Eli is a father of 6 who is passionate about teaching Te Reo māori to ensure that the efforts of his grandmother and father are continued to be passed down. He was fortunate enough to be immersed right from Kōhanga Reo, Kura Kaupapa through to whare wānanga. A strong reo advocate for language revitalisation and incorporation of language in family settings to ensure language and culture will forever flourish amongst families.

Eli’s tribal affiliations are Ngāti kahu, Te Rarawa, Te Aupouri, Ngāti rangi.

Eli also has vast experience working with youth communities in different group settings, from teaching music to martial arts, to cultural capability building and cultural awareness programmes. Recently has been involved with facilitating and organizing numerous māori leadership programmes locally and throughout Aotearoa.

Eli’s experience is broad including being a Director for Te Mete Limited, Kaiako – Te Reo I Kupe, Cultural advisor for Northland Police along with being an Associate for The Learning Wave.