Keoni Mahelona and Te Reo Māori

MacDiarmid Institute alumnus and former Fulbright Scholar Keoni Mahelona is using his skills and experience to promote Te Reo Māori nationally and internationally.

Keoni, who has a Masters in Physics from Victoria University of Wellington, is an indigenous Hawai’ian living with his Māori partner in the Far North. He works at Te Hiku Media, where he has helped develop an online digital platform with Te Reo content that allows people to have easy access to the Māori language.  He is also involved in teaching computers to translate, read and speak Te Reo.

Te Hiku Media is a charitable media organisation, collectively belonging to the Far North iwi of Ngāti Kuri, Te Aupouri, Ngai Takoto, Te Rārawa and Ngāti Kahu. Māori language revitalisation is a core focus of Te Hiku Media.