Te Wero (The Challenge) was created out of the influence of two things:

Covid-19

+ 

Re-learning of my Mother Tongue 

During COVID-19 I've had time to reflect on what it is that is most important to me and how it's changed my perspective on the "Work/Life balance". 

Opportunities presented themselves to me in form of Zoom calls or as we like to call it Zui's (Hui via Zoom) 

Something that I don't think would have happened if Covid-19 hadn't stopped the world. So that was me I jumped onto our Iwi Kura Pō classes and an Introduction to Vangahau Niue, of which both absolutely belong to me. 

Growing up,  I was immersed in Te Ao Māori, attending Kōhanga Reo, Kura Kaupapa and Kura Tuarua, halfway through 4th form our whānau then packed our bags and jumped ship to Australia, that was 2004. Every year since moving away I'd always return to my Papakāinga but you know, if you're not in Kura, not working with our own and not surrounded by Te Ao Māori it was always pākehā that was spoken. Yeah you get the "Kei te pēhea koe ?" with a "Kei te pai ahau", then revert back to English. That was it really.  

Over 10-15 years my reo and my memory of it had become faded, in my  mind I know it's still there I just needed something to trigger my memory,  to help me think out-side the box and not revert to the easy basic kupu..... then BAM! I woke in the middle of the night and put this whaakaro down to paper and have been working on this since. 

Ko Te Wero  !