ARIANA STEVENS OF REO MĀORI MAI NAMED TŪ RANGATIRA – SUPREME AWARD WINNER OF NGĀ TOHU MĀORI LANGUAGE AWARDS 2024

Ariana Stevens (Ngāti Waewae), founder of Reo Māori Mai, was awarded the Tū Rangatira - Supreme Award at the Ngā Tohu Māori Language Awards 2024 held on Friday 26 April in Wellington. Ariana's commitment to te reo Māori revitalisation and exceptional leadership qualities have earned her this recognition.

Ariana joined the Education Committee of Ngāti Waewae in 2020 where she played a pivotal role in developing and implementing their education strategy and te reo strategy. Her unwavering commitment and profound impact in supporting whānau on Te Tai Poutini, Ngāti Waewae and Ngāti Māhaki ki Makaawhio, in their reo Māori revitalisation have been acknowledged through this award.

Founding Reo Māori Mai in 2017, Ariana embarked on a mission to provide bespoke te reo Māori lessons to individuals, businesses, NGOs, and government organisations. Starting from her home, the initiative has now grown into a team of nine, offering a diverse range of services including classes and workshops tailored to different audiences.

Ariana's journey with te reo Māori began at the age of 17. “After I finished high school, I did a one year immersion course with Te Ātaarangi through Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology. Then I didn’t use it for eight years until after Kōmai was born,” she shares. Now, her own children are fluent speakers of te reo Māori, reflecting her commitment to passing down language and cultural knowledge to future generations.

She emphasises the importance of patience and continuity in language revitalisation. "Language revitalisation is not a sprint, it's not a marathon, it's a relay," she says, highlighting the intergenerational nature of the work.

She sees her role as laying the groundwork for future generations. "I see my job as moving things forward so that my children start from a different place and then my grandchildren start from an even better place," she explains.

Ariana's award as Tū Rangatira is a testament to her outstanding contribution to te reo Māori revitalisation and her dedication to supporting her whānau and the community in their language journey.

Photo by David K Sheilds; Kākahu by Kiri Nathan.