How are you?

Geoff | Akaroa

Geoff (Te Whakatōhea, Ngāti Awa) moved to Akaroa to be closer to his mokopuna. 

“Time with my mokopuna and my tamariki is vital for my oranga. That’s why we’re here.

Kei te pai ahau i tēnei rā. I’m feeling good. I’m sixty-one years old. I’ve done some hard yards along the way, mahi-wise, to get where I am. Built our whānau. I’ve got a blended whānau with my wife, Julie. We’ve been married for 17 years. We have five tamariki (children) between us and four mokopuna (grandchildren).

We spent 13 years up in Ōpōtiki before coming down here four years ago. Our motto is to be here to have time with our tamariki and mokopuna. They’re part of us. One of our moko’s father is Indonesian, another’s mum is Danish, and the other’s got Polish ancestry too. So there’s a good mix of cultures and whakapapa (genealogy) in there. We have to acknowledge all of that.

It’s not just inter-whakapapa, but it brings the world together. I’ve got to accept Muslim, Danish, Polish, Māori, Pākehā – everything. It’s a big, beautiful mix. And that’s what it’s about, right? If we want to make this world a better place.”