Bright, practical and beautiful te reo Māori and te ao Māori resources created for the everyday spaces where tamariki learn, play and grow.
I'm a busy māmā to four tamariki aged 1, 9, 11 and 13. Together with my husband Hayden, we live on the banks of our awa on the West Coast of the South Island.
I proudly whakapapa to Ngāi Tahu, Rangitāne, Ngā Puhi and Te Arawa, and my tāne is Ngāti Pākehā — which means our tamariki carry many different stories, whakapapa and heritage within them.
As our whānau grew, one thing became increasingly important to me: I wanted our tamariki to feel proud of every part of who they are.
I wanted them to see te reo Māori and te ao Māori reflected naturally in the environments around them. I wanted them to know where they come from, feel connected to their whakapapa, and grow up curious about all the pieces of themselves that make them who they are.
I wanted those things for my own tamariki — and I realised I wanted them for all tamariki.
And from there, Kupu Kids was born.
Most Kupu Kids ideas begin with something I want our own tamariki to see, understand, use or explore — then grow into something we can share with other whānau and classrooms too.
Kupu Kids is about helping create everyday spaces where language, identity, curiosity and belonging can grow together.
Helping te reo Māori become part of ordinary moments — one kupu, one phrase and one conversation at a time.
We want tamariki to grow up proud of where they come from and knowing every part of who they are deserves to be celebrated.
Creating resources that encourage tamariki to notice, wonder, ask questions and discover more.
There is always more to learn — for our tamariki, our whānau, our kaiako and for me too.
Within my own whānau, I'm the person with the least fluency in te reo Māori. Becoming a māmā was really the beginning of my own reo journey — wanting to learn more, use more, and make sure my tamariki grew up seeing and hearing their language around them.
That journey is still continuing, and I think that matters.
We all come to te reo Māori and te ao Māori from different places. Some have grown up immersed in it. Some are reconnecting. Some are learning alongside their tamariki, and many of us sit somewhere in between.
Kupu Kids is designed to meet people wherever they are — making it a little easier to keep learning, keep using the reo and keep exploring.
That hope began with my own children.
I want my tamariki to know their whakapapa, value the people and places they come from, and feel proud of all the different parts of themselves that make them who they are.
And that's what I want for all tamariki — to grow up with a strong sense of belonging, curiosity about their world, and the confidence to keep learning about who they are and where they come from.
Because te reo Māori and te ao Māori belong in the everyday places where our tamariki live, learn, play and grow.
Practical ways to bring more reo and te ao Māori into home life — from everyday phrases and activities to resources that make te reo Māori part of the spaces tamariki see every day.
Bright, engaging resources designed to support everyday classroom kōrero, make learning visible and help tamariki explore te reo Māori and te ao Māori with curiosity.
Before Kupu Kids, I created through Piki Toi.
Over the years I began to notice just how many of the people supporting Piki Toi were kaiako, parents and grandparents looking for meaningful ways to bring more te reo Māori and te ao Māori into the lives of their tamariki.
Kupu Kids grew naturally from that connection and from the resources I was already wanting to create for my own family.
Beautiful enough to want in the room. Practical enough to actually use. Created with tamariki at the centre.
Kupu Kids will keep growing as we do — with new ideas, new learning and new ways for tamariki to explore te reo Māori and te ao Māori.
If something we create helps a parent, whānau or kaiako begin, continue, ask another question or bring a little more reo into an everyday moment, then it has done exactly what I hoped it would.
Made for our whānau. Shared with yours.
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