Speaker 1: It's the flavor podcast network.
Speaker 2: Island Roots Auckland Ways. This one's for the brown brothers
Speaker 2: and sisters who want to be one with themselves, their culture,
Speaker 2: their identity, their roots.
Speaker 1: This is Island Roots Auckland Ways.
Speaker 3: What's up?
Speaker 1: And welcome to Island Roots Auckland Ways. Hey, Lasa, Hey,
Speaker 1: what's up?
Speaker 2: And that's things impersonate.
Speaker 1: A bick and back being ball. You know how we do?
Speaker 2: How where did you get that from?
Speaker 1: People say that because look bloods because every word starts
Speaker 1: with the be.
Speaker 2: Okay, well, we don't have any gang affiliations, but do
Speaker 2: you know who we do have on the podcast today?
Speaker 2: Creative Tara Jordan.
Speaker 1: What h vibe?
Speaker 2: Literally and like just what allegiends?
Speaker 3: Yeah?
Speaker 1: Everything about him is just pasthetic.
Speaker 2: Literally vintage app cycler.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Seller also does some awesome, awesome, awesome money in his
Speaker 2: spare time.
Speaker 1: We were just saying off the mic, this guy's multi fested, bro.
Speaker 1: He's lived a life.
Speaker 2: He has lived a life.
Speaker 1: And you'll hear more about it right now.
Speaker 2: Welcome back to another episode of Island Roots Aokland Ways,
Speaker 2: and we are honored to be joined by the one
Speaker 2: that only the Creative King himself You're done, aka created Sarah.
Speaker 1: Welcome to eight.
Speaker 3: Because the mixture you Jordan, but figure would give you
Speaker 3: extra because you got.
Speaker 2: I love that. I'm Alissa withth so my appearans are
Speaker 2: also very extramet.
Speaker 1: Come through, Jord and welcome to the flavor of Fundy.
Speaker 1: How are you going?
Speaker 3: I'm good. Thank you for having me here.
Speaker 1: Of course, you have tricked quite a long way to
Speaker 1: be here today.
Speaker 3: Come from Wellie in Newtown.
Speaker 2: Why is there like a because well he's O four.
Speaker 2: Is there like an area code for Newtown?
Speaker 1: Oh yeah?
Speaker 3: Oh geez, I mean like a postcode. I don't know.
Speaker 3: People just say Newtown.
Speaker 2: Okay, yeah, lame yeah, so it can't be cool like
Speaker 2: I love that?
Speaker 1: Oh well, jore D. Every episode we share what we
Speaker 1: love about home, wherever you currently love, where you were born,
Speaker 1: where ever most feels like home to you. What is
Speaker 1: home and what do you love about it? We'll start
Speaker 1: off first, and this week I love about home, my flatties.
Speaker 1: I love my flat mate.
Speaker 2: I love that for you.
Speaker 1: Kira and Renee, they are queens. I found the flat
Speaker 1: actually because Kira I used to do comms with at
Speaker 1: aut and so we kind of knew each other. But
Speaker 1: I feel like I've gotten to know her better since
Speaker 1: living in the flat, and it's just so chill. Like
Speaker 1: we were having discussions out in the Flavor office about
Speaker 1: me going flatting because this is my first time leaving home,
Speaker 1: and so everyone was like, watch out for the dynamics
Speaker 1: and like you gotta watch out for this and make
Speaker 1: sure you create this roster because people are missing, and
Speaker 1: just watch out for this that I don't need to
Speaker 1: worry about all of it. It's like living with my family,
Speaker 1: to be honest, I love that, and I think it's
Speaker 1: because I'm living with brown people. Yeah, truly, that's the
Speaker 1: underlying fact.
Speaker 2: Yeah, did you go floating in your twinings? No, I'm
Speaker 2: assuming you're not in your.
Speaker 3: Yeah, thank you?
Speaker 1: How old you are?
Speaker 3: Thirty seven?
Speaker 1: What? That is crazy? That's why that's crazy. I thought
Speaker 1: the same, and Semi Soulser came up. Se he was
Speaker 1: thirty nine, and I was like, I was, yag thirty seven.
Speaker 1: How is your thirties late thirties?
Speaker 3: It's cool, Like, so I was a teenage dad, so
Speaker 3: I didn't actually have that to go flooding. I needed
Speaker 3: their final support and yeah, I was always with my family.
Speaker 2: But.
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, like I'm start, I'm doing everything backwards. Yeah,
Speaker 3: and that's what I tell my son, Like, you know,
Speaker 3: I have my kid first, and I'll work my way
Speaker 3: up to get a job and then maybe i'll study.
Speaker 1: Yeah you know I do.
Speaker 3: You own my own house, so that's pretty cool.
Speaker 2: Congratulations.
Speaker 3: Everything's kind of backwards for me.
Speaker 1: But andestions on you are a drip. Yeah. I want
Speaker 1: to be like you. And sometimes I've been falling out
Speaker 1: to places and bloody twenty three, I look like forty three.
Speaker 3: Wow.
Speaker 2: That one thing about Marin and I. We never look
Speaker 2: like we're going to the same event.
Speaker 1: No, never go to pace. Yeah, except radio radio. Well
Speaker 1: that's what I love about Home this week.
Speaker 2: What I love about Home this week, I think it's
Speaker 2: just money Dealer in general. It's just like a vibe.
Speaker 2: I'm from money, you were born and raised, and I
Speaker 2: love Rework and I've recently come across some re were
Speaker 2: haters and I just don't. I don't need their energy.
Speaker 2: We were to sixty seven, Yeah.
Speaker 1: I used to because I'm so patriotic about coming from Mangoity,
Speaker 1: you know.
Speaker 2: But you can two things can be true at once. Yeah,
Speaker 2: you can be proud of being from a Mangoti, you
Speaker 2: can still.
Speaker 1: Enjoy truly, what I will say about rewa vot driving
Speaker 1: on Rosscommon Road has to be one of the scariest
Speaker 1: things ever.
Speaker 2: Yeah. And also when people drop me off to my house,
Speaker 2: I don't drive Jordan, so I have to get rides everywhere.
Speaker 2: They always like this is the hood. Like I don't
Speaker 2: think people realize, like I actually come from money dealer,
Speaker 2: not a nice part of money dealer. I come from
Speaker 2: the place where these like potholes that the council can't
Speaker 2: be bother fixing, you know, burning rubbish as Jordan with
Speaker 2: the way I said, Yes, it's not do be giving that. Yeah,
Speaker 2: it's I love forever. What about you children? Do you
Speaker 2: love about home?
Speaker 3: Yeah? I guess. I mean I live in Wellingsome, but
Speaker 3: home for me is cow. So one of the beautiful
Speaker 3: things about cold is the community and the people, but
Speaker 3: just the surroundings and the environment. So we've got a forest,
Speaker 3: We've got a lake, we've got a river, we've got activity.
Speaker 3: Whoa we have a free pools as well, community pools
Speaker 3: so that everyone can access to. We've got a beautiful lake,
Speaker 3: heated pools.
Speaker 2: Are you being paid by like Calido tourist round.
Speaker 3: It's just such a beautiful community. People are lovely and
Speaker 3: my dog is still there. So when I moved to
Speaker 3: leave my kidy there, so shout out to comment his name's.
Speaker 2: Comment what a great name, good name.
Speaker 3: He is living his best life and com.
Speaker 2: Do you ever go make him as a comment?
Speaker 3: Yeah, he doesn't really care too much for me nowadays.
Speaker 3: You left me here.
Speaker 1: What do you recommend us going to cold?
Speaker 3: Yeah? One hundred? Yeah, yeah, yeah, what is the ticket? Ticket? Dogs?
Speaker 1: What's getting me is the forest get into?
Speaker 3: Yeah, we've got a chance. We've got a beautiful river,
Speaker 3: tuttle the river and that leads to like the Tuttle
Speaker 3: w Monga, and there's a beautiful waterfalls they called the
Speaker 3: Tutle where the falls Instagram like, okay, so that's part
Speaker 3: of it. You'd enjoy I love I mean, we could
Speaker 3: take you hunting like the boys.
Speaker 2: I can see you hunting. I feel like making.
Speaker 1: I'd love that. I like trying new things. I haven't
Speaker 1: done hunting clearly. I can see you out.
Speaker 3: There, rainbow stars just in the forest, knife gun.
Speaker 2: Yeah, are hunting? Boom boom boom? Is it like dear
Speaker 2: have a crowd?
Speaker 3: Balls? Yeah? Sometimes it's paste out there to get rid
Speaker 3: of those. I mean, then the flip side, so we're
Speaker 3: real close to the coast so we can get fishing
Speaker 3: as well.
Speaker 2: I like fishing. I like being on a boat. Yeah,
Speaker 2: so funny. People will know you best from your vintage
Speaker 2: up cycling and selling on Instagram. But I kind of
Speaker 2: want to skip ahead the conversation a little bit because
Speaker 2: it seems like you're a bit of a sustain ability guy,
Speaker 2: like being out in the forest out getting that Kimwana
Speaker 2: is your roots in Caledo kind of an influence on that.
Speaker 2: How did you get into this kind of sustainability mind's it?
Speaker 3: Yeah, so like many I guess Maori. So my mom's Maori.
Speaker 3: My dad sawmone and both of them were born in
Speaker 3: New Zealand. So the narrative for me was real, I
Speaker 3: guess different because my dad had a New Zealand kind
Speaker 3: of experience and what that meant for me, I guess
Speaker 3: was what I kind of gained economically, I lost culturally,
Speaker 3: and so I did. My mom was from oh yoh,
Speaker 3: from the side. She's from T three eight wow, shout
Speaker 3: out to dark side, so deep, so far, and yeah,
Speaker 3: she's she was like her family are like market gardeners.
Speaker 3: Do you know that movie Mazion? Yes, yes, so my
Speaker 3: uncle wrote and directed that movie. Wow Potato spots because
Speaker 3: but we kind of like, yeah, it was kind of
Speaker 3: a racist.
Speaker 2: Community with the color bars and yeah.
Speaker 3: So there's a book called No Maori Allowed. My fin
Speaker 3: are a big part of that. So connection from our
Speaker 3: culture real, and those sorts of things were very real
Speaker 3: for us. And then my dad kind of similar brought
Speaker 3: up in the Salmon family, but he kind of distanced
Speaker 3: and that kind of I don't know, he lived that
Speaker 3: worldly life and yeah, and then he married a Maori
Speaker 3: lady and kind of, I guess in his own way,
Speaker 3: distanced himself from his culture as well. So I came
Speaker 3: along and I was like, who am I kind of
Speaker 3: reconnecting with both sides, I suppose, And it was through
Speaker 3: like and like learning about Pu and Kaue and learning
Speaker 3: values and then how it's kind of implemented in our lives.
Speaker 3: And that's what influenced the whole fashion thing. It was like, Wow,
Speaker 3: I spend so much money on I got all these
Speaker 3: I won't name them, but I'll go to the malls,
Speaker 3: right and I get yeah, we know the brain Yeah, yeah, yeah,
Speaker 3: and so the whole op shopping idea, and then realizing
Speaker 3: that all of the best clothes are actually at the
Speaker 3: op shop yeah, and really cheap, and sometimes in my size,
Speaker 3: which is hard to find.
Speaker 1: So yes, because you're tall and I'm also tall, and
Speaker 1: that's hard to find our sizes because all the skinny
Speaker 1: so they can look baggy. That's my actual truth side.
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, yeah for sure. So that's kind of like
Speaker 3: I guess, the the inception of it, and then just
Speaker 3: built on from there as I developed and grew to
Speaker 3: like more clothes and find more clothes. Wow, this is cool,
Speaker 3: and then figured out that actually I could probably turn
Speaker 3: this into a business, so started selling clothes that I
Speaker 3: was finding and learning about the amount of clothes that
Speaker 3: goes to waste. Op shops are crazy. So the current
Speaker 3: on Newtown that I connect with every month, they have
Speaker 3: to cull, so they actually have to go through their
Speaker 3: racks and get rid of a lot of stuff because
Speaker 3: they've got a whole stock room that needs to come
Speaker 3: out and those clothes goes that goes to the landfall.
Speaker 3: And you think about every single op shop in the
Speaker 3: country that has to do that.
Speaker 2: Wow, it is like wild.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's crazy. So that's where the upcycling comes in.
Speaker 3: And I was like, man, I need to, well, one,
Speaker 3: make me some clothes that fit me. So that's kind
Speaker 3: of where the sewing comes in because I wanted to
Speaker 3: make my own clothes and then at the same time
Speaker 3: it's try and reuse as much as we can.
Speaker 2: I love that. And I also, I mean, it's in
Speaker 2: your name one hundred percent, like creative Taro. I feel
Speaker 2: like there's no mistaking that you're proud to be like
Speaker 2: Pacific and Mardi. It's just like us with our tidle
Speaker 2: island roots, orkand ways, Like there's no mistaking. It's like
Speaker 2: it's a positionality statement. Don't mess with me on this.
Speaker 2: So the fact that you're able to build in like
Speaker 2: those cultural values and those culture with into your practice
Speaker 2: within your practice is so it's so cool. Did you
Speaker 2: start up cycling with the intention to have a business
Speaker 2: out of it or were you just like I need
Speaker 2: to make clothes that for me or I want to
Speaker 2: but of both yeah.
Speaker 3: Yeah. So the finding sizes, you know, closing your size
Speaker 3: is very real. So the whole idea around well, just
Speaker 3: gonna make my own it's like going to be I'm
Speaker 3: going to have the only like shirt I made it.
Speaker 3: It's one of one. Yea stunting on everybody out here.
Speaker 3: So that kind of influenced that part as well. And
Speaker 3: then yeah, the value stuff is really important, just like
Speaker 3: the whole reconnecting with your culture.
Speaker 2: So cool.
Speaker 1: What are some of the learnings or challenges that you've
Speaker 1: come along the way in this journey.
Speaker 3: There's heaps in terms of business. I think it was
Speaker 3: such a great business model because it didn't require a
Speaker 3: lot of investment, So a young person out there like listening,
Speaker 3: you can actually start today and what I do. So
Speaker 3: I had ten dollars with me and my son. We
Speaker 3: were in and I had decided that instead of buying
Speaker 3: clothes for ourselves, we're going to actually create this and
Speaker 3: turn this into a business, build us you know, some
Speaker 3: multiple revenue streams, and so we turned the ten dollars
Speaker 3: into I think forty wow. And then we just figured
Speaker 3: out kind of business acumen I suppose with very little
Speaker 3: like investment or capital, having to you know, the risk
Speaker 3: of losing all that money. Ten bucks suite as all good. Yeah,
Speaker 3: maybe to'll lose that if this, you know, falls down,
Speaker 3: but just starting there and then building on it like
Speaker 3: starting small and just continually growing and growing. It's probably
Speaker 3: one of the biggest things I learned. And then the
Speaker 3: importance of social media I.
Speaker 1: Was just about to ask, because that would have been
Speaker 1: instrumental in promoting yourself right.
Speaker 3: One hundred percent. Like, and I feel for small businesses
Speaker 3: because you kind of if you want to run a
Speaker 3: small business, now you also have to be a full
Speaker 3: time content creator, truly truly like you kind of you know, yeah,
Speaker 3: ruining yourself if you don't. Yeah, almost a certain degree.
Speaker 3: So that has been real pivotal, and that's something I
Speaker 3: really preach to other people as well, like, make sure
Speaker 3: your content's on be authentic, be yourself, make it engaging.
Speaker 3: And sometimes it's the most mundane activities that people can
Speaker 3: really get into.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's what you don't expect to.
Speaker 3: Blow it to it. Yeah yeah, And I just sometimes
Speaker 3: I'm so like, I'll make hats and they're not selling,
Speaker 3: So in my head, I'm like, Okay, how do I
Speaker 3: move this? How do I get eyes on this? So
Speaker 3: what I'll do is I'll create content that's like comedy based, yes,
Speaker 3: and then I'll wear the products and then I'll make
Speaker 3: a funny skit or whatever. Get some attention, and then
Speaker 3: in the comments people are like, bro, that hats me.
Speaker 3: An you come in with the sales, like, hey bro,
Speaker 3: it's actually available, follow the link and then it turns
Speaker 3: into a sales So, like.
Speaker 2: I think you're hilarious. Like the skits you make and
Speaker 2: the reels you make are very, very, very funny. Have
Speaker 2: you always made stuff like that on social media? Or what?
Speaker 2: Did the light switch flip one day and you were like,
Speaker 2: you know what I want to do. I want to
Speaker 2: add in a bit of comedy and like my funniness
Speaker 2: and my personality to this.
Speaker 3: Yeah. So my roots are actually in performing arts, so
Speaker 3: natural progression and like you guys are like like many
Speaker 3: Brown people, we're multi with the talents. Yes, so and
Speaker 3: then that's where the whole creative tire thing comes in.
Speaker 3: I'm not just creative in one aspect. I do a
Speaker 3: whole bunch of stuff. Yeah, and just kind of leveraging
Speaker 3: off the skill sets I hear, because like I said,
Speaker 3: no money, no capital sets to start this business. But
Speaker 3: what I do have is my skills. Yeah, so let's
Speaker 3: use them so you have vantage. So yeah, that whole
Speaker 3: comedy and just trying to be clever with the you know,
Speaker 3: I mean, it's an attention economy that we're in, and
Speaker 3: how do I get people's attention. So it's either jokes
Speaker 3: or you know, pictures of me and a bikini. So
Speaker 3: I had to choose.
Speaker 1: Read outdoor and shower.
Speaker 3: Just in the in the beach and the thing. I thought, Yeah,
Speaker 3: people aren't gonna like that. I'll do the comedy route.
Speaker 2: Oh I love that. What kind of performing outs? Did
Speaker 2: you like? Grow up in church singing?
Speaker 4: Yeah?
Speaker 3: So my dad's coal so seven Davin. We do a
Speaker 3: lot of singing, not a whole lot of cultural stuff.
Speaker 3: But then I also attended people, I know, if you're familiar.
Speaker 2: People no no, no, no, no no, the.
Speaker 1: Iconic people, stuff like Institute of Performance.
Speaker 3: So I was tutored by Sean Coyle, Lady Chadwick.
Speaker 2: And yeah get out.
Speaker 3: So I had that in my bag. So when I
Speaker 3: started this stuff was like cool, immediate, let me get
Speaker 3: into their bag.
Speaker 1: And okay it's perfect, how peper?
Speaker 3: Yeah, life changing? Yeah, yeah, incredible. Without those people there
Speaker 3: that mentored me and kind of took me under their wing,
Speaker 3: I wouldn't have had the experiences that I had soon
Speaker 3: And that's I guess part of the my son calls
Speaker 3: it the law l O creative tires. Yeah you've done this,
Speaker 3: done that, like so yeah, I managed to do a
Speaker 3: few TV gigs, a few movies, short films okay, yes, yeah,
Speaker 3: Like I've been part of the New Comedy Festival, performed
Speaker 3: the Herald Theater. I've done all sorts of stuff. I
Speaker 3: did ad last year, like someone who still remembers me
Speaker 3: ringro can you audition for this ad? We've gone. That's
Speaker 3: all good.
Speaker 1: I see paper kids all the time and ads, it's
Speaker 1: so good.
Speaker 3: Yeah. Yeah, I saw one of the boys. He was
Speaker 3: just in like a corrections ad, and I remember.
Speaker 2: It is wild. I have a background and drama, so
Speaker 2: I love I sure do.
Speaker 3: So.
Speaker 2: I love when I see people doing things that are
Speaker 2: not connected to the performing arts entirely using that background
Speaker 2: because for me, I mean, first of all, every job
Speaker 2: requires acting, so it's it's great to have in my
Speaker 2: in my back pocket and your repertoire and my repertoire,
Speaker 2: but also the skills that studying drama or getting a
Speaker 2: drama degree gave me like second to none. Like obviously
Speaker 2: there's the lame, like walking around in a circle tending
Speaker 2: you're an animal. There's those exercites that maybe probably don't
Speaker 2: want to read ass this, Yeah, but like the people
Speaker 2: skills and the confidence it gave me insane next level.
Speaker 3: I think too that one of the underrated things about
Speaker 3: performing arts and acting in particular is the understanding of
Speaker 3: human behavior. And when you have to kind of reenact
Speaker 3: or be become a different person or a character, understand
Speaker 3: their history, their backstory and whatnot, you actually start to
Speaker 3: learn about other people, yes, and like you look at
Speaker 3: them and what's what's the behind their behavior? And it
Speaker 3: kind of comes from acting as well, like understanding your
Speaker 3: roles and your character and the story plot and what
Speaker 3: we're trying to achieve it. And I've kind of taking
Speaker 3: that into like youth work as well. It's like, man,
Speaker 3: this kid's playing out what's the behavior, what's the backstory
Speaker 3: of this character? So it's a huge teaching performing. Okay,
Speaker 3: he's on I m dB.
Speaker 1: I just.
Speaker 4: You know, so you should have goodness. It's crazy look
Speaker 4: here on my camera.
Speaker 1: Wow wow, wow, I saw powerlifting as well.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, your son is right, your law goes crazy.
Speaker 1: Oh jeez. Okay, So Jordan, we've had a few Samui
Speaker 1: guests on the show recently and everyone has different experiences,
Speaker 1: of course, but we want to know from you how
Speaker 1: was that blended upbringing with both cultures.
Speaker 3: Wow. Man, that's such a I guess complex question in
Speaker 3: a way. Yeah, Like I kind of touched on or
Speaker 3: form with Mum and Dad. They were they like said,
Speaker 3: Dad speaks pigeon someone, it's hilarious and it comes out
Speaker 3: of nowhere sometimes. So he didn't speak it to us
Speaker 3: in the house growing up, and then Mum doesn't call
Speaker 3: it with it either, So kind of navigating that space
Speaker 3: and identity wise was kind of tricky as well, because
Speaker 3: Dad was taking us to church and I'd sit there
Speaker 3: and local when they I was up there and talking
Speaker 3: and I like my game to hell. But then I'd
Speaker 3: go to the Madai with with my nanny who would
Speaker 3: take me to poke around White Cottle and same thing.
Speaker 3: I'm listening to the fight corded or listening to kut On'
Speaker 3: what are they talking about? I'm going to go down
Speaker 3: to the species and play down the room. So that, yeah,
Speaker 3: that was quite tricky, hard to navigate. And then you're
Speaker 3: dealing with that kind of external stuff at school as well,
Speaker 3: like because I'm brown presenting and you know that comes
Speaker 3: with some stereotypes that comes with some attitudes and behaviors
Speaker 3: and how you're treated. So yeah, navigating that was kind
Speaker 3: of tricky. So what I actually attached myself to was
Speaker 3: like pop culture, so movies that I grew up with,
Speaker 3: music and hip hop and arts was kind of became
Speaker 3: my identity in sports as well. So yeah, Maldi and Salmon,
Speaker 3: those kind of areas are also strong as well, Like
Speaker 3: we're great performers, we are great athletes, we're great orators
Speaker 3: and storytellers, and kind of my entry pointed to my
Speaker 3: culture was through those kind of mediums, I suppose. So
Speaker 3: Mum was funny. Mum was a hilarious Maldi girl from
Speaker 3: and she like, let's be honestly out here being racist,
Speaker 3: as my old man is like, ah, these moldy And
Speaker 3: then there's like kind of dynamics, I suppose, but at
Speaker 3: the same time realizing how very similar, yeah, at the
Speaker 3: same time and finding those connections and beautiful things. But
Speaker 3: my grandfather, beautiful man, man of very few words, but
Speaker 3: he would always tell me how proud he was to
Speaker 3: have Maori grandchild like grandchildren, and it.
Speaker 2: Was really cool.
Speaker 3: I was like cool because I couldn't have deep conversations
Speaker 3: with him because he didn't speak very much English. So
Speaker 3: I was just like he was always telling me, how proud,
Speaker 3: and he's got these money, so maldi kids, you know,
Speaker 3: like yeah. And then my grandmother who's from she just
Speaker 3: she's she's gangster. She was just what, Yeah, you tell
Speaker 3: them anybody you're someone like cool, Like you know, I
Speaker 3: carry my grandfather's last name as well, Tweetmas, and you're
Speaker 3: always very proud of that.
Speaker 2: I love that. That's really special.
Speaker 3: I mean even my name Taru, like Tarro is my
Speaker 3: street name. It was actually my tag name when I
Speaker 3: was a young fellow, so like even kind of with
Speaker 3: my culture. Everyone said, I was like, you know, man,
Speaker 3: you're huge, like as a kid, like you're a big bro,
Speaker 3: like you're eating all the taro and that's kind of
Speaker 3: the name come from something.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 3: Yeah, so tar became a hurt. I don't tag anymore guys,
Speaker 3: So counsel, it wasn't me.
Speaker 1: So yeah, Jordan, you recently completed the course and the MAI,
Speaker 1: So what has your real learning journey been?
Speaker 3: Like funny, it's hilarious, and because you know, you're kind
Speaker 3: of dealing dealing with your trauma and your issues in
Speaker 3: life and you're navigating the spaces and you're taking that
Speaker 3: step into your culture and learning your language. I've gained
Speaker 3: so much confidence because I've managed to make friends who
Speaker 3: are just incredible orators and speakers, and they've given me
Speaker 3: really great advice. So when it's coming from the likes
Speaker 3: of these types of people, making yourself look silly or
Speaker 3: not know things is okay. And they've told me that
Speaker 3: it's normal. Break you don't know what you don't know.
Speaker 3: Soon just make sure your consistencies there, you're keeping at
Speaker 3: it and you're kind of implementing it in other areas
Speaker 3: of your life as well. So, yeah, that journey has
Speaker 3: been funny. That's why I said it's funny. It's real funny.
Speaker 3: My dad actually speaks more Maldy than he does someone
Speaker 3: really yeah, he out here is being so like, Yeah,
Speaker 3: it's been it's interesting and just at home and my
Speaker 3: both my younger sisters went through Kohunga and they're both
Speaker 3: actually quite proficient, and and you got me who went
Speaker 3: through mainstream, and I was the experiment because I was
Speaker 3: I'm the eldest, okay, So that was the one that
Speaker 3: they didn't know what to do.
Speaker 2: For the best.
Speaker 3: A lot of mistakes with it, I suppose, but yeah,
Speaker 3: just trying to figure it out and just being vulnerable
Speaker 3: enough and confident in what you don't know. Yeah, it's
Speaker 3: been real key for me, Like having the confidence to
Speaker 3: be like, actually, I don't know what you're talking about,
Speaker 3: and you please explain it to me, because sometimes you
Speaker 3: tell you the next to your classmates, they're actually thinking
Speaker 3: the same thing, but that mum wise their shame that
Speaker 3: they hold and of not wanting to ask just in
Speaker 3: case they look silly. Yeah it looks silly, man, All good.
Speaker 2: Yeah, maybe that's something we need to take on.
Speaker 1: Looks silly looks, silly looks.
Speaker 3: Embrace the silliness.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 2: I feel like because I work in a bilingual community hub,
Speaker 2: my to deal Maldi proficiency is a lot higher than
Speaker 2: my young and a sawhat. And I feel like I
Speaker 2: am allowed to look sillier learning to deal Mardy because
Speaker 2: I'm not Mardy. You know, there's a less of an
Speaker 2: illness because they're like, oh, we don't expect the salmon
Speaker 2: girl to you know, be amazing at to deal Mardy.
Speaker 2: That's fine, But then I feel so much pressure when
Speaker 2: it comes to going to like Simonie language classes where
Speaker 2: I'm like, oh my god, I don't know how to
Speaker 2: pronounce my peeth very well, and you know, all of
Speaker 2: a sudden, it's a lot more stressful, but we need
Speaker 2: to embrace the sillinesses.
Speaker 1: It's such a good point. Yeah, there's less pressure about
Speaker 1: speaking a language that's not yours your own.
Speaker 2: Did you ever feel more connected to one side of
Speaker 2: your culture than the other growing up? No, okay, yeah,
Speaker 2: I love.
Speaker 3: That interestingly, So I got taken everywhere in the car,
Speaker 3: so I'll be going to all the different like church
Speaker 3: events and family events on my som one side, and
Speaker 3: then my sisters would be with my mom's side doing
Speaker 3: all the Maori kind of stuff. But the intersect was
Speaker 3: always there, like we yeah, but.
Speaker 2: Really, yeah that's great. That's not often the narrative.
Speaker 3: For a lot of I think. Yeah, Like to be honest, though,
Speaker 3: I was. I was out on the streets as well though,
Speaker 3: like from for real, Yeah, like it was there sarmon Maori,
Speaker 3: but I was also out here trying to do other things.
Speaker 2: Other things.
Speaker 3: Yeah, that kind of identity crisis thing there, and like
Speaker 3: identifying is something completely different. It was real, Like I
Speaker 3: literally remember being in primary school with the ambition and
Speaker 3: goal to become a gang member. Wow, Like that was
Speaker 3: the goal, and that was what I had kind of
Speaker 3: attached myself to for a very long time, so that
Speaker 3: I guess it wasn't there for me because I had
Speaker 3: something else, Yeah, and attached myself to this thing over here,
Speaker 3: which was very present around me in my life. Like
Speaker 3: my parents did really well for with what they had,
Speaker 3: but the environment that we were in ourselves was not
Speaker 3: the greatest. And so my influences and role models weren't
Speaker 3: at the what I They weren't at the church, they
Speaker 3: were out on the street. And so that's who I
Speaker 3: gravitated towards and that's kind of been the the I guess,
Speaker 3: the turning point for me to become a youth worker.
Speaker 3: That's how that started as well. So I had to
Speaker 3: turn away from the gang.
Speaker 1: And what got you out of that?
Speaker 3: My best friend who I grew up with was murdered. Yeah,
Speaker 3: you'll stabbed to death. I'm yeah, that's all good. So
Speaker 3: part of what I do is kind of in honor
Speaker 3: of him and saying you're you're not going to wasteless life.
Speaker 3: So he was only fourteen at the time, so I
Speaker 3: was young, so that when that happened, you come to
Speaker 3: a crossroad and you have to look yourself in the
Speaker 3: mirror like is this actually worth it? Like what are
Speaker 3: we really fighting for here?
Speaker 2: Yeah?
Speaker 3: And why are we fighting our own Yeah? Yes, So
Speaker 3: that was the turning point for me. It happened very young,
Speaker 3: So me from that moment on, I was like, nah,
Speaker 3: I need to we need to change the narrative and
Speaker 3: break these damn stereotypes manly.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 1: Credits to you for looking in the mirror and you know,
Speaker 1: trying to snap yourself out of it because it's hard.
Speaker 3: Yeah, for sure. I guess Crudos to my family actually,
Speaker 3: who had You know, my parents are the type of
Speaker 3: parents that they showed me what not to do. Yeah,
Speaker 3: and they understand and they're cool with that. So some
Speaker 3: of the things that I witnessed growing up wasn't great,
Speaker 3: but being able to reflect and see the good things
Speaker 3: that they also did. And so my nan she actually
Speaker 3: went back like early nineties, late eighties, early nineties to
Speaker 3: learn to il Maori again and then she became a
Speaker 3: kayako at the quonga and then that so that you know,
Speaker 3: her decision to do that, I guess impacted in that
Speaker 3: trickle down. So my mum made a few good decisions
Speaker 3: in life as well, enough for me to be able
Speaker 3: to have opportunities. And now it's my teen to you know,
Speaker 3: make a few good decisions and life say that my
Speaker 3: son and my daughter can have some good opportunities as well. So,
Speaker 3: I mean that's what intergenerational trauma is, right, and yeah,
Speaker 3: we need it, you know, we actually need intergenerational solutions.
Speaker 2: Yeah, oh I love that. Yeah, breaking those cycles. Yeah.
Speaker 2: Do you think being a father is also a huge
Speaker 2: motivation for you then?
Speaker 3: Yeah, So I was a teenage dad. Yeah, eighteen was
Speaker 3: when I found out I was going to be a father,
Speaker 3: and another mirror moment.
Speaker 1: Mirror moment.
Speaker 3: So I didn't do too well in high school and
Speaker 3: sport at that time, and performing arts was the only
Speaker 3: kind of things I had in my bag and my
Speaker 3: kids is so I took the sports routetually, got scouted
Speaker 3: at the NRL. I played footy, and then I found
Speaker 3: out I was going to have a kid, and I
Speaker 3: just had to get a nine to five. You said, ah,
Speaker 3: you know what, I need to take care of my
Speaker 3: family at the time. He's here, he's in the studio. Man,
Speaker 3: I should have just.
Speaker 1: Went living a Monday, no regrets, no regret, no regrets.
Speaker 3: Yeah, so another another mirror moment and then just deciding
Speaker 3: again making good choices from then on. Howawa, because the
Speaker 3: choices that I make now, like I'm in my thirties,
Speaker 3: they're actually going to impact my grandchildren. So I need
Speaker 3: to make some damn good ones. And we don't think
Speaker 3: about fucker poppa and that kind of waste sometimes. And yeah,
Speaker 3: I just want to make sure I make some good
Speaker 3: moves now so that my grandkids can, you know, get
Speaker 3: that Auckland grammar education could go to those fancy, fancy
Speaker 3: schools that out never be able to get into.
Speaker 2: I went to a fancy spancy school. Yeah, I would
Speaker 2: recommend round children anyway.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I went to school, and I don't know, we
Speaker 1: are would see my children.
Speaker 2: Maybe just at schools in general. Maybe we need to
Speaker 2: just overhaul the education system. Yeah, we can take that out.
Speaker 1: So Yeah, eighteen, you're scouted by the NRL, you find
Speaker 1: out that you're having a child, and then you go
Speaker 1: into a nine.
Speaker 3: To five job.
Speaker 1: Was there like a little bit of your heart that
Speaker 1: was just like withering away?
Speaker 3: Yeah at that time, because I kind of had I
Speaker 3: was content that my sporting career was over, and that
Speaker 3: was fine, all good, sweet airs because that shelf life's
Speaker 3: very short anyway. So then the performing arts thing come about,
Speaker 3: and you know, I'm getting that the family family text credits.
Speaker 3: You're relying on that to be able to get nephies
Speaker 3: and formula and whatnot, and then that whole like wanting
Speaker 3: to I just needed more money. Man out here being broke,
Speaker 3: I got a young family. What could I do to
Speaker 3: change this? You know, what's a good decision that I
Speaker 3: could make? So I went down the performing arts are up,
Speaker 3: moves out to Auckland and rolled to people. Yep, did
Speaker 3: a few gigs here and there, made some money. Yeah,
Speaker 3: opened up some other doors and avenues as well.
Speaker 1: We are going to move on to our rapid fire
Speaker 1: Kim now, but I feel like Alissa should leaders one.
Speaker 2: Okay, So I apologize, Jordan. I didn't know you were
Speaker 2: a league guy. I thought you liked every kind of rugby,
Speaker 2: So I'm really sorry. But what we've got for our
Speaker 2: rapid fire QMU today is a blind ranking of PACIFICA
Speaker 2: rugby players. So what I'm going to do is I'm
Speaker 2: going to say a name, and there's going to be
Speaker 2: five positions like one, two, three, four, five. So I'm
Speaker 2: going to say a name and you can put it
Speaker 2: anywhere on that five. But you don't know what name
Speaker 2: is coming next. So you can either pick based on
Speaker 2: like goat status, or you can pick based on like
Speaker 2: your favorite player. So does it makes does it make sense?
Speaker 1: Okay?
Speaker 2: Cool?
Speaker 1: Thank you?
Speaker 2: Because? Okay, So the first player Jonah one one immediately Okay,
Speaker 2: that's like you've got every other position lf.
Speaker 3: Like Joan.
Speaker 2: Legend.
Speaker 3: He's the greatest player we've ever had in the world.
Speaker 2: Yeah, he's pretty iconic. Okay, first someone rugby player for
Speaker 2: the All Blacks, Sir Brian Williams. See do you want to?
Speaker 2: Should I tell you what I would put her at?
Speaker 2: For me? He's a five only because I'm not of
Speaker 2: that era.
Speaker 3: I'm just thinking about paving the way that too, and
Speaker 3: that erar.
Speaker 2: It's pretty iconic. Is like in the Rugby Hall of Fame.
Speaker 3: Let me put on four four?
Speaker 2: Okay, you're nice?
Speaker 3: Where else we go?
Speaker 2: Okay?
Speaker 1: Okay, so we've got one four so far to.
Speaker 3: Let me put it at five.
Speaker 2: Maybe two is my fave. Okay, I've got two and
Speaker 2: three left?
Speaker 3: Right? Was he your first someone All Blacks captain.
Speaker 2: Oh can you fact chick there?
Speaker 3: Yeah, I don't know who you got next to?
Speaker 2: Something like the last one is pretty iconic.
Speaker 3: Okay, let me put it three.
Speaker 2: You put them at three? Yes, well now I'm scared
Speaker 2: of over iconic. Okay. Number five the iceman Michael Jones
Speaker 2: easy too easy, too easy to Okay. Since you are
Speaker 2: a league guy, though, who's your favorite League player of
Speaker 2: all time? Is there a favorite?
Speaker 3: Yeah? There is, I like the biggest fan boy. He
Speaker 3: doesn't play anymore. Okay, but like I was advocating for
Speaker 3: him all the way through, man, like every step of
Speaker 3: his career.
Speaker 1: I've just oh, I think I know who it is.
Speaker 3: It's the reason why I sent my son to Megs.
Speaker 1: I don't think I do think it is absolutely Doggies.
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, Dogies Sonny. But Williams, Yeah, he's my.
Speaker 2: He was going to be on my list.
Speaker 3: He's my goat. I was actually waiting for him to
Speaker 3: pop up. That's why I can Sonny is like, yeah,
Speaker 3: he's allegiance. I don't think we give him enough credit. No, no,
Speaker 3: and off the field stuff for sight. I'm talking on
Speaker 3: the field only, like what he was able to do.
Speaker 1: Oh, yeah, Jack of all trades, master, incredible, master out
Speaker 1: to s b W my favor.
Speaker 2: And how would you make Jordan Rickey.
Speaker 3: You got to win a few in our premierships first? Yeah, yeah,
Speaker 3: I mean, what are we talking here, Jordan, come on.
Speaker 1: No, I'm talking looks. Yeah.
Speaker 2: Also Joseph, Yeah, please, my favorite.
Speaker 1: Get into Joseph because I saw him doing an interview
Speaker 1: with jerreml Way and I.
Speaker 2: Was like, damn, I saw the interview.
Speaker 3: Too crazy.
Speaker 1: He's moving though.
Speaker 3: I think you know, I want to make a case
Speaker 3: for Bunty four. I think you I mean the personality
Speaker 3: to go with the I put him.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I wish I knew more. I'm so sorry, guys.
Speaker 2: Any other person.
Speaker 1: From the Worst. I think I've interviewed him before at
Speaker 1: nine on the What about.
Speaker 2: Sell Harris Tabita?
Speaker 3: Yeah, he is a handsome boy.
Speaker 2: Nothing about the Is he a good player? I don't know.
Speaker 3: Yeah, he's good. He's very good.
Speaker 1: Okay, Martin did well absolutely that game against the Cowboys.
Speaker 3: Regards guys for.
Speaker 1: Sorry, oh gosh, well, Jordane, that's all we have time for.
Speaker 1: Thank you so much for coming into Alan roots Aukland ways,
Speaker 1: Thank you, guys, And then we have another episode of
Speaker 1: Island Roots Aukland Ways, thank you Jordan for coming on,
Speaker 1: and hopefully we can go to Colo.
Speaker 2: Sure surely basically an Aird him coming.
Speaker 1: On here, we'll have the lis like the Hunting Legister
Speaker 1: were going, well.
Speaker 2: Yeah, we'll make it work.
Speaker 1: Yeah, any excuse to by hunting and fishing