Javier Doorbar

With his two young sons watching on, Javier “Wa” Te Wawaro Doorbar (Te Āti Awa, Otaraua), 31, walked proudly across the marae atea to receive his Bachelor of Business degree from the University of Waikato.

"My journey began when I was a little Māori boy from a small town in Taranaki called Waitara. I wanted to make something of myself."

Growing up in kura kaupapa, Javier was fluent in te reo Māori, and only learned to write in English at the age of 13.

At 18, he knew he wanted more – to travel and broaden his horizons.

His first taste of university came in 2010 with a bridging course, Certificate of University Preparation (CUP).

“It was a bit of a struggle. I couldn't quite string a sentence together in English properly. But I did my best.”

But after CUP, he failed his first-year papers and, feeling defeated, left university.

Te Wawaro went on to work at Waikato Museum, before joining and serving in the Royal New Zealand Navy.

A decade later, in 2020 he returned to Waikato University, determined to finish what he started and learn how to become a good leader.

“I knew that this time would be different, I would use the tools through my life journey to guide me.”

Te Wawaro enrolled in a Bachelor of Business, majoring in Human Resource Management with minors in Leadership Communication and Project Management. "I passed my first papers, and the doubt disappeared."

During his studies, Te Wawaro became active in the Māori student community, serving as pou tikanga and later president of the WMS student club Te Ranga Ngaku, and mentoring other tauira.

“They were like a family that supported me through all my studies,” he says.

The support of lecturers and fellow students made a big difference.

"There was a lot of wrap-around support at Waikato, and that was really important to me. That's one of the reasons why I came to Waikato; I knew I needed support from the beginning, that this wasn't going to be an easy journey."

Raising his two sons as a solo father, while meeting his study and financial commitments, was tough, but he was determined to succeed. Te Wawaro finished his degree in just two years - rather than the usual three - by attending summer school.

He graduated in April 2023 surrounded by his family, with his Dad and Nan, and sons Hakopa Te Moana and Te Kapua-iti, by his side.

“My message is, you can do it. My teacher told me I wasn’t good enough to go to university, but I did it. If you are a young parent, and you think you are not going to make anything of yourself, that’s not true. Don’t be afraid to try."

Today he works as a Māori development advisor at DairyNZ while still serving part-time as a combat systems specialist in the Navy - honing his leadership skills for the future.

He's also an ambassador for TupuToa, an organisation that connects Māori and Pacific students with industry internships.

“I’m very driven,” says Te Wawaro. “In the future, I want to be in a position that can help more people in human resources and leadership development spaces, but also teach, educate and lead Māori and Pacific people. So when they come into these spaces, that they can feel safe, that they see somebody like themselves.”