Ko Aoraki te mauka
Ko Waitaki te awa
Ko Kāti Rakiāmoa, ko Kāi Te Ruahikihiki kā hapū
Ko Kāi Tahu te iwi.

I whānau au i te wā o te Pakanga Tuarua o te Ao, i Kaikōura, i te tau 1944. Tokorima ngā tamariki i tō mātou whānau. Ko au te mea tuarua. I a au e tamariki ana i pupū ake i roto nei te wara ki te ako i ētahi atu reo. I te kura, i te whare wānanga anō hoki i whāia e au tēnei kohara ōku, me te aha ka puta i te whare wānanga me te tohu paetahi i roto i te reo Rūhia, te reo Wīwī, me te reo Tiamana. Ka whakatau kia whakangungua hei kaiako kura tuarua.

I tīmata au ki te whakaako i te reo Wīwī me te reo Ingarihi i te kura tuarua o Whanganui i te tau 1968. Kāore he kura i taua wā i pīrangi ki te whakaako i te reo Rūhia. I te tau 1970 i mārena māua ko tōku hoa rangatira. I te tau 1971 i tīmata māua tahi ki te whakaako i te Kāreti o Pēwhairangi, i Kawakawa, i Te Tai Tokerau. Ko te reo Wīwī me te reo Ingarihi ōku marau whakaako.

Heoi, i tētahi rā, i a au e whakaako ana i tōku akomanga reo Wīwī o te reanga tuaono, ka tukuna e tētahi kōtiro tēnei pātai ki a au, "E pā, he aha koe i kore ai e whakaako i tōku reo, te reo Māori ki a au? He pai ki a au ō whakaakoranga, engari ka tino hiahia ki te ako i tōku ake reo. Ahakoa e kōrerotia ana e ōku mātua, kāore rāua e kōrero ana i te reo ki a au.” Tumeke pai ana au i taua pātai. Ka whakatau māua ko tōku hoa ki te ako i te reo Māori. Māringanui e whakahaere ana te minita mihingare o Kawakawa i ētahi karaehe reo Māori i tōna kāinga. I tua atu, i roto i tētahi atu o ōku akomanga reo Ingarihi ētahi tama tino matatau ki te reo Māori. He mea whakatau e rātou tokowhā me māua ko tōku hoa ki te whai ngātahi i te whakamātautau kura tiwhikete reo Māori i te mutunga o te tau 1971. I angitu te katoa, ka puta i te whakamātautau.

I taua wā kāore he kōhanga reo, kāore he kura kaupapa Māori, kāore he akomanga arareo Māori. E whakaako ana ētahi kura tuarua ruarua i te reo Māori i te Tai Tokerau. He mea whakatau kia tīmata te whakaako i te reo Māori i te tau 1972 ki te Kāreti o Pēwhairangi. Engari me tiki i te kaiako reo Maori whai tohu i hea? Whai mai ana i ngā kōrerorero ki ngā hapori, ka puta te whakaaetanga manauhea ko au, te ihu hūpē nei, hei kaiako reo Māori taea noatia kia kitea rā anō tētahi hei whakakapi i taua tūranga. Kāore he rauemi whakaako i te reo i tua atu i ngā pukapuka a Hoani Waititi, Te Rangatahi, i taua wā. Ko tā te kaiako he hanga i āna rauemi whakaako. I āhei au te whakamahi i ōku pūkenga whakaako reo kē hei āwhina i a au.

I te tau 1972 ka werohia au ki tētahi pātai nunui tuarua. Ka whakatata mai tētahi tama me te pātai, "E pā, he Māori koe? E hiahia ana tōku māmā ki te mōhio." Tumeke pai ana anō ahau. Kīhai au i mōhio mēnā he toto Māori i roto nei. Ehara tērā i te take kōrero i roto i tōku whānau i a au e tamariki ana i Te Waipounamu. Ka tuhi reta au ki tōku matua kēkē, ki a Syd Cormack. Ko ia he tino pūkenga mō ngā take whenua Māori i Te Waipounamu i taua wā. Ka whakautu ia i tōku reta – e 26 ngā whārangi e whakamārama ana i tōku whakapapa Kāi Tahu me Kāti Māmoe.

Kātahi anō au ka mōhio, ehara te reo Māori i tētahi anō reo hei akoranga māku, engari anō ko te reo Māori tōku reo anō. Mai i taua wā ka pūmau tonu taku aro ki te reo Māori. I waiho ērā atu reo ki te taha. He nui ngā wā i pau i ngā marae i ngā ahiahi pō, i ngā mutunga wiki anō hoki.

I te roanga o te wā ka piki haere te maha o ngā akomanga reo Māori i te kāreti. Ka tīmataria hoki he akomanga whakairo i te kāreti, ko Warahi Hetaraka te tohunga whakairo. Ka whakatuwheratia he whare akomanga, he mea whakairo hei kāinga ruruhau mō ngā tamariki. I te katinga o te Mōtatau District High School, ka haere ngā ākonga o reira ki te Kāreti o Pēwhairangi kuraina ai. Mō ngā tamariki Māori nō Matawaia me Motatau ko te reo Māori tō rātou reo tuatahi. Me kore ake rātou hei whakaako mai i a au ki te reo!

I te tau 1980 ka hoki mātou ko tōku hoa me ā māua tamariki tokorua ki Whanganui noho ai. Ka hoki anō ki te Kura Tuarua o Whanganui, engari i tēnei wā e whakaako kē ana au i te reo Māori. I roto i te tekau tau 1980 i mahi au hei kaiako reo Māori, hei kaitirotiro kura tuarua, hei kaitohutohu reo Māori.

I te tekau tau 1990 he kaiarotake ahau mō Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga i te tari ā-rohe o Whanganui. Ko tāku hei tātari i ngā kōhanga reo me ngā kura kaupapa Māori kātahi anō ka tīmata. I te tau 1994 nā ōku hoa mahi Māori i te tari i whakaae kia noho au hei kaiwhakahaere mō rātou. I tō mātou rōpū te haepapa ki te arotake i ngā kōhanga reo me ngā kura kaupapa Māori puta noa i Aotearoa. He mea tuhi ngā pūrongo katoa ki te reo Māori.

Tae mai ana ki te tau rua mano, kua wehe kē au i Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga, kua whakatau ki te mahi hei kaiwhakamāori ā-tuhi. Kua puta i te whakamātautau Toi Reo Māori i te tau 2004. E mahi tonu ana māua ko tōku hoa i tō māua kamupene whakamāori ā-tuhi, Taumatua Māori Language services Ltd, i tēnei rā tonu. Ko tētahi o aku tino aro ināianei ko te reo o te hangarau matihiko.

E ako ana au i te reo mai i te tau 1971 tae noa mai ki tēnei rā. Ia rā, ia rā e ako ana i ngā kupu hou, ngā kīanga rānei e hou ana ki a au, me te mōhio anō ka ako tonu kia mate rā anō.

Kāti, ko tā He Muka he whakaputa kōrero ki te reo Māori. Ko ngā tirohanga, whakaaro rānei kei roto i te tuhinga nei he mea whaiaro nō te tangata nāna te kōrero i tuhi. Ka mutu, kāore i te whakaatu i ngā whakaaro o, i ngā kōrero a, rānei, Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori, āna kaimahi, tana pae whakahaere, tana poari rānei, tae atu rā ki ngā tari, ngā pakihi rānei e whai pānga ana ki Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori, ahakoa te hononga, hāunga i ngā mea kua āta whakahuatia ake ai.  Ehara ēnei tirohanga, whakaaro, kōrero rānei i te mea whakaiti, whakahē rānei, i te iwi, i te hapori, i te rōpū, i te tari, i te pakihi, i te tangata rānei.