Fluent University Mentor and Graduate teaches Te Reo Māori, Te Reo Rangatira and Tikanga Māori for beginner to advanced speakers.

Perfect! Very good

Perfect! Ka rawe! Very knowledgeable, clear and helpful with pronunciation.

Perfect! A Te Reo Māori Lesson That Actually Delivers

From the first message, Pounamu set the tone: punctual, responsive, and laser-focused on getting my pronunciation right. When I fumbled Tēnā koe, he didn't just correct me—he broke it down: "Tēnā kwe—hear that 'w' sound?" Suddenly, it clicked. Same with au sounding like the English 'o.' These aren't details you pick up from apps.

We started with goal-setting and introductions, but this wasn't checkbox teaching. Pounamu wove Māori culture into every exchange—explaining Kapa Haka traditions, the significance of Karakia Māori, and why these practices matter today. I wasn't just learning words; I was understanding the why behind them.

Here's what separated this lesson from others: Pounamu recorded audio of every new phrase and vocabulary word. Native pronunciation, on demand, whenever I needed it. No guessing, no YouTube rabbit holes—just clear, authentic Te Reo I could replay until it stuck.

His explanations are deceptively simple. Complex grammar? He makes it feel intuitive. His English fluency means zero gets lost in translation, and his use of Google Docs as a live "whiteboard" keeps everything visual and organized. (Pro tip: use picture-in-picture mode so you can watch his face and see him type new vocab in real-time—it's surprisingly effective.)

What impressed me most? Pounamu's patience. He listens—truly listens—without rushing or talking over you. And he respects your time: the lesson ended exactly when it should, with him still taking a moment to record that audio for me.

If you're serious about learning Te Reo Māori with someone who genuinely cares about your progress, Pounamu is the teacher you book.

Perfect! Excellent and accommodating to different learning needs

Perfect! I just had my first Māori lesson with Pounamu and it was excellent. The class was high-paced, adaptable to my needs, and really engaging. Pounamu gave clear and helpful feedback throughout, which made learning enjoyable and effective. Highly recommend!

Perfect! My daughter finished the session with renewed enthusiasm for the subject and excited for the next session!

Perfect! My son felt at ease with Pounamu straight away. He set up a safe environment for learning with his gentle invitations for expressions of understanding, open questioning, and patient explanations while he tried to get to know my son and gauge where he was at with his understanding of te reo Māori.

Perfect! Has the ability to think up drills on the spot to help pronounce words. Was seeing huge improvements after just 1 lesson

Perfect! Pounamu is a great tutor with patience and empathy. He helped my pronunciation and gave me lots to practice on. Highly recommend

Perfect! Pounamu understood my goals and explained things really well.

Perfect! An excellent first lesson, tēnā koe i tēnā!

Perfect! We just had our first class with Pounamu and it was excellent. Highly recommend.

Perfect! Very patient and encouraging but honest. Great for beginners. Understands culture and context of the language well which both helps and makes the learning more fun.

Perfect! Had our first lesson with Pounamu and he is awesome. Patient and attentive. Keen to get tutored by him more.

Perfect! Pounamu is an excellent tutor. He is engaging, hits the sweet spot for challenging, and always explains my many questions clearly and concisely. The hour flies by. His mix of native speaker and university reo works well for me. I am totally envious of his beautiful reo. I lucked out finding him as a tutor, with his level of patience, support and bang-on reo. Ngā mihi, Pounamu, I already feel more confident saying my very limited reo out loud.

Perfect! great sessions, learned a lot and enjoyed it

Perfect! Pounamu is such a good tutor. He’s able to pivot quickly and figure out where you’re at and is able to build a lesson where you learn so much. He’s also very patient and will take the time to answer all your questions, and builds in the te ao Māori world view. I would highly recommend him to anybody who is on their te reo journey!

Perfect! Pounamu is a great tutor - really knowledgeable, patient and passionate about te reo. Ngā mihi!

Perfect! Great communication as my daughter is quiet however is comfortable learning with Pounamu which makes for good teamwork.

Perfect! Pounamu was great. Really knowledgeable and helpful and adaptable to what I am interested in learning.