Te Ataakura Pewhairangi, Ngati Porou, was brought up in te ao Maori, and her home language was and still is te reo Maori. A product of kohanga reo, kura kaupapa Maori and wharekura, she not only loves her language but also understands the responsibility as a fluent native speaker and writer to further promote te reo Maori. She has worked extensively in television, and has MC'd various regional and national events such as the secondary schools kapa haka competition, Hauora Unleashed and Manu Korero national speech competition. A former senior tutor teaching te reo Maori and cultural competency at Massey University, she is now the Maori Student Recruitment Advisor at the university.