Who am I? Ko wai au?

I am a Maori woman indigenous to Aotearoa NZ who is passionate about life and about love and about bringing about change in the world. I love to write and paint and take photographs. I love to be outside in nature experiencing the elements; the sun the rain and the stars but I also love to be inside snuggled up in a blanket in front of an open fire watching a good documentary or movie!

I love to help people be their best, to help them find who THEY are and share who they are with the world.

I love to share my experiences with the world, my stories, my dreams, my tears with the hope that this will inspire others to do the same.

I have experienced many things and traveled to many lands where I have felt the spirit of the people and the land, but here in Aotearoa is where I feel most at home. I am currently living on the East Coast of the North Island although my heart is with my mountains: Tarawera, Matawhaura and Taranaki who move through me and remind me of where I come from and of my ancestors who have gone before me.

But I am also this person; my own person outside of where I come from and where I have been and what I have done in my life, I am this person who is constantly searching for who I am, delving into what it is that my heart desires and trying to understand where I fit into the scheme of things and how I can help in the world.

So here I am, I am here ever experiencing the present moment because in my quest to achieve and be something into the future I have found and learnt that the power is right here in the present moment and so I be here, right here, right now. This is who I am until next time…

The following is a digital story that I created with the help of my dear friends in Arizona; Linda, Rachel and Cheryl and I have realised in hindsight, was part of my quest to answer the question – Ko wai au? Who am I? It is very much a part of me and gives insight into my way of seeing the world.

But I change and I grow and I understand that the more I change, I grow and I understand. Changing, constantly changing, growing, changing…

I hope you are inspired by the words that lie within these pages and they enable you to connect with a part of yourself that perhaps you have been searching for. Feel free to share your own thoughts, feelings and words.

Arohanui, (Lots of love)

Jo