ABOUT US / KO WAI MĀTOU
OUR CORE VALUES / Ō TĀTOU TIKANGA
At Learn Māori Abroad we are committed to providing authentic, one-of-a-kind Māori cultural experiences and high-quality, engaging classes and workshops for learners living abroad.
Our language and cultural classes are based on the following core values:
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WHAKAMANA: To empower Māori language & culture learners who live outside of New Zealand.
- WHANAUNGATANGA: To create community and connectedness among learners abroad.
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TOMONGA: To provide access to learning Māori abroad through online classes, workshops, resources and other learning materials.
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TAUTOKO: To support you on your Māori language and culture journey.
We invite you to join us for a language class or a haka workshop. We look forward to partnering with you on you Māori language and culture journey.
OUR TEAM / TŌ MĀTOU WHĀNAU
"Ehara taku toa e te toa takitahi engari he toa takimano."
My strength is not that of an individual but that of the collective.

AMELIA BUTLER
Owner, Founder & Kaiako / Teacher
Ko Huruiki te maunga
Ko Punaruku te awa
Ko Mataatau te waka
Ko te Uri o Hikihiki te hapū
Ko Ngātiwai, Ko Ngāpuhi, Ko Ngāti Awa ngā iwi
Ko Mokau o Whangaruru te marae
Ko Amelia Butler ahau
Amelia Butler is an indigenous Māori performer, dancer, choreographer and instructor from Aotearoa New Zealand. She has been teaching and performing dance at an international level for over 20 years. Amelia moved to Los Angeles in 2008 to pursue a career in dance and has worked as a professional dancer in the LA entertainment industry. She founded and leads Los Angeles based traditional Māori performance group, Ngā Ānahera Māori, teaches te reo Māori online and teaches haka & poi workshops in the US. Amelia’s tribal affiliations are Ngātiwai, Ngāpuhi and Ngāti Awa. She is proud to share her culture abroad.
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FOREST TAANETINORAU-MORTON
Kaiāwhina/Teaching Assistant
Ko Owhawhe te maunga
Ko Rere Waitomo te awa
Ko Tainui te waka
Ko Ngāti Maniapoto te iwi
Ko Ruapuha Uekaha te hapū
Ko Tokikapu te marae
Forest Taanetinorau-Morton is of Māori (Ngāti Maniapoto) Scottish, Irish and English descent. She grew up in Ōtautahi, always hearing the beautiful reo Māori of her koro Uekaha and wider whānau, but didn't start learning te reo Māori until she moved to Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington) in 2017. After studying at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa and Te Ataarangi ki Pōneke, she moved to Melbourne in 2019. Looking for a way to keep learning te reo Māori, she connected with Amelia and Learn Māori Abroad. Her inspiration for her te reo Māori haerenga (journey) is her koro who reclaimed te reo later in life, her Nanny Lyn and māmā Maurz who are learning alongside her, and her wider whānau (family) who are committed to nurturing our reo through music and kōrero (talk).
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FRANÇOISE AROHA DANOY
Kaiāwhina / Teaching Assistant
Ko Hikurangi te maunga
Ko Waiapu te awa
Ko Ngāti Porou te iwi
Ko Françoise tōku ingoa
Francoise, aka Frenchie, is a Franco-Māori (Ngāti Porou) Australian American living in San Antonio, Texas. She started her Te Reo Māori language journey mid-late 2019, as part of her journey to connecting back to her cultural heritage, joining Amelia's program early 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic. Her day job is knitwear design: she designs and publishes knitting patterns with an emphasis on documenting this journey.

KIMBERLEY MORIARTY
Kaiāwhina/Teaching Assistant
Ko Rakaumangamanga te maunga
Ko Taumarere te awa
Ko Mātaatua te waka
Ko Patukeha te hapū
Ko Ngāpuhi te iwi
Ko Te Rāwhiti te marae
Ko Kimberley Moriarty ahau
Kimberley studied te reo Māori throughout high school in New Zealand. This led her to participate in kapahaka (traditional Māori performing arts) at Te Taitokerau Festival in Northland, New Zealand and Ngā Manu Kōrero, a Māori speech competition for secondary school students. At the age of 25 Kimberley moved to London and became disconnected from the language. Kimberley’s journey started again when she saw an opportunity to join one of Learn Māori Abroad’s courses for learners living abroad. It was one of the most empowering decisions she has made as an adult. Kimberley's iwi (tribe/nation) is Ngāpuhi.