What has whānau taught you?

Erita (Te Aupōuri; Ngāti Pāia) | Tāmaki Makaurau

Erita has been raised to understand that her whakapapa is her super power.

“Due to having grown up within the nest of your family, how do you revitalise this family? I think it’s by moving as one, through love, and through nurturing our treasures, so that we can all give attention to this important issue.

I’ve seen it, I’ve experienced it. I’ve grown so much by just being myself and my whānau encouraging me to stick to who I am. Because once I transitioned from a total Māori immersion school and moved into a mainstream secondary school, I felt whakamā because I’m going into a whole different environment. But my whānau encouraged me to like, “nah you know who you are.”

So you know, I think by being Māori you can attract, you can empower people to be something that they don’t see is there.”

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