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
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
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.
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FRANÇOISE AROHA DANOY
Teacher | Kaiako
Ko Hikurangi te maunga
Ko Waiapu te awa
Ko Ngāti Porou te iwi
Ko Françoise tōku ingoa
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
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.
MISTY RENATA
Kid's Teacher | Kaiako Tamariki
Ko Hikurangi te maunga
Ko Waiapu te awa
Ko Horouta te waka
Ko Ngati Porou te iwi
Ko Misty tōku ingoa
Misty Renata was born and raised in Napier, New Zealand. Her Te Reo Māori journey started in 2004, when her 2-year old daughter began attending Kōhanga Reo. “I wanted to be able to speak Te Reo Māori with her.” What followed for Misty was a beautiful, empowering growth of love for Māori language and culture. “I am very passionate about the revitalization and continuing development of Te Reo Māori to be heard, seen and felt worldwide, kia kore ai e ngaro rite ki te Moa; so that it does not get extinct like the Moa.” Misty has been teaching pēpi (babies) and tamariki (children) te reo Māori for over 10 years and has a bachelors of teaching Kura Kaupapa Māori. She is also learning how to weave.
