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“With your basket and my basket the people will live”

This whakatauki refers to the co-operation of all in order to get things done. This was exemplified during the mid-semester break at Te Huinga Tauira. A small contingent of 50 tauira of the 1600-plus Māori students enrolled at the University of Otago worked hard to host 150-plus students from all over New Zealand to make Te Huinga Tauira the success that it was.
Te Huinga Tauira taught us a lot about ourselves and other people. It isn’t until we are put in situations like these that we can learn to better ourselves, and for this reason Te Huinga Tauira is always a memorable event on the Te Roopū Māori calendar.
I would like to take this time to acknowledge those sponsors who made this event possible: the University of Otago Division of Sciences, Division of Health Sciences, Otago Community Trust, The Stadium Sports Bar and Café, Ako Aotearoa, Veggie Boys, Kotahi Mano Kaika, One Heart Many Lives, OUSA, BNZ, Office of Māori Development, and Te Huka Matuaraka, as well as various stakeholders within the Uni.
A further acknowledgment also goes to the tauira of Te Roopū Māori for your collective effort. As a result we have come closer together, and will remain so to strengthen our relationships within our Roopū.

There are only a few weeks until exams, but before we farewell one another for the summer there are many Te Roopū activities that we hope that you will get amongst.
We will be holding nominations and elections soon for the 2013 executive. New roles have been created to help share the workload. Feel free to come and have a chat with me or the current exec about the positions. Don’t get caught up in the ideology of the roles. Instead, have a realistic view of what the roles consist of. Keep an eye on Facebook and your email inbox for dates.
Other events to be aware of are the study retreat, exam breakfasts, and random kai throughout the semester.
Also, congrats to all the Māori students who graduated in August.

All the best with studies whānau,
Lisa xx