He Mutunga, He Timatanga - Māori Students Reflect on Their Year

Shay McEwan (Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki, Ngāti Pāhauwera, Ngāti Porou)

As we head into the final stretch of classes for trimester two, I wanted to take a moment to pause and reflect on how the year has been. Initially I thought it would be a fun idea to speak on my own experiences. Instead, I was lucky enough to be surrounded by a wonderful bunch of tauira in the wharekai of Ngā Mokopuna. While sitting down with them, I was able to ask about their experiences, how the year has been for them, what they’re looking forward to over the break, and what excites them about the year to come. 

I spoke with:Rawinia, first-year Laws and Māori Studies

Tui, first-year Political Communications 

Hinewairua, second-year Māori Studies and Intercultural Communications 

Sophia, third-year Māori Psychology 

Kaitlyn, fifth-year Honours Sociology 

How has this year been?

For Rawinia, who moved here from Tāmaki-Makaurau to start her first year of Law and Māori studies, she mentioned the year has been “good, super eventful”. Uni life can be challenging for many, but she highlighted the importance of being social and making connections to help her through this year. 

Tui, another wonderful first year, described it as “very much treading water.” This is how first year students can often feel—the constant juggling of assignments, while trying to keep your head above it all. Still, she admitted it’s “pretty cruisy compared to high school and having a job”. 

In her final year of Honours, Kaitlyn kept it real while commenting on Tui’s view of the year by agreeing with the statement, saying “Me too, it’s definitely like I’m still treading water”. 

Sophia, now in her third year, reflected on the growth she’s had this year. “I’ve got a better grasp on balancing work and uni this year, and I feel so much more confident in myself and especially in Māori spaces. I’ve put myself out there a lot more than last year, I’m thankful and feel at peace—socially, at least.” For her, the community within the Pā has been central to how supported and connected she feels to her fellow Māori tauira. 

“Long but eventful,” is how Hinewairua put it. She agreed with the others that social connection really helped her through the year, stating that “without my friends, it’d be boring but I’m glad for the experiences I had this year”. 

What are you looking forward to over the break?

After months and months of lectures, deadlines, and readings, everyone was in agreement about resetting themselves and taking time for whānau and friends. 

Tui said the break is about “resetting and getting mentally prepared for the following year.”

For Rawinia, it’s all about “taking a mental break, I want to have time for myself again”. She’s also excited about heading up to Gisborne to see her māmā; once she’s back she’s moving into a new flat with her best friends. “I’m finally going to have time to myself without feeling super guilty about being on TikTok as well!”

Sophia wants to spend her summer nurturing her soul with raranga, art, and all the “things I love doing but always run out of time for during the trimester.” She also mentioned going home far North, and spending proper quality time with her whānau. 

And for our lovely Miss Honours Student, Kaitlyn has one very clear goal for her break “I’m excited to close Zotero.” Iykyk! 

What about next year?

With the exhaustion of the current year still very fresh, all tauira spoke about what’s on their minds for next year and what’s motivating them to keep moving forward. 

For Hinewairua, the finish line is within reach: “Next year, I’ll be closer to getting my degree, my final year.” 

Tui hopes to be “more involved in my community: I really want to keep that connection I have this year, and I hope to dive into it more next year.” 

Rawinia is focused on getting herself into her second year of law (she definitely will!) 

Sophia has her eyes set on both studies and community. “A successful final year of my bachelor’s, I also really want to serve our tauira Māori in any way that I can, representing them and giving back to the community that has carried me through this degree.” 

Kaitlyn on the other hand, she can see the moment clearly “I’m going to be walking across that Ātea and getting my degree.” 

What I loved the most about sitting with them was their combined sense of hope for the year ahead and their mix of honesty, and humour. While they agreed they’ve been in survival mode the last couple months, they shared the amount of growth they’ve experienced. All of them reminded me that the experiences we have as students aren’t  just about classes or grades; they are about the unique experience we have as Māori students, and how we find strength in each other, in our whānau, and the spaces we have on campus. 

As this year closes, I feel lucky to have gained a close friendship with these girls throughout the year, but also lucky to have listened to their journeys. Even though this year is wrapping, for our tauira Māori and all of us, while this chapter closes, the next chapter is only just beginning.