A few years ago, just before the onset of the COVID-related chaos, I embarked on a journey to North Island. It was a sunny, windswept day when, during a visit to Karekare Beach, a Maori stranger approached me and said: ‘Welcome home! Did you know that your ancestors trod this very land, eons ago? And now, you have returned.’ These words resonated deeply within me, and from that moment, I began to listen more intently. Allow me to provide some context: Three years prior, upon first setting foot in Aotearoa with my partner Rafal, I felt a deep need for a welcoming ceremony, a connection to this land and its people. That day, I felt it happened.