Stories from our Māori Language/Te Reo Māori students and alumni
Studying Māori Language/Te Reo Māori gives you new knowledge and skills, and a lot of new choices in life. Here's how things have turned out for some of our Māori Language/Te Reo Māori students and alumni.
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Deborah and Jackson Wood
Diploma in Te Tohu Paetahi Learning my own language has strengthened my own cultural identity, whakapapa knowledge and whānau connections. Knowing your first language is critical for understanding who you are, while contributing to the revitalisation of the language.
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Rangihurihia McDonald
PhD The common thread on all the work I do is around te reo Māori and mātauranga Māori... Mātauranga Māori is my superpower. Twenty years ago, people thought te reo Māori would get you nowhere, but it’s the edge I have, and it is valued more now.
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Keana Hepi
Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Laws I’ve really enjoyed my Māori language papers this trimester, particularly learning more about the values inherent in te reo Māori and the knowledge systems of mātauranga Māori.
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Roimata Panapa
Bachelor of Arts You could be the fittest athlete in the world, but when you stand on the floor for eight hours straight singing and moving around, stamina is the most important thing.
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Ngā Wai hono i te po Paki
Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts I’ve been brought up in it, I am it. A lot of people are Kapa Haka. It’s the embodiment of Māoritanga
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Te Maiora Rūrehe
Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Laws Lawyers are catalysts for change as they can directly influence justice and how it’s administered.
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Kiriwaitingi Rei
Bachelor of Business I love how the University of Waikato continues to embrace kaupapa Māori and celebrate the Kīngitanga.
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William Flavell
Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Education, Master of Education Have a passion for young people, and have a passion about your kaupapa (a subject) – if you can combine these two things, you can have an awesome teaching career.
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Raewyn Mahara
Bachelor of Education, Graduate Diploma, Master of Business Administration With over 20 years’ experience in the education sector, Raewyn Mahara decided to take the next step in her professional development by joining the MBA programme at the Waikato-Tainui College for Research and Development.
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Montgomery Cason
I learnt a lot about the inner-workings of my identity and developed a better understanding of what it means to be indigenous.
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Tawhiao McMaster
Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Laws Waikato was the only University that could develop my background and interest in Māori culture and language. Waikato feels like home to me now – coming here was the best decision I’ve ever made for my academia.
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Te Aorangi Murphy-Fell
Bachelor of Management Studies with Honours I knew that Waikato had a good reputation for caring about tikanga Māori and Māori students, so that was a big pull for me. The Management School also has a great reputation. For me, my career and life goals are not focused on making money; that’s just a by-product of doing work that is valuable in its own right. I'd like to contribute to the development and strengthening of the Māori economy, which is set to get even bigger in the future.
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Kewa Cashell-Warren
Bachelor of Arts I don’t like showing my emotions. I like to keep them to myself, for me. But when I do Kapa Haka it’s a chance for me to let all that emotion out.