The two younger sons of New Zealand’s trade commissioner in Taiwan, Tina Wilson, say they have experienced both highs and lows while living overseas. Kahuao and Aorangi Hall have both attended school in Taiwan and, despite missing home, have found ways to ensure being Māori is still the way they treat everyday life.
Kahuao (17) and Aorangi (16) Hall moved to Taiwan in 2020 with their parents and for the elder it was an immediate transition that wasn’t welcome in the beginning.
“I didn’t really like it at first. I was just about to start high school and coming into a different country leaving all my mates and starting that journey together, then separated by myself. It was tough, the kids are different, there was no one like me, and everyone else is very much the same. There was no one who was similar to me at all, or got what I was saying or could understand me,” he says.
The brothers, who are descendants of Ngāti Tūwharetoa and Ngāti Tūkorehe, were raised in Taupō immersed in their culture.
This year, Kahuao was invited to teach Taiwanese children the ways of Māori. And later a kapa haka was invited to showcase the entertaining works of Tānerore and Hineteiwaiwa.
“We had Ngāti Whakaue come in and perform at assembly. The songs just blew them away, a whole bunch of Taiwanese kids doing toia mai. It was pretty mean.”
The younger of the brothers, Aorangi, has seen the differences of living overseas first hand.
Standing over 6ft tall, he stands head and shoulders over a vast majority of the Taiwanese population and says it does draw attention.
“In the MRT’s and in public places you’ll see the local people just looking at you for a bit or just a quick glance. It does kind of draw attention. Even being a little bit tanned or a little bit brown, you get those looks sideways. They value being very pale, that’s the beauty standard here. It’s buzzy you just get an extra stare.”
The boys are entering their final high school years, Kahuao in yr 13 and Aorangi in yr 12, the sights for the future are bright for the pair.
Kahuao says he is looking at entering into the media space.
“I’ve taken a liking to it. They offer that at my school so I’m happy I get to learn about that and pursue that kind of stuff.”
The boys also say there are advantages to being Māori overseas.
“People think you’re cool or unique because you’re Māori,” Aorangi says.
Kahuao says, “I feel we have a very different perspective from others, coming from more of an open area, where as everyone here is contained. Even talking to my classmates, they always think about how to make things more efficient to make things better instead of how to make people happier.”