A huge mihi to our featured member - Tuterangiwhiu Grant-Cairns for sharing his journey in Te Ao Matihiko. Scroll down below whanau to read more about his journey!
Patai 1 - Where are you from & what do you do?
Ko Te Arawa te waka, ko Te Arawa te iwi, mai i Maketū ki Tongariro. Heoi anō, he urianō hoki ahau o ngā iwi mai i te tai tamatāne ki te tai tamawahine me ngā iwi maha enoho ana kei waenganui, anei nā ko te whānuitanga o ōku hononga ki tēnei whenua,arā ko Te Ika a Māui. Ko Tuterangiwhiu Grant-Cairns tōku ingoa.
I teach te reo Māori online to people both within Aotearoa New Zealand, as well as all around the world. I also provide te reo Māori translation and interpreting services and solutions.
Patai 2 - How did you get into your mahi?
This all started when my whānau and I were still living in Australia, and I hit a roadblock as to how far I could continue my reo Māori progression with the resources available to me at the time, so we decided to move home. And in order to make this more available to our people overseas, I decided to become the resource for them so that they didn't have to move home just to learn their reo. And from this, the OnlineReo Agency was created.
Patai 3 - What advice would you give to other Māori looking for a career in digital & tech?
It's definitely the way that the world is moving, heoi something to keep in mind with Māori, is that there is usually a strong preference for kanohi ki te kanohi (face to face) options. So if possible, a hybrid of online and kanohi ki te kanohi would be a great option.
Patai 4 - What's the coolest project you’ve worked on or, what piece of mahi are you most proud of?
Definitely our Ngahere learning option. It is a major part and offering of our kaupapa,but it so awesome to be able to offer the opportunity to our people who are overseas and see their reo progress and continue to improve, and see how connected they have become to who they are as Māori by learning their reo and tikanga with us at the Online Reo Agency.
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