Pau ana ngā tekau tau ki ngā whare wānanga Pākehā, ka pau anō he tau e arataki ana I Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori me Te Mātāwai. Nō nākuanei I riro ai hei pouhere mō Kanapu, he hanga nā Ngā Pae o Te Māramatanga e whai ana kia pakari ake te rāngai pūtaiao, auaha, hangarau mā te hanga Māori; tangata mai, pūkenga mai, wheako mai. Me aha koa i tua i te whakapūkenga tāngata, nā reira, he hapū, he Hapori ana piringa. Arā hoki te whānau hei ohonga ake i ia rā.
Happily married with children and mokopuna who make life so refreshing, Poia spent 30 years in the tertiary sector and has led Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori and Te Mātāwai in Māori language revitalisation. He was recently appointed executive director of Kanapu, a programme directed by Ngā Pae o Te Māramatanga invested in building capability of Māori and the Research, Science, Innovation and Technology Sector. Building Māori capability and capacity are precious, hence he maintains contact with his iwi and community groups.
