​Our tutors are qualified, enthusiastic individuals, who have all been on their own Reo Māori journey. They are humbled to be able to share the language and culture with you.

All our tutors are proficient at teaching over the range of Cultureflow® platforms, ensuring your personal reo Māori journey flows.

​Kiringāua Cassidy

​Kāi Tahu, Ngāpuhi, Te Ātiawa, Ngāi Takoto

​Kiringāua has been raised as a first language speaker of te reo Māori, his parents made te reo their whanau's whole lives and he considers himself very lucky to have an opportunity to share te reo Māori and tikanga Māori with others. It is a strong passion of Kiringāua to be able to share the language with anyone who would like to learn.

Tohu Waetford-Heketa

Based in Te Whanganui-ā-Tara

Te Arawa, Ngāti Whakaue

Tohu’s reo journey started at a very young age, with his parents blessing him with te reo Māori as his first language. This meant that he lived with the reality of te reo Māori, ngā tikanga Māori, and te ao Māori reality in both home and school. Tohu is currently a student at Victoria University of Wellington, doing a double major in Te Reo Māori and Mātauranga Māori. He is currently Pou Tikanga (Vice President) of the University’s Māori Students Association, Ngāi Tauira. He is working toward being a reo Māori and tikanga Māori teacher to pass on his knowledge to others. He aha rā te kai o te rangatira? He reo, he reo, he reo.

Tonisha Rohe

Based in Kahugnunu​

Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Raukawa ki te tonga.

Brought up in Tūranganui a Kiwa (Gisborne), Tonisha moved to Tāmaki Makaurau in 2013 to study. She has dedicated the past 3 years to develop her reo Māori graduating from Te Pinakitanga o te Reo Kairangi in 2020. Tonisha was selected to partake in the first intake of Te Pōkaitara in 2021, which focuses on excellence in te reo Māori and tikanga for her iwi, Ngāti Kahungunu. Alongside this mahi, Tonisha works for Te Karere. 
She is a strong advocate for the ongoing strengthening of te ao Māori and is particularly passionate about supporting people who have taken up the challenge to learn te reo Māori.

James Barnes

Based in Kirikiriroa/Tāmaki Makaurau

Pākehā

He iti pou kapua ki te rangi, ka huna Te Mangoroa | But with a small cloud in the sky, hidden behind is the vast Milky Way. James is Pākehā but was raised from a baby in Māori language immersion, Kōhanga Reo and Kura Kaupapa in Tauranga. He has spent time with kaumātua and has taught the Māori language, New Zealand history, and Māori language dialect at tertiary and iwi level. James has a passion for his Pākehā culture also, and sees the process of clarifying either culture as helping define the other. James will complete a Masters in Applied Indigenous Knowledge this year (2020), which focused on the art of whaikōrero or Māori speech making. 

Nadell Karatea-Kokiri​

Based in Manawatu/Whanganui

Ngāti Konohi, Ngāti Rangatahi-Matakore, Ngāti Piki-Ahuwaewae
​
Nadell is passionate about rangatahi not only achieving their potential but excelling beyond their personal best. She holds a range of tertiary qualifications including a Bachelor of Teaching in Māori Education as well as a Diploma in Māori Education. In her role as a tutor, she is always looking for ways to encourage, motivate and bring out the best in learners. Alongside this mahi, Nadell teaches at Massey University in the undergraduate degree for those pursuing a career in Kura Kaupapa Māori teacher education. Nadell’s kaupapa for success is founded on whakawhanaungatanga, manaakitanga, and puku mahi. He uri tēnei o Ngāti Konohi, Ngāti Rangatahi-Matakore, Ngāti Piki-Ahuwaewae.  Tēnā koutou katoa.

Jason Fox

Te Tiriti o Waitangi lens - Based Nationwide

Cultureflow Co-Founder
Ngā Ruahine, Taranaki Whānui
​​
Jason graduated from Victoria University of Wellington with a Bachelors in Māori and LLB conjoint, before joining the Māori Legal Service and working with New Zealand’s pre-eminent Treaty rights lawyer, Dr Moana Jackson for five years. He then went on to co-found Cultureflow with Sarah Reo, and helped to build the world’s first te reo Māori commercial software product. In 2009 Jason stepped away from Cultureflow, and became the only Māori Chief Executive to lead three tribal entities in Aotearoa: Ngāti Whātua, Te Roroa and Taranaki Whānui. As well as his Cultureflow mahi, Jason continues to serve in various governance and advisor roles across both Government and Māori organisations, living by the mantra ‘don’t toe dip in life’.

Sarah Reo M.N.Z.M

Te Ao Māori lens - Based Nationwide

Cultureflow Co-Founder

Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Rangi, Kai Tahu, Muaupoko
Sarah Reo is a pa kid from Pakipaki.  A law and arts graduate from Victoria University in Wellington, she has focused on small business enterprise for the past 20 years. As a mother of two fully grown children, Sarah accepted the NZ Fulbright Platinum Triangle business scholarship in 2015, and completed an Executive MBA as a Fulbright Scholar in 2017. She was welcomed as a member of the NZ Order of Merit in 2018, for her work in education and Te Reo Māori. She now serves as a Trustee on two Iwi Boards, as well as one Crown Entity and believes Te Reo Māori is a gift left by our tipuna for all to enjoy.  Sarah welcomes constant learning, and is nervously revisiting her own Reo Māori journey after having left it for some time.  Mauriora.

We have a laugh, we speak Māori, we share our stories and we try our best to manaaki you,”
​Sarah Reo, Cultureflow Co-Founder

Partner Provider - Reo Māori Mai

​Ariana Stevens

Director - Reo Māori Mai Ltd
Based in Ōtautahi/Christchurch, and Te Tai Poutini/West Coast

Ngāi Tahu

Ariana (Ngāti Waewae, Ngāi Tahu) is the director of Reo Māori Mai Ltd where for the past 4 years she has been delivering te reo Māori classes and workshops to Councils, businesses, schools, whānau and others across the Canterbury region as well as the West Coast. Ariana has a background in law, policy, education, cultural development, management and more - all of which she brings to the table when facilitating classes and workshops. The aim of the game for Ariana and Reo Māori Mai is to make learning te reo safe, fun and relevant. 

Vicci Sword

Kaiako/Kaiāwhina - Reo Māori Mai Ltd
Based in Ōtautahi

Kōtamana

He Kōtamana ahau, e noho ana i waenga i ngā awa o Ōpawaho me Ōtakaro. Nō Ngāti Porou āku tamariki. Tēnā koutou katoa. Vicci began her reo journey 5 years ago coinciding with the birth of her first child. Being a mother of tamariki Māori, her experience in education and interest in community wellbeing have driven her pursuit of te reo Māori me ōna tikanga. Vicci has a background in Fine Arts (printmaking) and experience teaching at secondary and tertiary level. Vicci utilises multiple ways of knowing, ako and her experiences of te ao Māori in her mahi. She has interests in mental health, education and ngā āhuatanga whānau.