Juanita de Senna – Te Aupouri, Te Rarawa, Ngāpuhi, Waikato

"E kore te reo e paheke ki te taringa o te tangata, engari mā te arero e kī."
The language will not slip into the ear of a person; it must be spoken by the tongue.

Kia ora, I’m Juanita, I hail from Te Tai Tokerau and Waikato. My father’s whānau descend from Cape Verde Islands, a Portuguese colony off West Africa.

As a middle-aged lifelong learner of Te Reo Māori, I’ve spent three decades navigating intergenerational language trauma, imposter syndrome, fear of failure, and whakamā to reclaim my reo, and still experience feeling like a possum in the headlight on this forever journey. These experiences have shaped my teaching style, where I create a safe and supportive space that encourage learners to speak and internalise te reo.

I am a graduate of Rumaki Reo at Te Wānanga o Takiura, where I’ve also worked as a kaiāwhina, and I have completed te reo levels 1–6 with Te Whare Wānanga o Awanui-ā-rangi.

Currently, I am studying with Te Wānanga o Ihorangi.