Diving in to her whakapapa

Waitaki's 2022 Tuia candidate is one of our very own staff. Tessa (25) has been a member of our Animal Control team since October last year. She grew up in Maheno and went to St Kevin’s College. After leaving school she completed a Bachelors in Fashion Design, followed by a diploma in Scuba Diving Instruction, making it fitting that the Tuia programme, part of MTFJ Mayors TaskForce For Jobs is now a way for her to deep dive her family connection to Moeraki. She was nominated for the programme by a cousin who is a member of the Moeraki Runanga and she’s already had a few chats with her mentor, Mayor Gary Kircher. The Tuia program is a national initiative partnering with Local Government New Zealand to present an opportunity for a young person (18-26) who has Māori ancestry, to join with other Rangatahi throughout New Zealand. They get the opportunity to connect with each other and be mentored by their sponsor.

Tessa is equal parts excited and emotional about this deeply personal connection. “Basically, what it means for me is giving back to the community and also discovering my roots. I’ve been talking to people at the marae, volunteering and planting trees. At the moment I know nothing about my ancestry, and it will be very cool to get connected to my whakapapa. I’ve already met a couple of cousins that I didn’t even know I had. As well as finding out about my roots, it’s about making a connection, finding out where I come from. I just really want to get amongst it. My goal is to bring other youth through as well, using my connections to make more connections, exploring my culture and being able to support other young people on that same journey.

It’s a great way to look into my genealogy, 100%. I’ve got my family tree, and it’s cool that I’m smack bang in the middle of everything. I’m literally right where I’m supposed to be, and that feels really comforting to me. This is my bloodline, I can actually reach out and go to these places.”

During the year, Tessa will have the opportunity to attend 5 hui around the country (Covid-permitting), and she has promised to keep us up to date as she finds out more about her own history, her place in this place.