Marino Floor

Tommy Niha (he/him) - Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Whātua ki Kaipara

Mai i Te Kore ki Te Pō,

mai i Te Pō ki Te Ao,

mai i te pōuri ki te māramatanga,

ka puta ko Tāne,

ka puta ko Hineahuone,

ka puta ko te ira tāngata,

ka mauri ora ai tātou.

Kei aku nui, kei aku rahi, kei aku whakataparahi ki te rangi tēnei e mihi atu nei. Ko Tommy Niha tōku ingoa, he uri tēnei nō ngā marae maha ō Te Tai Tokerau, hoinō, ko ōku iho pūmanawa ko Ngāti Hine, Ngati Whātua ki Kaipara, Te Parawhau me Ngāpuhi anō hoki. I tipu ake au ki te tāone o Whāngarei, otirā, he tauira tēnei e whai ana i ngā tapuwae kua kākahutia ai e ngā toki whakairo i te ao mātauranga ki tōna taumata.

He tau tuatahi au ki Te Herenga Waka, ā, kei te whai au i te tohu paetahi. Ko te aronga matua o aku akoranga ko te Intercultural Communication me ngā Akoranga Māori anō hoki.

Nō reira, tēnei au e mihi atu nei.

Hei whakatakato i te tūāpapa o aku tuhinga, ka kapohia ake ko te auapapa o tēnei tuhinga: Te Papa o Marino ki te nohoanga akonga o Joans Stevens. Kua 5 tau te papa o Marino e tū ai ki waenganui i ngā nohoanga tauira, koinei te hōro tuatahi kia whai tētahi taumata pēnei. He āhuatanga rerekē ki ētahi atu, engari, mō ngā tauira Māori he āhuatanga motuhake te noho i waenga i mātou anō. Nō mātou te waimārie kia noho ki tēnei taumata nā te mana o ngā tauira Māori kei te hiahia ki te noho ki taua taumata. Heoi, 22 noa iho ngā rūma e wātea ana mō mātou, nō reira nā mātou te maringanui kia noho kotahi ai – he Māori mātou e noho māori nei ki tēnei ao Māori.

“We are Māori, living as Māori within a Māori world.” This is the best way to describe how Marino can be perceived by our tauira or residents. The Marino floor is one of the only floors within all of the accommodation facilities to have a floor dedicated to Māori students that are also scholarship recipients as well, which adds to the value of this floor.

On the 8th of February, I, alongside my other floor mates, were preparing for one of the most significant milestones within our lives, which was leaving what we had built and created back home to a whole new environment where we had to find new connections with others in a new city and getting used to our new lives. It was intimidating and scary, to say the least.

But as a first year moving from the small town of Whāngarei, I had thoughts of how my being and personality would be perceived by others, and it is intimidating knowing you are moving into an unfamiliar environment with people you don’t know. But also knowing that you will be seen by people who look, speak, and act like yourself provides comfort, and that's how I would describe Marino.

Marino provides our students with comfort that others sometimes find hard to find. Although we are different beings and people, there is one common denominator that connects us as people, and that is our Māoritanga. Being able to share a connection with someone new solely based on our culture is something beautiful to experience and also to witness.

This year, our Marino floor residents consisted of so many different places our residents called home. Mai i Te Hiku o te Ika, ki Te Ūpoko o te Ika, whakawhiti atu ki te moana o Raukawa, tae atu ki Te Waipounamu, we are all representatives of our respected hometowns, but I also think that is an important aspect of our Marino floor whānau, as we are all from different areas of Aotearoa.

An aspect of our floor is that it is a Māori scholarship floor. To me, this represents the strength, determination, and academic potential of Māori students. It challenges the stereotypes that Māori are less likely to succeed academically or attend university, and instead shows that Māori students can excel across a wide range of academic fields, leadership roles, and areas of study. For many of us, attending university is more than an individual achievement. For some, we are the first in our whānau to attend university, meaning that our journey represents something much bigger than ourselves. Our success is also a reflection of the sacrifices, support, and aspirations of our parents, grandparents, and wider whānau. By being here, we are creating pathways that may not have been available to previous generations and showing those who come after us that university is a place where Māori belong.

Beyond the academic setting, Marino represents one of the most meaningful senses of belonging it fosters amongst us, and knowing we get to add to the history of this floor is a profound sense of pride. With the support from whānau and staff, our floor continues to flourish into safe environments where Māori students feel seen and appreciated within the tertiary education journey. In Joan Stevens Hall, we like to say we are more than a hall; we are family, whānau, and aiga. We come from different backgrounds, iwi, hapū, and cultures, but we are brought together through the connections we build with one another. For us, Marino is not simply a place to live; it is a place where we belong, where we support one another, and where we create memories and a legacy for the tauira who will come after us.

I would encourage other halls to consider making Māori floors or Pasifika Islander floors within their communities. These spaces will provide more than accommodation; they create opportunities for students to strengthen their connection to their culture, build whanaungatanga, and feel a genuine sense of belonging while navigating tertiary studies. It is evident within the Marino domain that when students are given an environment where their identity is recognised and valued, they grow not just academically but also personally.

Hei whakakapi ai i ngā kōrero kua tuku, kāhore a Mārino i tētahi wāhi noho noa, “Mate atu a kāinga tahi, ka ora ai a kāinga rua.” E hīkaka ana au kia kite i te puāwaitanga o Marino, tae atu ki ngā tauira hou ka riro i te maringanui kia noho ki tēnei taumata mō ngā tau ka heke mai. Ko tā mātou mahi he whakatenatena i ngā tātai whakapapa kua waiho e ngā tauira ō mua kia whakapūmau, kia tū tonu te papa o Marino hei āhuru mōwai mō te anamata.