24 Jun 2023

Musician Jordyn with a Why: Who gets to learn Te Reo Maori?

From Saturday Morning, 9:35 am on 24 June 2023
Jordyn Rapana

Musician Jordyn with a Why Photo: Supplied

As te reo becomes widespread, does Māori learning for Māori need to be prioritised? That’s one of many pesky questions posed in the first episode of new Spinoff web series 2 Cents 2 Much.  

Answering them is Tāmaki Makaurau kaiako and musician Jordyn Rapana aka Jordyn with a Why. She teaches full immersion at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa in Mangere. And while she has whakapapa through her dad to Tainui Āwhiro in Whāingaroa/ Raglan, she grew up immersed in her Samoan culture on her mum’s side.

Last year Jordyn with a Why’s song ‘Brown Melodies’ was nominated for Best Waiata/Single at the Waiata Māori Music Awards. She’s about to drop a new single for Matariki, and performs as part of TVNZ Matariki extravaganza: Purapura Whetū - Stars of Matariki, live-streamed 14 July.