Tūhoe uri Setima Paraha has returned home to Aotearoa after spending more than a decade living in Australia, determined to strengthen his te reo Māori and deepen his understanding of his whakapapa.
Paraha lived in Australia for around 12 years, a time in which he says he became increasingly aware of a longing to come home and reconnect with his language. While he has always carried a strong visual connection to his culture through tā moko, he says this often leads people to assume his reo is already fluent, creating added pressure.
“People tend to assume that my reo is already up there, but really it’s not. I’m just really excited to not only look the part, but be about the part,” says Paraha.
He has enrolled in Te Tohu Paetahi, a full-immersion Māori language programme delivered through the University of Waikato’s Tauranga campus, which focuses on developing fluency in te reo Māori and strengthening cultural knowledge.
Paraha says returning home is about more than just study. It is about being back on his whenua, reconnecting with his people, and feeling supported and grounded as he works to strengthen his reo.
“I’ve always wanted to learn my reo, so when I got my Mataora, that was my starting point. Why I was getting it was to haere on that journey of relearning my reo, but also learning my whakapapa in depth.”
Paraha says his interest in learning te reo Māori began before he left Australia, with receiving his Mataora marking a turning point. “When I got my Mataora, that was the starting point,” he says. “I wanted to relearn my reo and also learn my whakapapa properly. I know the basics, but I want to understand it in more depth.”
Although the course is based in Tauranga, Paraha chose it because it allows him to return to his home area rather than live in a major city. He says coming back to Te Teko was important.
“I didn’t want to come home and live in a big city. I wanted to come home home, back to my own whenua,” says Paraha.
Paraha shared news of his return and study plans on social media, where he received strong support from whānau, friends, and the wider community. He says others who have completed the programme encouraged him to document his learning journey, telling him they wished they had done the same themselves.
