Posts Tagged ‘Shabnam Dastgheib’

When a tiny heart pulls a ton of love

Coming up to a year of motherhood, Chantal Tumahai has been on a rollercoaster ride of joy and heartbreak. Now the ride is slowing, and she is a mother to two healthy baby girls with strong personalities and resilience, Chantal looks back at just how many miracles have come their way.
She shares her story with kaituhi Shabnam Dastgheib.

Bringing tikanga Māori into the courtroom

“When I came to leave high school, the deputy principal called me into the office and said, ‘What are you going to do?’ I said, ‘I don’t know’, and he said I should go into the army.”

But Quentin said he couldn’t be bothered getting up early in the morning and shining his shoes. The deputy principal asked what he did want to do, and his flippant answer at that young age was that he just wanted to make money.

“His response was to be a doctor or lawyer. I said, ‘I can’t be bothered getting up early in the morning and delivering babies, so I’ll go lawyer then.’”

He laughs about that little exchange now, with many years of success in the profession behind him. As one of the country’s newest judges, Quentin is now on a mission to bring his own personal style to the District Court.