Te Ao o te Māori
When Max’s girlfriend Carley “busted out” her pepeha, it was the perfect motivation the young videographer needed to start learning his language. “It really inspired me that Carley, who isn’t Māori, could stand up and introduce herself in te reo and tell everyone her whakapapa,” says Max Tiweka, who is Ngāi Tahu on his mother’s side and Ngā Rauru on his father’s side. A year-and-a-half ago, Max started work as an intern at Ariki Creative, an Ōtautahi-based Māori creative studio specialising in digital and print media. It’s that career change Max credits as the beginning of his journey to learn about his Ngāi Tahutanga.
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