MORE Cook Islanders call New Zealand home and that means holding on to their culture and traditions can be a challenge at the best of times. Senior lecturer in Māori Studies at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, Dr Ake Nicholas is doing her part to help Cook Islanders preserve their heritage. This first week of August is Cook Islands Maori language week, and Nicholas hopes that it will help communities to see the value of and celebrate using their language. But if you are a descendant of one of these communities and you don’t know your heritage language, that’s not because of something you have done.” As one of the Pacific’s top indigenous linguists, Nicholas is passionate about helping Cook Island Maori strengthen the connection to their indigenous language heritage.