Maori Matters One Ocean

Rakaitemania Parata Gardiner 2016 has been a busy, challenging, and, ultimately, rewarding year for tauira Māori. We successfully hosted Te Huinga Tauira; thanks to the hard work of the Huinga Komiti, headed by the unflappable tokotoru tapu, in conjunction with NT and all the tauira that carried out their vision. Manaakitanga and whakawhanaungatanga were in full force during those hectic days as we welcomed 300 tauira Māori from around the motu to participate in kapa haka, sports, and political activity. Te Hōhaieti o te Reo Māori have established a popular weekly radio show on Salient FM that has acted as an effective tool for the promotion of te reo me ōnā tikanga. It provides a platform for tauira to get out of their comfort zones and try something new in the name of celebrating all facets of what it means to be Māori. Ngā Taura Umanga put on an excellent night at this year’s Tatai Hono that gave tauira the chance to engage with successful Māori across a range of fields. From Iron Māori to photography, to slam poetry and more, it was an invaluable opportunity to network and foster mutually beneficial relationships with inspirational Māori. Ngā Rangahautira created Ngā Kaiaronui (NK), a group that forms educated opinions on contemporary Māori issues by making written and oral submissions to select committees for the reform of legislations, particularly those affecting Māori. NK put forward an oral submission on the Ture Whenua Māori bill presented by three of its members earlier this year. All in all, we’ve achieved a lot in 2016. To our first years and newbies across the board, thank you for all that you bring to the table. The fresh energy, enthusiasm, and near indecipherable bants is necessary for the growth and continued success of our associations. To those on the komiti whakahaere of all of our Māori associations, y’all are pumpers. The minimal sleep and maximum stress over the year is rough but ultimately leads to the improvement of university life for all tauira Māori, so, thank you. To the whanau from Te Herenga Waka and Te Kawa a Māui, thank you for your continued support in all tauira endeavours. Thank you for feeding, guiding, and strengthening us as we navigate the challenges of university. We farewell Te Ripowai Higgins and wish her all the best, we thank you sincerely and endlessly for all you’ve done over the years. Ngāi Tauira AGM Wednesday, October 12, 5.30pm at Te Herenga Waka Marae.

Laura Toailoa Shout out to the loyal readers of this little slab of Salient. Shout out to everyone who has written for One Ocean— it’s been an honour sharing this space with you. Shout out to those who ventured out of One Ocean and wrote in the “mainstream” part. Shout out to the staff who after all these years still dip into Salient every now and then hoping it’s a good year. Shout out to everyone who shared One Ocean on Facebook and Instagram, reaching the eyes and minds of those not at university, not in Wellington, not in New Zealand. Shout out to the academics trying to find ways to decolonise research and academia for inspiring us to think and write critically and courageously. Shout out to the activists who keep fighting when their causes aren’t #trending. Shout out to our parents who have made all the sacrifices to ensure we have the opportunities that we often take for granted. Shout out to my parents for being proud of me even when I’m sure a lot of what I do makes you uncomfortable. Shout to my fellow Pasifika Students’ Council executive members for listening to me stress out when I don’t know what to write and for encouraging me when belief in myself wavers. Shout out to my brother who in 2010 told me to start a blog, thus practicing the art of oversharing. Shout out to J. Cole, Kings of Leon, Vaniah Toloa, and Rihanna for being the background music of most of what I write. Shout out to everyone who has fed me this year—every meal, snack, and halved burger has meant the world to me. Shout out to Stallone Vaiaoga-Ioasa for my cinematic highlight of 2016: Three Wise Cousins. Shout out to all the students—from first year to PhD— for making it through this year. Whether it was a blink of an eye for you, or a slow and painful crawl to the finish line, you never gave up. Don’t give up. And a massive shout out to Emma and Jayne for sending that first email in January inviting us to be a part of this magazine every week. It has been an absolute pleasure, thank you. 14