2019 Education Scholarship Recipient

Ngāti Awa Education Scholarship Recipient

He Mihi Ko Pūtauaki me Kapūterangi okū Maunga Ko Rangitāiki me Ōrini me Whakatāne ōku Awa Ko Mātaatua te Waka Ko Ngāti Awa te Iwi Ko Te Pahipoto me Ngāi Taiwhakaea me Ngāti Hokopū ki Te Hokowhitu-a-Tū okū Hapū Ko Kokohinau me Taiwhakaea me Te Hokowhitu-a-Tū okū Marae Ko Hingatu Elliott tōku ingoa I completed my secondary schooling as a student boarder at Hukarere Girls’ College in Eskdale, Napier. I was a recipient of the Te Puawaitanga Scholarship which is awarded to students with high leadership potential to attend one of six (at the time) Maori boarding schools to realise their academic, sporting and cultural aspirations as future leaders and learners.

I started my journey at the University of Otago on the Tū Kahika Health Sciences scholarship programme which is a pathway designed for young Māori tauira who aspire to study towards a career in health. On reflection this experience helped to provide me with the tools and collegial support to successfully pursue undergraduate study and upon completing my Health Sciences First Year (BSc) papers I was accepted for admission onto the second year Medicine MB ChB programme at the University of Otago this year. My whānau has dedicated much of their lives in service to our many marae, land trusts and the Te Teko Rugby Club for the welfare and care of our whānau, hapū and iwi. As mokopuna it is second nature for us to be helping by doing the shopping for tangihanga, hui or other marae functions and voluntary work for the various fundraising activities in Te Teko as this is our everyday life and to give freely without expecting anything in return. I will always consider myself very fortunate to have strong whānau/hapū support that enables me to continue to strive towards my educational aspirations and academic success. I have chosen to study medicine and to become a doctor because for me “to provide care for others” is the most challenging and rewarding job in the world.

Ehara taku toa, he takitahi, he toa takitini

“My life goal is to become a doctor to provide healthcare for the wellbeing of our people in our communities.”

EDUCATION APPLICATIONS RECEIVED BY HAPŪ

Ngā Maihi Ngāi Taiwhakaea II Ngāi Tamaoki Ngāi Tamawera Ngaī Te Rangihouhiri II Ngāti Awa ki Tāmaki Makaurau Ngāti Hāmua Ngāti Hikakino Ngāti Hokopu ki Te Hokowhitu-a-Tū Ngāti Hokopū ki Te Whare-o-Toroa Ngāti Pūkeko Ngāti Rangataua Ngāti Wharepaia Te Kahupaake Te Pahipoto Te Patuwai 11 15 5 2 4 1 1 3 2 4 18 5 3 2 16 7 1 4

Caring for each other Manaakitanga

Ngāti Awa Education Scholarship Recipient

My name is Meremaihi Sharleen Mahutoto. I was raised in Whakatāne amongst my Ngāti Awa Whānau having affiliations to all marae of Whakatāne and Motiti but predominantly with my Te Pahipoto, Te Patuwai, Ngāti Maumoana and Ngāti Pukeko whānau. My waka are Mataatua, Tainui and Te Arawa and I have whakapapa to all tribes of the Mataatua confederation.

I attended Te Timatanga Hou Kohanga Reo, Te Kura o te Pāroa and Trident High School; then pursuing studies towards a Bachelor of Science at the University of Auckland in statistics and computer science (graduated in 2018) and Master of Applied Data Science at the University of Canterbury (2019). Being the first Maori data science post-graduate, I am considering a doctorate to research kaupapa Maori data analysis to establish a framework as this does not exist for Maori organisation reference.

Whilst studying towards my degrees I undertook three internships (two iwi research projects and one CoRE project). At the Centre of Research Excellence, Te Punaha Matatini, I conducted network analysis to identify potential innovation groups. During my time at Waikato-Tainui College for Research and Development I was involved with designing and archiving their online information. In 2018 -19, I spent the summer in the Bay of Plenty with Te Arawa Lakes Trust. Here, I undertook social network analysis using automated web page extraction.

While initially studying towards an engineering degree, I undertook my studies in data science, statistics and computer science because of my interest in critical thinking and developing a set of skills to provide for human endeavour.

Currently I am employed in Auckland, working in a Te Puni Kokiri commissioned agency for their Whānau Ora initiative, to automate their data outputs and update their data warehousing. An outcome is that communication and accountability processes are improving within the organization.

My aspiration for my iwi is to realize the potential of 21st century data science. Data driven decision-making prioritizes creativity, scientific thinking, business acumen and lived experiences. There is huge potential in the study of data science as there is data in every aspect of life. Data has the ability to reveal in-depth details of human interaction and these learnings can be transformed into meaningful commercial, social and cultural outcomes.

“Me mihi ki Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa mo ngā awhina karahipi. He manu hou ahau, he pī ka rere.”

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“Tertiary and Scholarships open February of each year Check you are registered with us and your postal and email addresses are correct”