It is suggested that the education system, Christianity and government policy influenced Te Aupouri people relocating to urbanised areas in Aotearoa/New Zealand and overseas. Through confronting the issues such as root shock and social toxins in their new locations, the study will reveal that these issues are not new but have reappeared in other guises to further colonise Te Aupouri. Regardless of assimilation, Te Aupouri maintained and, in some cases, re-established cultural initiatives by telling their stories in re-centering, rewriting, re-righting and reclaiming themselves.