HORI - TANIWHA

"PATUA TE TANIWHA PATUA TE WHAKAMA" THIS WAS SHOT BY MY GOOD FRIEND MATT DRAPPER MY WHAKARO WAS I WAS MY OWN TANIWHA. THE WHAKATAUKI OR PROVERB IS ABOUT BEING TO OVER COME YOUR FEAR YOUR TANIWHA IN YOUR LIFE. MINE WAS BEING WHAKAAMA OF MY CULTURE AND THE FACT I COULD SPEAK TE REO. BECAUSE OF THIS FEAR OF NOT FITTING IN TO TE AO PAKEHA OR THE PAKEHA WORLD I SPENT MANY OF MY TEENAGE YEARS AND 20S BEING DISCONNECTED TO WHANAU WHAKAPAPA AND TE AO MAORI SOMETHING I DEEPLY REGRET. FOR THE PAST 8 YEARS I HAVE BEGAN THE JOURNEY BACK TO MY UKAIPO ROOTS KI TOKU WHANAU FAMILY ME TOKU TURANGAWAEWAE AND AS A FATHER I WILL NOT ALLOW MY TAMARIKI TO MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE I DID.