2020 Education Scholarship Recipients

Ngāti Awa Education Scholarship Recipients

Ko Hazel Abraham tōku ingoa

During the nineteenth century my tūpuna Te Kahu Hawea and Hariata Te Houpepe (sister to Wi Patene Tarahanga) lived around the area of Te Houhi, located within the Waiohau block, situated by the lands of Matahina. Te Kahu was the eldest brother to Penitito Hawea who both alongside our other koroua, Te Kakara had an invested interest in the taonga tuku iho, Pūtauaki. My primary hāpu is Ngā Maihi who are an ancient tribe of the days of gone and my marae is Tu Teao. This is all that I have known since I was an infant until more recently during my doctoral journey that started four years ago at a Māori land meeting at Hawai. The Waikato line trace their genealogy from Te Kahu and Hariata who had a daughter Puau. Puau in turn had a son, Nane Waikato with Waikato Tarewa. Nane Waikato and Putiputi Watarawi had a son called Tom Waikato. Tom Waikato and Hazel Wanikau had the Waikato family who connect to many hapū of Ngāti Awa through toto, and whakapapa. I am the daughter of Mei Waikato and Terry Abraham. I have dedicated my life to transforming education outcomes for Māori in mainstream schooling across the primary, secondary and the tertiary sector. I am the first on both sides of my family, to embark on the doctoral journey which has allowed me to re(connect) and strengthen my ancestral connections to the whenua, the environment and to my people. Over many decades, I have been supported by whānau, hapū and iwi through a range of Māori education grants and scholarships. Without this support, it would not have been possible for me to complete my doctoral journey. I owe a lot of gratitude to my nannies who are no longer here and to Uncle Charlie Blue, for their time in caring for us as young children when we visited Te Teko from Wellington and Wairoa. Nanny Mei and Uncle Charlie always had a yummy feed when we visited in the holidays. I am also very grateful to Koro Waaka Vercoe, Koro Joe Mason, Koro Dennis Vercoe, Uncle Alf and Koro Rangi Paul for their awhi, generous time and support over the years and especially to Ngā Maihi for letting me come and share my korero three years ago. I hope that in the future, we can together normalise educational success for tamariki Māori, and nurture a safe environment that enables all tamariki to succeed as Māori, across successive generations. I envisage continuing on the legacy set by our ancestors to remember your turangawaewae and hold onto our whānau and hapū histories that bind our kinship ties to each other.

Matauranga Māori Scholarship Doctor of Philosophy

EDUCATION APPLICATIONS RECEIVED BY HAPŪ

Ngā Maihi Ngāi Taiwhakaea II Ngāi Tamaoki Ngāi Tamapare Ngāi Tamawera Ngāi Te Rangihouhiri II Ngai Tūariki Ngāti Awa ki Tāmaki Makaurau Ngāti Hāmua Ngāti Hikakino Ngāti Hokopu ki Te Hokowhitu-a-Tū Ngāti Hokopū ki Te Whare-o-Toroa Ngāti Maumoana Ngāti Pūkeko Ngāti Rangataua Ngāti Wharepaia Te Kahupaake Te Pahipoto Te Patuwai Te Tāwera Warahoe

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Ko Ngāti Awa te toki, tē tangatangata i te rā, tē ngohengohe i te wai

We are the adze whose bindings cannot be loosened by the sun or softened by the rain

Tēnei au e mihi ana ki ō tātau kaumātua, o tātau tūpuna hoki. Nā rātau ngā rangitāmiro o te toki nei. Nā rātau, nā ngā uri whakaheke o Ngāti Awa tēnei toki i hanga. Ki ōku rangatira o mua nei ra ka mihi. Anō nō te whenua hoki tēnei mana. Mai i Matātā ki Ohiwa, mai i te maunga tapu o Putauāki ki ngā koopiko o te awa o Ōhinemataroa. Nei ra te whenua tapu i puta mai tēnei toki, nā tōna manaakitanga, nā tōna wairākautanga kē. Āra e te iwi ānei ahau a Taitimuroa Ākuhata he uri whakaeke o Ngāti Awa e mihi kau ana ki a koutou katoa. Tēnei au e mau ana i tēra toki tonu, e hangaia ana i tōku nei ara ki roto i te mahi ā te tākuta. Engari ehara tēnei i te ara mōku anake, he ara kē mo tātau te iwi whānui, he ara hauora, he ara hei whakatikahia i nga kinotanga o te tāmitanga, o tenei ao hurihuri hoki. Nō reira tatau ma, ānei te ara taumata, anei te awhero, kei a mātau te toki, nō reira mā tatau katoa tēnei huarahi e hanga. My story begins far before my conception. It is the culmination of noble lineages that stretch back to Hawaiki. These lineages through to our ancestor Awanuiārangi cultivated the lands and brought with them the kumara that would nourish us and the whakapapa that would interconnect us all. In 1996 I was born in Whakatāne and took my place within this continuum of knowledge. Te Kohanga o Te Timatanga Hou and Te Kura o Te Paroa, along with the purakau spoken of by whānau would provide my foundation within this world.

It was when I reached primary schooling at Te Kura o te Paroa that I grew to appreciate the polarization in equity that existed within Aotearoa. It was there that I saw the contrast between the health outcomes of our whanau to that of Pakeha. Here I would begin to fathom the words of Sir Apiranga Ngata. That I would have to strive to attain both the knowledge of our ancestors and the knowledge of Western medicine to succeed as a contemporary Maori within both these contrasting worlds. So throughout my schooling, I decided to remain in kura kaupapa and would go on to develop skills in Manu korero, kapa haka, waka ama and additionally continue to develop my reo. In 2015 I enrolled into the University of Otago intending to become a medical doctor. Since then I have qualified with a Bachelor of Science (Maj. Anatomy Min. Maori Studies) and am now in my third year of medical studies. While pursuing my undergraduate degree I choose to minor in Māori studies. Under Dr Paerau Warbrick who is also from Ngāti Awa I gained an extensive understanding of the Waitangi Tribunal in regards to the Ngāti Awa Raupatu claim. Gaining an understanding of the legislation and appalling actions that lead to the marginalisation of Ngāti Awa became another powerful motivator for me during studies. Recently, I have seen through placements the efficacy of multidisciplinary health centres that incorporate many different health professions in one location. Centres such as this have been established by Ngai Tahu and the Southern DHB to provide a one-stop-shop for the health care needs of whanau. These centres through their increased accessibility and iwi involvement have been able to provide whanau with specialist care for a range of holistic health needs. I strongly believe this by Māori for Māori approach will be the way forward for Ngāti Awa and I wish to one day open such a centre in Whakatāne. I believe that a centre staffed by Ngāti Awa looking after the health needs of Ngāti Awa is the way forward. Moreover, I am sure that with the support of Te Runanga o Ngāti Awa and Ngāti Awa whanui that we can accomplish this for all of our people. Such a centre is, however, a future prospect for me, nonetheless, it remains a key motivator for me during my final years of study here at Otago.

E nga rangatira o te iwi, ka mihi TAITIMUROA HARDING AKUHATA

Health Science Scholarship Bachelar of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery