Last weekend, Te Rōpū Māori and the Otago Pacific Island Students’ Association joined forces to tautoko the tauira leaders of tomorrow. The kaupapa (event), the first student-led initiative of its kind at Otago, was attended by over 100 tauira (students) and various guest speakers.
Melania Napa'a, President of the Tongan Students Association, said that the kaupapa was “not only to empower our young leaders, but also to show that there's partnership, that we acknowledge each others’ significance.” According to her, “our cultures are all about reciprocity and community and giving back and servant leadership. What better way to do it, and what better way to elevate our experiences, than by doing it with each other?”
Over a bountiful table of kai, tauira Māori and Pasifika swapped stories and experiences. Jade Mills, OUSA’s Te Rōpū Māori Tumuaki, said that “It’s important for us to have an event like this to help build and strengthen the potential within our students to be our leaders of tomorrow, to help us fight the fight that we’re fighting in order for an equitable student society.”
While most of the tauira in attendance were already on one of various exec boards, the weekend was designed to prepare them to keep developing their leadership skills for life post-Uni. “We wanted to do this to strengthen them,” said Jade, “so they can take this with them.” It was also about bringing up the next cohort, and ensuring they’re ready to step into leadership positions in the future. “There are some students here who we thought had strong leadership potential,” explained Jade, “and we decided to invite them along so hopefully they can take up responsibility next year.”
The mood was upbeat, the kōrero were flowing, and the kai was delicious. Critic Te Ārohi would like to thank the kaiwhakarite (organisers) of the kaupapa for forcing more free pineapple rings onto our plates than we thought was possible, and for proving to us that our eyes were not, in fact, bigger than our puku or the leadership capabilities of the attendees.