenga ki Te Tau Ihu 

I grew up in Te Tai Poutini on the West Coast and it was a very hard place to be “Māori”.  At one stage mum and I tried to learn te reo Māori through correspondence, but it was too hard to learn that way and engage in te ao Māori. 

While living in Nelson I attended a wānanga and when talking to one of the attendees about wanting to learn te reo she said, “you need to move to Ōtaki and go to Te Wānanga o Raukawa”.  So I enrolled in Heke/Poutuarongo Reo and moved to Ōtaki to begin my reo journey. 

The biggest challenge for me initially was thinking “I should already know this; I feel really inadequate” but the kaiako were great and were fundamental in getting me through the initial first few weeks.  The support from staff throughout my three years was amazing and without their tautoko I wouldn’t have graduated.   

Covid-19 (lockdown) made it very difficult as I was used to being face to face in a classroom and having to move to online learning was a real challenge but with the amazing support of our Kaiako I made it! 

I reconnected to te ao Māori through this tohu and it was instrumental in gaining a teaching position with Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMiT).  I am applying the concepts I learnt during my studies with the Wānanga in my current employment, teaching fundamental and foundational reo.  I am building relationships with my hapū in the hope of running wānanga and engaging them in te ao Māori.  My dream is for our hapū of Te Tai Poutini to grow their own mātauranga. 

I never expected to leave Te Wānanga o Raukawa and end up teaching te reo Māori.  It was never my intention but completing this qualification opens so many pathways for graduates with a degree in te reo Māori, it is a highly valued taonga. 

I would recommend this tohu to anyone wanting to reconnect with their identity and culture.  The fact that it is founded in te ao Māori and is kaupapa Māori driven makes it unique and stands out from any other tertiary provider. 

My advice is “Just do it! Tūwhitia te hopo, mairangatia te angitū! Feel the fear and do it anyway!”