For 2025 graduate Kamoe Fabish (Ngāti Kahungunu ki Te Wairoa, Ngāti Maniapoto, Te Whānau-a-Apanui), pursuing a Diploma in Te Tohu Paetahi was a journey far greater than itself — it was a way to honour her ancestors and create a path for her future tamariki.
The year-long course is the University’s fully immersive te reo Māori programme, teaching students to speak te reo Māori fluently, competently, and confidently.
Kamoe grew up in Napier and was surrounded by te reo from a young age. Though her parents were fluent and she attended kōhanga reo (a total immersion programme for preschool children), she had never learned to speak it herself.
Kamoe Fabish.
“For me, learning te reo was something I’ve always felt I needed to do. I wanted to dedicate a whole year to reclaiming my language before joining the workforce and having kids. I want my children to be fluent,” says Kamoe.
Her desire to learn te reo was also a way to honour her grandparents. “Nan and Koro grew up at a time when speaking te reo wasn’t really accepted, and Māori were often pressured to assimilate and speak English,” says Kamoe. “They didn’t have as much reo as they should have had, so I wanted to do what they didn’t have the opportunity to do.”
In early 2024, after completing her Bachelor of Science at Victoria University, Kamoe moved to Hamilton to pursue her goal and was immediately struck by the diversity of people in her classes.
“It was eye-opening. There were people who had just come out of high school, parents and retirees–all wanting to learn te reo but bringing different perspectives and experiences with them.”
One highlight was collaborating with a group to create a news segment in te reo. "We had so much fun with it. We spent the whole week writing and acting it out. Then we got to watch what everyone else created, which was quite funny at times.”
Looking ahead, Kamoe is eager to merge what she’s learned with her work as an environmental scientist. She hopes to bring a new perspective to an industry that she says wouldn’t necessarily have exposure to te reo Māori. Kamoe aims to start small by encouraging practices like saying karakia before taking water samples.
She believes Te Tohu Paetahi has given her science degree a deeper, more personal meaning. “The environment is my connection to my tīpuna and the future of my mokopuna and tamariki,” says Kamoe. “I want to look after the land for the next generation and to respect and honour those who have come before.”
As the self-professed “best advocate Te Tohu Paetahi has ever had,” Kamoe has now inspired several friends to enrol in the course. Her advice to anyone considering it: “Go for it. Attend every class, make connections, and make the most of every opportunity. You’ll never regret it.”
