Ko te reo he matapihi ki te ao – Language is a window to the world.

A well known whakatauki. Those that have been down the path of language learning will intuitively know the shifts in perspective you experience along the way. For me, these shifts have been instrumental in how I approach design.

A simple Google search might translate whakapapa as "genealogy," but it is far more than that. Whakapapa is central to our tuakiritanga (identity). It grounds us in the present while carrying our tūpuna (ancestors) along the foundations they have laid for us.