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Ellesse Andrews is a 22-year-old track cyclist who represents New Zealand on the world stage. She was born in Ōtautahi, but grew up in Wānaka, attending Mount Aspiring College before moving to St Peter’s Cambridge for her final two years of schooling.
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My first job was in the late 90s where I worked closely with Tahu Potiki on manuscripts he was translating at the time. Tahu also set up the first rōpū of rakatahi, dragging us around the motu and building a sense of connection through whakapapa. He took us up to the signing of the Deed of Settlement in Kaikōura and reminded us of the mahi of our tūpuna, usually heroic or dastardly deeds and always the odd battle thrown in. I am still left wondering about the wives and daughters of these Rakatira.
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A blessing to be the youngest of five and raised by our parents, Te Ruahine and Johno Crofts, to be the person I am today. A wife and mother of three with 10 very spoilt mokopuna who are the delight of our lives. An educator of many kaupapa that are tikanga driven and an advocate of the whakataukī that I grew up with “Aroha ki te tangata, tētahi ki tētahi, ahakoa ko wai, ahakoa nō hea.”
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I was born in Christchurch in 1984, but raised in Hokitika. I spent my adolescence between Levin and Wellington, before returning home to Westland in 2004. I worked in a fish and chip shop and sawmill, until I was given the chance to train in traditional wood carving under Ngāi Tahu master carver, Fayne Robinson.
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Dr Hana Royal spent much of her childhood growing up in Tuahiwi before heading to university in Auckland where she studied medicine. After graduating she worked for a time in Auckland hospitals as a surgical registrar before deciding to become a general practitioner.
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Maui Brennan (Ngāi Tahu – Ngāi Tūāhuriri) grew up in Ōtautahi in a bicultural household. Being of Italian and Māori whānau, Maui appreciates not only the similarities between his two cultures, but also the strong sense of identity that has blossomed from his upbringing.
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Ngāi Tahu – Waihōpai, Awarua Lucie O’Sullivan (Ngāi Tahu – Waihōpai, Awarua) grew up in Perth, but having family both past and present call Aotearoa home has helped her form her own sense of place and identity. She has held fast to her heritage, and has shared her family’s joy in exploring Aotearoa on visits…
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Mike Pohio is the youngest of four children and was raised on a drystock farm at Ōkere Falls, near Rotorua. His father was a captain in the Māori Battalion during WWII, and while on a two-year role in the Graves Registration Service immediately after the war, met Mike’s English mother in Budapest, where she was working as a secretary in the British Foreign Office.
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Kahurangi was raised on the West Coast and has always been fiercely proud of his Poutini Ngāi Tahu and Ngāti Porou heritage. He attended Hato Pāora College in the North Island, originally intending to study archaeology. However, at the age of 14, Kahurangi was lucky enough to discover his true calling while on a hīkoi in the Hollyford Valley, and he changed his career aspiration to Cultural Heritage guide.
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Gwen Bower grew up in Timaru, spending weekends and holidays with her nan in Temuka. Her apprenticeship in the marae kitchen began when she was about nine years-old, and she has been involved with rūnanga business since she was dragged along to a meeting one Sunday about 40 years ago. Today, her role is Arowhenua Marae Manager.
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