Komene, (Ngā Puhi, Ngāi Takoto) is the Kaihautū of He Waka Kōtuia Trust a vehicle towards building strong, culturally competent, linguistically capable young people in Dunedin and Ngāi Tahu communities. He has taught te reo at all levels from primary through to tertiary. He is a licenced te reo Māori translator who offers a translation service that caters to the University of Otago, the Dunedin City Council, and Aukaha, to name a few. He is also over twenty years experience in facilitation, planning, education, teaching, Māori performance arts and composition.

Over the last 20 years, Paulette, Komene and their sons Taikawa, Tūmai Te Mānene, Kiringāua and Te Atarau have re-established te reo Māori as a language of normal communication in the home and are moving now in to the next generation with their first grandchild, Tūtemākohu. They are both fully committed and involved in the revitalisation of te reo and tikaka/customs among Ngāi Tahu whānui and the wider community. Both Paulette and Komene are graduates of Te Panekiretanga o Te Reo – The Institute of Excellence in Te Reo Māori.