He uri a Kohekohe nō Ngāti Awa, nō Waikato, nō Kāi Tahu anō hoki.
He mea whāngai ia ki te reo Māori nōna e nohinohi ana i te kōhanga reo, tae atu ki te kura, ki te whare wānanga anō hoki. He ihuputa nō Te Panekiretanga o te Reo me Te Tohu Paerua o Te Reo Kairangi.
Ko te ako tētahi o ana tino kaingākau. Kua tata ki te 10 tau ia e mahi ana hei kaiako reo Māori i roto i ngā kura, tae atu hoki ki ngā mahi whakaako pakeke i ngā tau tata nei.
Ko te pūtake o tōna aroha nui ki te reo ko te kakari a ōna mātua kia whai wāhi atu ia ki tēnei reo kāmehameha, ki te reo kāore i whāngaihia atu ki a rāua. E kakari tonu nei hoki ia kia whakatinanahia tēnei wawata i roto i tōna anō kāinga me āna tamariki, kia mātāmua ko te reo Māori i te ao o āna tamariki me tana whānau whānui.
Kohekohe Pihama is of Ngāti Awa, Waikato and Kāi Tahu descent. She was nurtured in te reo Māori from her early attendance at kohanga reo and kura through to tertiary education settings. A graduate of Te Panekiretanga o te Reo, Kohekohe also holds a Masters degree in Māori Language Excellence, Te Tohu Paerua o Te Reo Kairangi.
With her love of teaching, Kohekohe has worked as a kaiako for ten years in kura and more recently has also taught te reo to adult learners. Her parents were the primary drivers of her passion for te reo Māori, having championed her participation in the Māori medium education they had been deprived of as children. Kohekohe continues their legacy, ensuring te reo Māori is the primary language of her home, in her children's worlds and in the lives of her extended whānau.
