A couple in Ashburton are doing their bit to revitalise reo Māori – the Māori language – in Hakatere.

The Hakatere marae hosted a flax-weaving workshop on Wednesday as part of their Māori language week programme last week.

Around 15 people came and learnt about the process of gathering harakeke (native flax) and weaving it.

For Karla Paul (Tūhoe, Ngāti Awa), sharing her culture and language with the Ashburton community is important.

“For me, it’s about getting our Māori language out there.”

Paul sat on the floor of the marae’s communal building, gently weaving a grid with her flax, and shared her life story with the group.

She came to Ashburton as a teenager, with nothing but “a pair of gumboots, trackies and a hoodie,” to live with her mum.

Not long after, she met her now-husband Te Koare (TK) Paul (Ngāi Tahu).

“The day after my 21st, we needed a ride to the bottle store, so our friend rang TK and he biked down from Allenton to drive us.”

“The next morning, he invited me over for breakfast. And the rest is history.”

TK said it was “a total set up,” but neither are complaining – they’ve been together for 14 years and have five kids.

“We’ve had our ups and downs, as most couples do,” Karla said. “But I never left.”

They’ve lived across the country – Wellington, Whakatāne – but decided to settle in Hakatere, where they met.

Both are heavily involved with the marae, hosting holiday programmes and handling its social media.

Karla said things like the holiday programmes help to normalise the use of Māori arts and language in the district.

She’s said local businesses using reo Māori in signage, and the take up of Ashburton’s Māori name ‘Hakatere,’ has been good to see.

“That’s what we want to see, that our shops are getting into it, our schools are getting into it, as much as they can.”

She said there will always be people who are against the progression of Māori culture.

“It is sad, but all we can do is keep pushing it.”

TK, former trustee and now assistant coordinator for the marae, said it is sometimes “quite hard” to be Māori in Ashburton, especially with misinformation about water and land ownership.

“It’s not about control. It’s about sharing, and putting the right resources in place to be able to share it properly.”

He said having resources for learning reo Māori and accessible classes would benefit everyone in the community, and help break down barriers through education.

Karla and TK are running a holiday programme from October 2 to 4 at the marae, going from 9am to 1pm.

“We’re just doing activities with the kids, all are welcome.”