Sam Hepi
Ngāti Tūwharetoa and Tuhoe
When returning to study, Sam Hepi was most interested in the options available to provide a service to the community.
Hamilton
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The opportunity to extend his knowledge base while working towards helping the community saw Sam Hepi study a Master of Arts in International Relations and Security Studies at the University of Waikato.
Sam grew up in Taumarunui, but arrived in Hamilton wanting to challenge himself after teaching English in Japan for six years. “I've always wanted to be a public servant. I'm not sure why, I just always like dedicating myself to serving the community, and I've always felt it was such a natural thing that I wanted to do with my life.”
Sam thought learning about government and policy was the best way to help him chase that dream. "I now work for the Ministry of Social Development; my role right now is case manager. So, what I do every day is basically apply legislation to applications that our clients put to us and assess those.”
His time at Waikato University left an impression on him, with some of his lectures remaining fresh in his mind for over a year.
“We practised a fair bit of policy analysis in the classroom. My master's dissertation was a policy analysis paper. So, I find that I really am applying those analytical skills that I honed at Waikato every day at work.”
Sam also liked that there was a high level of "curious energy" in the classroom. "Active participation was definitely fostered in the classroom environment and it kept me on my toes. I think I was lifted because of how great everyone else was."
Graduating in 2024, Sam was in one of the first groups to graduate in The Pā, an occasion he treasures. “As a Māori student I was really proud of that. That was awesome to me because that's an incredible facility, and it really reflects the culture of the University.”
Sam isn’t sure where his future lays but knows that he has plenty of options with the Ministry of Social Development. “There are heaps of opportunities for professional development and branching out into different roles. To be honest, at this stage, I don't know where the road will lead me, but I'm very happy to be in this place.”
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