Ata Marsh has been working at The Warehouse in Auckland for more than four years now, and her unique customer service skills have caused a bit of a buzz.
If you go to the Newmarket store, you'll no doubt hear her speaking te reo to customers, promoting the language to the wider population.
"I didn't know it was anything different. I just spoke te reo," she says.
"I'm just so passionate about te reo. I really am. And it's a sense of belonging, and I just want to share it with the customers, what I know."
While she has studied the language, she describes her journey as on-going, but says sharing what she's learnt with others is a great reward.
"I went away for a whole year to learn. They try and teach you three years in one year. I didn't quite get it," she says.
She's also grateful her use of the language is supported by management at The Warehouse.
"I've been inundated by phone calls and letters about Ata, and more importantly, about our customer services team," Warehouse manager Pejman Okhavat says.
"You know, some of the fabulous things that our customers say are things like 'I can't wait to go to Newmarket store because I want to see Ata, she's such a wonderful asset to your organisation. Don't lose her!'"
And how the customers respond to her speaking te reo has been one of the most amazing things.
"A lot of customers love hearing te reo. Some hear it for the first time," Marsh says.
"Others reminisce of their parents being teachers in country schools, and when they hear it they do a little bit of a kapa haka."
While there's still a little way to go in Marsh's learning of the language, for the moment, her small efforts are having a big impact.
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