Briony O’Farrell

Tēnā koutou e te whānau. 

Ko wai au? Ehara au nō tēnei whenua ātaahua. I tipu ake au ki te tonga o Ingarangi. Kārekau he maunga i te rohe i tipu ai au, pērā i ngā mānia o Waitaha, he tino pararahi te whenua ki reira. Heoi anō, e whāngaihia ana te tinana me te hinengaro o ngā tāngata kei reira e te moana ko The Solent.

E ai ki te kōrero, ko te kāinga te wāhi kei reira te ngākau, ā, koirā te take kei konei ahau: ko te karanga a te ngākau. Kei Ōtautahi tōku kāinga ināianei.
Nā reira, ka mihi au ki te whenua o Aotearoa. Ka mihi hoki au ki te mana whenua o te takiwā nei – ki te iwi o Kāi Tahu – tēnā koutou.

Nā reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

 Kia ora everyone!

My name is Briony and I grew up in the South of England, although I have lived in Aotearoa/New Zealand for almost 20 years. I can’t quite explain it, but it has always felt like home to me, and I feel spiritually connected to this land and its people.

I have studied Te Reo Māori part-time over the last 7/8 years and have an undying passion for not only the Māori language, but also the culture, or Tikanga. A Mōri idiom, or whakataukī, which has always resonated with me is:

“He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tāngata! He tāngata! He tāngata!”
What is the most important thing in the world? It is people! It is people! It is people!

I love to teach, inspire and share my passions with people from all walks of life. There is a noticeable hunger for Te Reo Māori in our community and so f I can impart just some of the knowledge I have acquired over the past few years, I feel I will be doing my part as a citizen of Aotearoa in the revitalisation of Te Reo Rangatira.

“Popoia te kakano, ka puāwai” – Plant the seed and it will blossom.”

We are all seeds who just require a little tender loving care in order to blossom.