Today, Debbie Tāta (Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga, Muaūpoko and Ngāti Kahungunu ki te Wairarapa) will lead three generations of her whanau in graduating with qualifications in te reo Māori.
The seasoned 59-year-old learner will be awarded a te tohu mātauranga whakapakari tino rangatiratanga tohu paetahi (Māori education degree) from Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust Board — equipping her with the specialised skills and knowledge to teach mokopuna and whānau in Kōhanga Reo.
The journey of reclaiming her language and living a life immersed in te ao Māori had been long but made sweeter as her daughter Te Āwhina Tāta (40) and her grandson Kalani-Joe Batchelor-Tāta (20) would be joining her in graduating with their own te reo and tikanga qualifications, she said.
"I’ve been on this te reo journey for over 30 years and it’s taken me this long but I’m finally grounded in who I am," she said.
Her daughter praised her mother for her diligence in raising their whanau in te ao Māori with the few resources and skills she had.
"When I was young I’d come home from school and the lounge would be full of language resources that Mum had made. This was the time when computers had just come out.
"I was lucky that she put me into a bilingual unit," Te Āwhina Tāta said.
All three Tāta whanau members are part of the teaching staff at Kimihia Te Mātauranga o Ngā Tūpuna Kōhanga Reo in Invercargill and they credit their "respected trailblazer’ for their own explorations into identity.
"I had no idea what I was missing until I’d seen that in front of me and I was just lucky enough to have my nan to learn from," Mr Batchelor-Tāta said.
"Now I know who I am and it’s very important," he said.
"I feel fulfilled now as a person and I can become a better father to my daughter," he said.
Debbie Tāta will have the tautoko of her children, 13 grandchildren and one great-grandchild as she and her daughter and grandson celebrate their Kōhanga Reo korowaitanga (graduation) in Murihiku tomorrow.
The graduation is supported by whānau from all Kōhanga Reo from Murihiku and Ōtepoti.
The Tāta whanau paid a special tribute to their trainers, Mereana Edwin, Christina Rask and Eruera Mokomoko.
