Through her interactions with non-Maori people and her personal experiences with cultural identity. The protagonist, who is raised in a predominantly white community and often feels like an outsider among her own people, grapples with her cultural identity and struggles to find a sense of belonging within her Maori heritage. She is self-conscious about her accent and frequently compares herself to her more fluent and confident Maori friends and family members. Additionally, her experiences of discrimination and racism from non-Maori people further complicate her sense of cultural identity and belonging.
