Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori 2025 — Bianca Crichton is Weaving Whakapapa, Weaving Futures
He mokopuna au nō Tainui me Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Pūkeko, he uri au nō Ingarangi, Aerana me Kōtirana hoki. Ko Bianca Crichton tōku ingoa.
I was born in Invercargill like my Mum and my Nana, and grew up in the beautiful, cold mountains of Tāhuna Queenstown. Most of my life has been in Te Waipounamu, exploring the landscapes, skiing, and spending time in the mountains which I love.
I grew up with my Mum, Dad, brother and sister, surrounded by a large whānau on my Mum’s side and a smaller one on my Dad’s. Family gatherings (especially big Christmases) were always full of aroha, laughter, and of course, a bit of drama!
In the past couple of years, I’ve been drawn to raranga, finding it a mindful and grounding practice. I’ve woven small decorative korowai for my whānau, and I’m working on a kakahu for my brother’s graduation, a taonga to honour his achievement and to be passed down. Alongside my Master of Indigenous Studies which I'm currently studying at Victoria University, I’m studying rongoā Māori through Te Wānanga o Aotearoa which has deepened my connection to traditional models of wellbeing and to my wairuatanga.
At the MRINZ, I work as a Māori health researcher in the ICU team. I’ve been here a year and a half, and what I love most are the people who are passionate, driven, and supportive. I’ve had the privilege to lead my first study, CRISP, on sepsis and patient temperatures in the ICU, which has been accepted for publication. That mahi inspired the kaupapa of my Master’s research, exploring the experiences of Māori patients with sepsis and their whānau, with a focus on barriers, resilience, and perspectives of health.
My journey reconnecting with whakapapa has been woven through my journey in health. Growing up, my whānau were disconnected from te ao Māori, but studying te reo Māori has opened doors to my culture, my tūpuna, and my identity. An unforgettable moment was standing with my whānau at one of our marae for the first time and introducing us in te reo to the kaumātua, a powerful reconnection after generations away.
Te Wiki o te Reo Māori is a time to celebrate how far our reo has come, and for me, a reminder to acknowledge the small wins in my own journey. A whakataukī above my desk reads: “Hoki atu ki ō maunga kia purea koe e ngā hau o Tāwhirimātea.” Return to your mountain to be cleansed by the winds of Tāwhirimātea. It grounds me, reminding me that this haerenga of reconnection, to reo, to whenua, to whakapapa, is both deeply personal and shared with those who came before, and those yet to come.
Kia kaha te reo Māori!
