Scholarship helps Gus to find his place in the world

If a young Gus Brooks wanted a trip to the movies or some other treat, his teacher father would set him a challenging maths problem to solve.

“We had a whiteboard and he would sit me and my older brother down and write up some equation or other we had to get right to earn our treat,” laughs Gus. “It’s something I still do with my father now, solve problems on a whiteboard, but it has to be said they are somewhat harder these days!”

Gus, who received the Te Āti Hau Trust’s PhD Scholarship, is just a few months off completing his doctorate at the world-leading Robinson Research Institute at Victoria University of Wellington.

He has been studying ‘superconductors’ and identifying how they can be used in groundbreaking new technologies and provide solutions for industries worldwide.

“The scholarship has given me the freedom to be able to focus fully on my thesis and my work – a privilege I don’t take lightly – so I am very grateful,” says Gus. “I really want to encourage other young Māori to apply to the Trust so they can access the financial support available to them while they are chasing their aspirations. It makes such a difference.”

Gus says he was encouraged by his father to apply to the Trust for a study grant.

“My father is a Te Ātihau-Whanganui Incorporation shareholder and our family has always been very proud of our Māori heritage,” he says. “My bedtime songs were all in te reo and Saturdays were all about getting together with the extended whānau for a game of rugby and some kai.”

Above (left to right): Dr Rod Badcock, Gus Brooks, and his father Kit Brooks at the Ātihau-Whanganui Inc AGM.

The family can trace back five generations to Gus’s great-greatgreat-grandfather, an English soldier who married Ruhi Pakihiwi. The family whakapapa to Koriniti Marae. Gus’s mother is Ripora Erena Loose.

“When I was younger, my Māori culture was something I just took for granted, but I attended my first Ātihau-Whanganui Incorporation AGM last year and it opened my eyes a bit to everything they do,” says Gus. “I knew quite a few people there too, so I am definitely keen to connect a bit more with the organisation.”

After High School, Gus attended Auckland University for a short while – but found he wasn’t quite ready to spend all his time in research lab quite yet, so took off in search of adventure in the mines of Australia amongst other places.

“I needed a bit of time to think about what I wanted to do,” he explained. “I still wasn’t really sure when I got to the end of my Bachelor’s degree at Victoria, but some friends were doing some work at the Institute and I went to help move some equipment around.”

“I got talking to one of the researchers, who has since become my supervisor, and he suggested I completed an Honours project there, which I did.”

“Then they offered me the opportunity to do my PhD, which I grabbed and just a few weeks later was on a plane to the UK to do a three-month collaboration at Cambridge University.”

“There is a perception that science is all about the physical world and how things work, but it isn’t – it helps you to understand who you are, what you value and to find your place in the world. I love it.”

“Supporting our young people to reach their full potential is something the Trust is very pleased to do,” says Shar Amner, chair of the Te Āti Hau Trust. “Investing in people like Gus means we are investing in the future for all Māori.”

Above: Gus Brooks with Te Āti Hau Trusts Chair, Shar Amner.