Life off the court for Tiana Metuarau still revolves around netball.
The young netballer moved from the Central Pulse this season to join the Southern Steel but her on-court career wasn't the only thing she moved for.
Metuarau is now part of a free Māori immersion programme looking to help the next generation of talent coming through in the region.
“The programme is called Te Ara Angitu, which simply translates to the pathway to success in te reo Māori,” Metuarau said.
The 20-year-old was born in England but moved to New Zealand as a toddler where she was put straight into kohanga reo – Māori-based childcare.
“I didn’t actually go to a mainstream school until I was nine,” she said.
“It was very overwhelming stepping into a new place and not seeing people who look like me and particularly just not speaking Māori, so I couldn’t read, write or spell in English.”
The proud Māori, Tahitian and Cook Islander wants to eliminate the barriers she faced growing up with on-court sessions as well as meaningful conversations over breakfast as part of the programme.
Jordan Evans-Tobata, a student in Te Ara Angitu, said Metuarau’s had a positive impact.
“She told us all about her, like when she started working in netball and it was really cool because she started at such a young age,” Jordan said.
“She was like 16 and it was cool because that's how old I am.”
Metuarau just sees it as part of her journey though.
“I think it’s also just about showing that there really isn’t this huge gap between them and myself,” she said.
“I’m only 20 so there really isn’t a huge gap but it’s also just about showing them that this pathway is one that they can take no matter how old they are.”
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