When Rocky Roberts (Kāi Tahu) left high school he had no idea what he wanted to study. Apart from his childhood dream of wanting to become an All Black, Rocky says he had no aspirations growing up.

“I’ve been slow getting off the mark in things like learning te reo Māori and getting into broadcasting; I didn’t start broadcasting until I was 36 or 37,” he says.

Rocky, now 47, was born and raised in Westport (Kawatiri) but his whānau are originally from Kaikōura. His parents and two of his three brothers still reside on the West Coast while he and his partner, Kelli Tuuta ( Ngāti Mutunga/Taranaki) and his son, Monahan (Monnie) Tuuta-Roberts, live in Christchurch. [Read more…]