Passionate About Māori Education
Māori students have the right to learn as Māori
Background
Although I whakapapa to the West (Te Ātiawa) and East (Ngāti Porou) Coasts of the North Island and to Mārlborough at Te Tau Ihu o te Waka (the top of the South Island - Te Ātiawa ki te Tau Ihu), I was born and raised in the Manawatū where I completed all of my primary and secondary education and my first two degrees.
After completing my undergraduate studies at Massey University in 1998, I have been working in the Māori Education field in a variety of different roles from Māori learning support to cultural and education consultation and facilitation within the Early Childhood, Primary and Tertiary sectors.
I completed my Masters degree in Education at Massey University in 2008, and my PhD in Māori Education through Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi, which I completed at the end of 2019.
Culture Counts
Māori students excel when they are able to learn as Māori. As a Māori Education Consultant I can give you a plethora of tools to assist you to best meet the needs of Māori students within your learning institution.
Likewise, Māori clients, patients, and staff feel safe and connected when their culture is acknowledged, recognised, and respected as the Indigenous culture of Aotearoa. I can assist you and your team to truly understand and practice what it means to be an authentic Treaty partner.
Noho Ora
Noho Ora - Staying Well - is crucial to achievement and developing good self-esteem in all aspects of our lives. I have come to learn the importance of having balanced wellbeing in all the dimensions of health, and this is another area of education I am passionate about.
I provide a range of services through Noho Ora, the health education arm of Māori Education Consultancy.
Why Choose Me?
I am absolutely passionate about empowering Māori students to connect with their cultural identity in order to unlock the best of their academic potential, which research continues to show is an essential element to academic success. Furthermore, my experience working in Deaf Education has taught me valuable skills for working with and empowering Māori Deaf and Hard of Hearing learners to connect with their Māori identity.
I love to work with educators to bring them the practical tools they need to be able to effectively work with and teach Māori students to learn as Māori and enjoy seeing the transformational change that occurs as bicultural practice becomes natural, normal and empowering for all. I particularly enjoy working with rangatahi Māori as a cultural mentor, and feel a connection with these young people.
Likewise, I love to work within other sectors of Aotearoa assisting businesses, social service providers and corporate sectors to become culturally sustaining in their practices and to become authentic Treaty partners.
Having grown up disconnected from my Māori identity until I was 14 years old, I understand the struggles of claiming and reclaiming cultural roots and identity, and how that effects life's journeys.
As a 'white' Māori I have experienced the realities of cultural and racial conflict from both sides of the fence, and can identify with the challenges that Māori students, staff, clients and customers face. I have developed a strong connection to all aspects of my whakapapa on both my Māori and my Pākehā sides. I am secure in my identity as a Māori woman and believe that I have much to offer to our rangatahi Māori and to the education and general sectors in Aotearoa.