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Entertainment | Aotearoa

Isaac Luke's te reo journey

Māori Language Week may have wrapped up last week, however, it is still not over for Warrior's hooker Issac Luke, who recently took up the challenge to learn te reo Māori when he enrolled at Te Wānanga o Te Awanuiārangi and he hasn't looked back.

Luke struck the first match, and now his desire to learn his native tongue is in full blaze.

“It's been awesome, to be able to reconnect with my culture. It's not only just me but my kids get to see it and learn it.”

Luke, who only recently took up the journey of te reo has been learning under the wing of Abe Rangi. Luke says te reo has expanded his understanding of his own roots.

“Just being from Taranaki and being able to sort of think about and search up where I'm from and what it means, what a rohe means and search up where our marae would have been back in the days, yeah just all those.”

With much concern growing over the small number of te reo speakers amongst the Māori sports elite, Luke says his fellow team mates have been supportive each step of the way.

“The boys are enjoying it and I get to speak to a few of our young Māori boys and yeah it's pretty funny.”

And while Māori Language Week may be over, it is only hoped Issac's new found love spreads like wildfire.