Kia ora rā koutou!
The global attention of the kupu 'kaitiakitanga' by the language-learning platform Babbel in August 2026 has got us thinking about some of the impacts this kind of attention has on te reo Māori and te ao Māori. We've seen some of these impacts in recent years with Māori words, concepts, ideas, and approaches running the risk of unintentional distortion or misuse when used out of context or without adequate understanding of the depth and breadth that sits behind them.
The kōrero we're re-sharing here is by Te Huia Taylor (Ngaati Te Ata Waiohua). Te Huia posted this kōrero on her instagram platform moanarua_, and offers more context to the kōrero than what mainstream media platforms have provided. We hope that it opens up opportunities for discussions and reflection for you and others in your life.
E hoa, Te Huia, tēnā rā koe i ō whakaaro nui ki tō tātou reo, ki tō tātou taiao, ki tā tātou noho tahi hoki.
We've included some further kōrero on who Te Huia is as a human in the world at the end of this blog.
Te Huia Taylor is a product of her upbringing. Brought up within her tribal rohe of Ngaati Te Ata Waiohua, she has been grounded in the tikanga of her iwi and te reo Maaori since childhood and is the current Waiohua Taamaki Representative. With her strong te ao Maaori foundation (supported by her Masters in Te Reo Maaori Excellence and her te reo Maaori translation license), Te Huia has gone on to contribute to a wide variety of kaupapa including:
- Auckland's Climate Plan - Te Taruke a Tawhiri;
- Kura Reo Taiao;
- Te Whakaoranga o Te Puhinui Strategy;
- Te Rautaki Reo o Ngaati Te Ata; and
- directing for Waka Huia, Reo Anxiety and Tamariki Taiao.
Te Huia is currently contracting as a Land Advisor in Auckland Council's Waiora Rural Partnerships team and has also received a research grant to look at how the restoration of a Lake Pokorua (a lake in her iwi rohe) coincides with the restoration of maatauranga Maaori in her iwi.
Te Huia's governance experience include being a member of Te Puna - Maori Advisory Board for Taumata Arowai, a recent appointment to the Auckland Conservation Board, and being a current trustee for Te Ara Rangatahi Charitable Trust. Te Huia is also a director on Waiuku Zero Waste board and the treasurer of Tahuna Paa Funding Committee.
Although Te Huia has contributed to an array of different kaupapa the common threads are te taiao and te reo Maaori.
