New dad and new Shortland Street star Alex Tarrant has embarked on a te reo journey after the birth of his son, Beau.
“I’ve just been writing out little phrases on post-it notes and every now and then just trying to speak as much as I can to him and hopefully we will be able to grow in this journey together," he says.
The Māori/Niuean actor plays new doctor Lincoln Kimiora on the popular New Zealand drama.
His fiancé, Luci Hare, says Tarrant once had a fear of learning Māori. But since the birth of their seven-month-old son, he’s embracing his culture.
“The joy I’ve been witnessing is Alex rediscovering the language through little boy,” says Hare, “It makes me quite teary, I really like hearing him sing to him in Māori and walking around the house saying phrases.”