TE MOE A TE MĀORI
Taurapa is an Ō Tautahibased Māori celebrant who loves creating unique moments for couples in te reo Māori and English.
What is it about your job that you love so much?
Being able to play a vital part in couples’ big days is really special to me. It’s such a cool thing to be asked to guide them through a ceremony that we have tailored to suit just them.
What’s the importance of having someone like you in the celebrant community?
There are only a small number of us in the celebrant community who are able to speak Māori, and even fewer who can deliver a whole ceremony completely in te reo. So I feel pretty humbled when people approach me solely because I can speak Māori. There are more and more couples now who are beginning their Māoritanga, and want it to be a major part of their big day. Normalisation of te reo Māori and its culture is vital to our communities, so having celebrants who can help with that is a cool way to incorporate it into our everyday lives.
For you, and the couples you’ve worked with, what’s the best part of being a celebrant?
I love the little unique journeys I have with each couple. Each couple has their own vision for how the ceremony should be, and you’d be surprised how many variations there are of every part of the ceremony. The best part though is the surprises that come up on the day. Some people hate not knowing what’s going to happen during the ceremony, but I kinda thrive off the unknown. Having those surprises crop up keeps me on my toes, and tests how I’m going to react. It also helps to relax a nervous atmosphere, and everybody has a laugh when there’s a slip-up.
Can anyone book you as their celebrant?
Absolutely! I am available to anyone who wants to book me. They don’t need to speak Māori, they don’t even need to be Māori. There is a cheeky discount though if a couple opts to have a full te reo Māori ceremony. Nobody has taken up that offer yet, but I’m excited to see who is game enough to do it and surprise their guests.
christchurchcelebrants.co.nz/taurapa