Maeva Atatoa Carr

Being able to teach future students in their reo is a goal Maeva Atatoa Carr doesn’t think she’d be on her way to achieving if it wasn’t for the University of Waikato.

She is studying Te Ara Poutama Toitū Te Reo – the teaching degree taught in full immersion te reo Māori.

Having grown up in Hamilton and completed her schooling at Knighton - Te Hihiri, Berkley, and Hillcrest High, Maeva was drawn to Waikato because it offered what she is truly passionate about: learning immersed in te reo.

She started her journey at Waikato with Te Tohu Paetahi, an intensive one-year Māori language immersion diploma.

"There are few opportunities to study in full immersion reo, and I have always heard amazing things about this programme.

“Honestly, I’m not sure I would have gone to university if Te Tohu Paetahi hadn’t been an option. My whānau have also studied and worked at Waikato, so choosing this university felt both familiar and right.”

Maeva is a third-generation student at the University of Waikato, with her parents and grandparents involved in or studying here.

When Maeva left school, she knew she had a deep interest in te reo Māori me ōna tikanga, but she wasn’t quite sure how to turn that passion into a pathway until she discovered Te Tohu Paetahi.

This opened her eyes to learning “from” and “in” a te ao Māori worldview and led Maeva to take on a bachelor's, Te Ara Poutama Toitū Te Reo, next.

“In this tohu we are learning how to be teachers in te reo Māori and from a te ao Māori worldview. I am also able to express my own culture Cook Island Māori through this tohu as well.”

Maeva says the way the programme is designed suits her style of learning; by having small classes it allows her to receive support from classmates. She has also enjoyed the placement opportunities which allowed her to get involved with tamariki at different kura.

Eventually Maeva would like to go back to her island Mangaia in the Cook Islands and be a kaiako there, surrounded by her culture and language.

“This will be very special to me and undertaking the studies I have done here at Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato has been the perfect pathway for me to be able to achieve this goal. I think it might take a little while to build up my confidence for this, and in the meantime here in Aotearoa I want to teach at a rural kura kaupapa Māori.

I want to be able to teach kids their reo tūturu whether that be Māori or Cook Island Māori. This is because I think reo is such a big part of their and my identity. Being able to celebrate and use it in the akomanga has a huge positive impact on the tamariki, as well as me.

Outside of university, sports play a huge part in Maeva’s life. She represented the Cook Islands at the Touch Rugby World Cup in England.

“This year, I’ve focused on rugby league, playing for Taniwharau, Waikato, and the Cook Islands,” she says.

“One of the great things about my tohu being delivered online is that it allows me to balance my study with my sporting commitments. When I’m not out on placement in a kura or kōhanga reo, I can plan my day around training. My kaiako at the University and on placement have been incredibly supportive, and staying organised and on top of my mahi has helped me manage everything successfully.”