Chelsea Winstanley has gone back to school, dedicating this year to a total-immersion course in te reo Māori, so she can reclaim the precious language that was lost to her.
“There’s something intrinsic about reclaiming your language. It’s my birthright, given to me by my ancestors. I know it has always been there, it’s just been lying dormant. Immersive learning is entirely different. It’s like a light switch has been turned on,” she says about her newfound passion.
Chelsea, whose iwi are Ngāti Ranginui and Ngai Te Rangi, grew up