Tena koutou ki a koutou

Nō Itari me Ingarani ōku tūpuna. 
I tae mai ōku tīpuna ki Whanganui-a-Tara i te mai na ro.
He Pākehā ahau.
I tipu ake au ki Wairarapa.
Ko Taratahi te maunga.
Ko Ruamahanga te awa.
Ko Whakaoreore te wahi.
E mihi ana ki ngā tohu o nehe, o Whangaunui a Tara e noho nei au. 

Mā te huruhuru ka rere te manu. 

Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, 
Tēnā koutou katoa

Greetings to you all

My ancestors are from Italy and England, and they arrived in Aotearoa a long time ago. I grew up in the Wairarapa in Masterton, and acknowledge Mt Taratahi and the Ruamahanga River. I recognise the spiritual and ancestral landmarks of Wellington, where I now live.

A whakatauki that resonates with me as a teacher is 'Mā te huruhuru ka rere te manu’ (By feathers, a bird flies).