Returning home and reclaiming te reo Māori

After many years away building his professional career, Logan Bertram (Whakatōhea), returned home to Ōpōtiki with a clear goal of reconnecting with his whakapapa and creating a better future for his young whānau.

To support that vision, he completed te reo Māori programmes, He Pī Ka Pao Levels 1 and 2 and He Pī Ka Rere Levels 3 and 4 at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, taking his first step towards reclaiming the language he’d long felt connected to.

“I got to hear my nanny speak te reo growing up, but we never learnt it ourselves,” he says. “As I got older, I always knew it was something I wanted to come back to and coming home gave me the chance to finally do something about it.”

Through the programmes, Logan has been encouraged and inspired to integrate te reo into his everyday life, using simple kupu and sentences in the home and helping normalise the language for his tamariki.

“I've got 2 young girls at home, so that’s one big driver for learning te reo. Being able to give basic instructions and use basic kupu around the house has been a big highlight for me. I want my girls to grow up with both English and Māori as natural languages in their household.”

As the Environment Manager for Te Pou Oranga o Te Whakatōhea Charitable Trust, Logan saw firsthand the importance of strengthening his reo Māori within a Māori organisation.

“Another reason I wanted to further my reo was because I work in a Māori-led organisation. The ability to mihi, say karakia, or have a simple conversation in te reo was something that I identified as a gap in my own skill set, so I sought to bridge that."

Since completing He Pī Ka Pao and He Pī Ka Rere, Logan says his confidence has grown, giving him a strong foundation to continue developing his reo.

He also credits his kaiako and fellow tauira for playing a key part in the success of his learning.

“It was a very friendly and welcoming environment. Our kaiako, whaea Maxine Tai was awesome. She brings a real lightness to the class and made the learning easy enough that it would sink in.”

Logan encourages others to embrace te reo Māori and take that first step in their own learning journey.

“I think there’s definite value, regardless of your ethnicity. Gaining a base level of education about our country and our languages is very valuable.”

Learn more about our reo Māori programmes.