AMELIA BUTLER

Founder | Rangatira & Teacher | Kaiako

Ko Huruiki te maunga

Ko Punaruku te awa

Ko Mātaatua 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

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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 is the Māori Language Lecture at the University of Hawaii, Mānoa.  Her tribal affiliations are Ngātiwai, Ngāpuhi and Ngāti Awa.  She is proud to share her culture abroad.

FRANÇOISE AROHA DANOY

Teacher | Kaiako

Ko Hikurangi te maunga

Ko Waiapu te awa

Ko Ngāti Porou te iwi

Ko Françoise tōku ingoa

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Françoise Danoy, aka Frenchie, is a Franco-Māori (Ngāti Porou) Australian American living in San Antonio, Texas.  She was born in Australia, grew up in the US with a couple years spent in France, and lived in Japan before moving back to the US.  Françoise 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.   She works as a knitwear design publishing knitting patterns with an emphasis on documenting this journey.

ALEC REDVERS-HILL

Teacher | Kaiako

Ko Ngāi Haina te iwi

Ko Rī te hapū

Nō Aotearoa ahau

I whānau mai i Tāmaki-Makaurau

I tipu ake i te taha o Maungakiekie

E noho ana i te taha o te Waitematā

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Alec Redvers-Hill was born, raised and, after a few stints overseas, currently lives in Tāmaki-Makaurau, Auckland in Aotearoa New Zealand. Alec has been a language teacher both in his home country and abroad for over ten years in universities, school, private tuition, community and outreach programs, and online. He has a Graduate Diploma of Arts specialising in English and Māori and a Master of Teaching and Education Leadership. Whether as a teacher, writer, translator, mentor, or fellow learner, he’s always working to encourage engagement with language and cross-linguistic exchange and understanding, especially the continued growth, spread, and vitality of te reo Māori, including recently presenting on the language at Polyglot Conference 2021. 

ELLA SERGANT

Kid's Teacher | Kaiako Tamariki

Ko Pūhunga Tohorā te maunga

Ko Te Puna o te Ao Mārama te moana

Ko Ngātokimatawhaorua te waka

He uri au nō Ngāpuhi

Nō Ngāti Pākau ōku tūpuna

Ko Tāhekeroa te marae

Ko Ella Paati au

Ella Paati grew up in Whakatū, Aotearoa (Nelson, New Zealand) and began learning te reo Māori in her final year of secondary school. Ella has been a te reo Māori teacher for over a year and works to nurture, protect, and whakamana (strengthen) te reo Māori so that it can be returned to whānau (family), whether in Aotearoa or abroad. Ella is thrilled to be planting kākano (seeds) amongst our tamariki (children) who are stepping into te ao Māori, Māori culture.

LEE STUART

Social Media Manager | Pae Pāpāho Pāpori

Lee Stuart provides unique, educational and inspiring content for our Social Media channels.  Her iwi (tribe) is Ngāti Pu.  Lee is based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Aotearoa (Wellington, New Zealand).  To view her posts click here & here.