In February 2022, I had the privilege of sitting down with Ayla over a few ginger beers and picking her brain about all things te reo Māori, te ao Māori, living overseas, education, language, working in the public sector here in Wellington, and what we could all do to contribute more to our communities. Despite the fact that Ayla is younger than I am, she inspires me endlessly. I hope you’ll enjoy reading her words as much as I enjoyed hearing them.