About Us

Mō Mātou

We are a proudly wāhine Māori owned and operated social enterprise with a team of qualified and experienced educators and learning designers who are dedicated to providing fun, safe, and mana enhancing learning environments that build competency and confidence with te ao Māori, the Māori world.

With 14 years of experience in the Māori education space, our team are knowledgeable in Te Reo Māori, tikanga and kaupapa Māori, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, New Zealand history, culturally safe classrooms, cultural and language strategy development, and E-Learning design.

At Ako Academy, we're all about the journey of teaching and learning — after all, the Māori word 'Ako' means to learn and to teach. Capturing the essence of knowledge exchange.

Meet the team

Meet our Ako team: a powerhouse of talented, qualified, and experienced wāhine Māori! They bring their passion for Te Ao Māori to life through engaging and transformative cultural experiences.

Natalia Wi - Ako Academy

Natalia Wi

Kaitohu | Director
Kaiako | Teacher
BA/BTeach

Nei rā te uri o Te Aupōuri, Ngāti Kurī, Ngāti Pōrou e mihi ana!

My name is Natalia Wi. I am a descendant of the Ngāti Pōrou, Te Aupouri, and Ngāti Kuri iwi (tribes).

I have a background in education specialising in curriculum development and strategy design. I have worked with learners of all ages and have experience in both mainstream and Kura Kaupapa Māori (total immersion) environments.

I’m extremely passionate about helping more people learn about Te Ao Māori and take great joy in supporting individuals and organisation grow cultural confidence and capability.

ako-staff-jasmine-1

Jasmine Jones

Kaiako / Teacher
Supervisor
BEd

Ko Jasmine Jones tōku ingoa. He uri ahau nō Tainui, Ngāruahinerangi, Ngāti Ruanui, Tongareva, Ingarangi ngā iwi.

My name is Jasmine Jones and I whakapapa back to Tainui and Aotea waka, England and to the beautiful shores of the Cook Islands. I currently reside under the protection of Maunga Taranaki here in Pātea. It's beautiful to be reconnecting back to my Whakapapa here and to also live on my whenua.

I am a passionate educator, community activator, writer, creative, professional supervisor and mum. As a second language learner of the reo, I understand how it feels to be disconnected to your culture; I also know how important it is to be able to have access to it. I look forward to supporting people from all walks of life to develop their understandings of te reo Māori me ona Tikanga.

Kelly Te Paa - Ako Academy

Kelly Te Paa

Kaiako | Teacher
MA Education

Ki te taha o tōku Pāpā, he uri tēnei nō Ngāpuhi, Te Roroa me Ngāti Whātua ki Kaipara. Ki te taha o tōku Māmā, he Pākehā ahau. Nō Kōtirana ōku tupuna.

My name is Kelly Te Paa and I am from Ngāpuhi, Te Roroa and Ngāti Whātua ki Kaipara with Scottish ancestry.

I am currently a lecturer for the Faculty of Education at Te Herenga Waka, Victoria University of Wellington. I teach te reo Māori across the undergraduate and postgraduate initial teacher education programmes.

I am a second language learner and have had the privilege of being taught by many amazing kaiako across the country. I am passionate about education and how education can enhance our lived experiences and create connections between all of us as New Zealanders.

Abby Hauraki - Ako Academy

Abby Hauraki

Kaiako | Teacher
LLB

Abby Hauraki is of Ngāpuhi and Ngāti Porou descent.

She is an Associate at Kāhui Legal and specialises in Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Māori land law, Trust law and governance and mātauranga Māori protection and recognition.

Abby is also a consultant who teaches te reo Māori and tikanga Māori. She is raising her 3 year-old son Te Hono ki Īhipa with te reo Māori as his first language.

ako-staff-christie

Christie Wallace

Kaiako | Teacher

Tēnei te ia o mihi e rere atu ana ki a koutou e pīkoko ana ki te reo Māori. He uri tēnei nō Te Ātihaunui-ā-Pāpārangi me Ngāti Apa. Ko Christie Wallace tōku ingoa.

I am currently pursuing a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) alongside a Bachelor of Arts in te reo Māori at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington. Growing up deeply immersed in te ao Māori and attending kura kaupapa, I am firmly grounded in my taha Māori. I am passionate about empowering others to learn te reo and uphold the mana of our language.

ako-staff-te-amareretai-1

Te Amareretai Rangihuna

Kaiwhakamāori | Translator

Ko tēnei te uri o Ngāti Kuhungunu me Ngāti Pōrou e mihi atu ana!

Raised in Kura Kaupapa, Te Amareretai had the privilege of growing up all over the country being nurtured and fostered by many different iwi. She now resides in Te Matau a Māui working as a qualified translator and language planner. Te Amareretai is passionate about providing accessible, high quality reo Māori resources.

Loz Wootton - Ako Academy

Loz Wootton

Kaihanga Akoranga Matihiko | Digital Learning Designer

Loz is dedicated to building innovative and human centric learning solutions to uplift learners of te ao Māori.

Loz is a Tangata Tiriti Pākehā who was raised in Te Waipounamu. She is raising her Māori son and honouring te ao Māori in all areas of their lives.

ako-staff-greyci

Greyci Allen

Kaiwhakahaere Whakapā | Communications Manager

Ko tēnei te mokopuna o Te Aupōuri, Ngāti Kurī, Ngāti Pōrou, me Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti.

Greyci’s professional background is in management, pivoting to more creative roles pursuing writing and content creation in most recent years.

Alongside managing communications at Ako, she is studying te reo Māori at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.

Waimahana Aahuru - Ako Academy

Waimahana Te Wai Aahuru

Kaiāwhina Matua | EA

Mauri ora ki a koutou katoa! He uri ahau nō ngā hau e whā - Te Aupōuri, Ngāti Kurī, Ngāti Kahungunu, Tūhoe, Ngāti Raukawa ki te tonga, Te Āti Awa, Ngāti Toa, me Taranaki whānui. Ko Waimahana Aahuru tōku ingoa.

I have been fortunate enough to have been raised immersed in Te Reo Māori from birth. My role at Ako is to provide support to the kaiako (teachers) and in the operations of the business. I am very passionate about working for a Māori led organisation and supporting our team to do the amazing work that they do!

Our Values

Manaakitanga: We value genuine relationships and conduct ourselves in a way that mutually enhances the mana of ourselves and that of others

Pūkengatanga: We are qualified and experienced kaiako that remain committed to our ongoing development and the pursuit of excellence

Rangatiratanga: We hold ourselves accountable to our values and conduct ourselves with responsibility, integrity and humility

Kotahitanga: We value inclusivity, collaboration and unity and are inspired to achieve collective success

Our Vision

We aspire to significantly influence an Aotearoa that recognises, understands, and upholds the importance of Te Ao Māori, both now and into the future.

Our Mission

Ako Academy is committed to creating mana-enhancing learning environments and providing high-quality opportunities for learning about and engaging with Te Ao Māori.

Ready to start your journey with Ako? Let's kōrero