Hīkina te mānuka – Te Reo Māori in practice
Leadership comes in many forms – and at Tonkin + Taylor, we see it in the way our people embrace Te Ao Māori in their mahi. In this second installment, we spotlight Tess Breitenmoser and Dilys Fong, whose journeys with Te Reo Māori began in different places but share a common thread: a deep desire to connect, uplift, and serve.
Their kōrero shows how learning Te Reo Māori is more than language acquisition – it’s a pathway to understanding, equity, and community impact. From climate adaptation to transport planning, their stories reveal how Te Ao Māori is shaping the future of engineering in Aotearoa.
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I pēhea tō tīmatanga o tō haerenga i Te Reo Māori? How did you begin your journey with Te Reo Māori?
Tess
I tīmatahia tāku haerenga Reo Māori i te whare wānanga, whai muri i tētahi kōrero ki tōku koro. I te matakitaki māua ki ngā pitopito kōrero, whakarongotia te karere e pā ana ki Te Maihi Karauna – tā te karauna rautaki mō te whakarauoratanga o Te Reo Māori. I mua i te tau rua mano whā tekau, kia kotahi miriona te tokomaha o Aotearoa e mōhio ana ki te reo Māori. Ka pai te whāinga teitei ki a au, engari ka ahua rangirua tōku koro. Ka pātaia – ki te ai he mea nui Te Reo Māori ki ngā tāngata katoa, tae rā anō ki ngā pākeha, he aha āna mokopuna te kore e ako? Ko te mea nui o tōnā pātai – i te aha tāku mahi ki te awhina ki te whakapakari i te reo o tēnei whenua? Heoi anō, ka hoki atu au ki te wānanga, ka timata au tāku akomanga reo māori tuatahi, ā, kāore au i mutu mai i tērā wa!
My Te Reo Māori journey started at university, after a conversation with my ninety-six-year-old grandfather. We were watching the news together, and there was a story about the Crown’s strategy for Māori language revitalisation. By 2040, a million New Zealanders would be able to speak Te Reo. I thought this was an excellent goal, but my grandad was sceptical. He challenged me – if the language was so important to New Zealanders, why weren’t any of his grandchildren learning it? That question stayed with me and really made me consider what I was doing to promote the language. And so, later that year, in my final semester of university, I enrolled in my first Te Reo course – and I have never stopped!
Dilys
Āna! Ā, kātahi ka, i tīmata māua i te Te Wānanga o Aoteroa i te taima ngātahi, engari i rereke ngā taone! Kei te maumahara ahau i te tino ohorere rawa atu māua ki te kite i tēnei meka – he kōrero paki katakata. E pā ana ki tōku haerenga, i te wā roa i mua, i kaiako ahau. I whakaako ahau ki tētahi kura tuarua nui. Ki kōrā, i tino kaha te wairua ki te piki atu i ngā kaupapa Māori, tae ana ki Te Reo Māori. I tōku mahuetanga, i ngaro ahau hoki i tētahi taiao ki te ako reo Māori, me ki te whakarongo ki ngā kōrero hirahira mō ō tātou hapori. Nō reira, i haere atu ahau ki te kura pō ki te ako anō.
Yes! And after that, we started our journeys at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa at the same time, despite being in different cities! We were surprised to discover that, which made for some laughs. Relating to my own journey, I was a teacher a while back. I taught at a huge secondary school with a strong spirit to uplift kaupapa Māori, including Te Reo Māori. When I left, I also lost an environment to keep learning Te Reo and to listen to related conversations that are important to our communities. So, I went to night classes to learn again.
He aha ngā painga o Te Reo Māori ki ō mahi? How has your journey with Te Reo Māori shaped the way you approach your work?
Dilys
Kei te kaiwhakamāhere ikiiki me mātanga i te urutaunga huringa āhurangi ahau. Ki ōku nei whakaaro, ahakoa kua kite au i te tautoko tino pai i tōku tari, i te taiao kaipūhaka hoki mō Te Ao Māori, ā, kei te mōhio whanake tātou i te hirahiratanga o tēnei kaupapa, he ihu hūpē tonu te nuinga i tērā mātauranga. He kōingo ahau ki te whai ake i te taputapu, māramatanga, me te mātauranga ki te whakahanga i ngā hua pai i tā mātou kaupapa, ā, i ō tātou hāpori – Māori mā, Pākeha mā, tauiwi mā. Ki te tutuki te rangapū, te kotahitanga, me te oritetanga, me mārama tātou i a tātou, tētahi ki tētahi. Mēnā mārama tātou, me kōrero pai tātou. Nō reira, he tino hirahira Te Reo.
I’m a transport planner and climate change adaptation consultant. Although we have a supportive workplace and industry for Te Ao Māori and increasingly recognise its importance, many of us are still beginners in embedding it meaningfully into our practice. I really want to continue learning, to have more tools, understanding, and knowledge to create positive outcomes in our projects and for our communities – Māori, Pākeha, and tauiwi alike. If we are to achieve partnership, unity, and equity, we must understand each other. And if we are to understand each other, we must communicate well. So, for me, language and learning Te Reo Māori are very important to my work.
Tess
Kei te tautoko au ki ngā whakaaro a Dilys. Ki ōku nei whakaaro, ko te ako i Te Reo Māori, kia pai ake au i tāku mahi. Kua whakaakona ahau ki te maumahara te ngākau o tā mātou mahi – te whakapikitia a tātou hapori. E ai ki te whakataukī, “Ko ngā pae tawhiti whāia, kia tata, ko ngā pae tata, whakamaua kia tina”. Ka mutu, he maha ngā whaikōrero i roto I te akomanga, ka ngawari ake ai te whaikōrero i te reo pākeha i te mahi.
Learning Te Reo has made me a better engineer by broadening my perspective on our work and how it impacts our communities. It has also reinforced the importance of stepping up and taking responsibility for shaping a better future. Plus, I’ve had to do a lot of public speaking!
He aha ngā akoranga nui? What has been your biggest learning so far?
Tess
I te tīmata o tāku haerenga Reo Māori, he iti āku whāinga – ka whakatika tōku whakahua, ka akotia tōku pepeha hoki. Nā te ako ka hikinga tāku mahi, tōku wairua hoki. Kua akotia tōku whakapapa, te hītori o Aotearoa hoki. Ko te ako i Te Reo ka hono ahau ki ngā taonga tuku iho o tēnei motu, ā, ka whakaarotia tōku tū kei konei. Engari, ki ōku nei whakaaro, te ako nui te wero – tūwhitia te hopo, mairangatia te angitū!
I started with small goals: perfecting my pronunciation and learning my pepeha. Along the way, I’ve gained so much more. I’ve connected to the history of both my own family and Aotearoa. The experience has challenged me to reflect on my place and what it means to be Pākehā. Most importantly, it has shown me that the most learning happens when I step outside my comfort zone.
Dilys
Orite ki a Tess, i whakaaro ahau ka ako i Te Reo, he mea wetereo. Heoi anō, nā tēnei haerenga kua ako au i ngā mea tikanga Māori, kōrero tuku iho, ahurea, whakapapa, me ngā tirohanga hou. Ahakoa kei te tino wero pea ki te ako i ngā reo hou, he hōnore nui me he wheako mīharo ki te ako i Te Reo Māori.
Similar to Tess, I thought I would be learning a language. However, through that journey, I also learned about tikanga, history, culture, intergenerational connection, and new ways of thinking. Although learning a new language can be very challenging, learning Te Reo Māori has been an incredible privilege and experience.
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Read more here:
- Part 1 of this 2-part series: Hīkina te Mānuka – Rangatahi Māori Shaping the Future
- Waitangi Day: A Time for Reflection and Connection
- Transport, Sustainability, and Kaupapa Māori Leadership, with Dilys Fong
- Embracing Te Reo Māori – Reflecting on Our Language Journeys
