Taking te ao Māori to Devon

Before Will Katene (Ngāti Toarangatira te iwi) became an Olympic torchbearer, a finalist for UK New Zealander of the Year and a recipient of the UK’s National Teaching Fellowship Award, he was just a sports-mad kid from Hamilton.

“When I was in third form, I told my teacher I really loved PE and asked what I needed to do to become a PE teacher,” Will says.

“They sat down with me and mapped it all out.”

Coming from a whānau that strongly valued education, Will was prepared to go to university and work hard to achieve his goal.

“My mum was a really great role model,” Will says.

“She made sure we got the right qualifications so we could get good jobs."

After completing his teacher training at Brigham Young University in Hawaii, Will taught at his old school, Church College of New Zealand, before moving to Dunedin to undertake his Master degree at the University of Otago, where he also played for the Otago University Rugby Football Club’s First XV.

“I’m not a straight A student, so the master’s was going to be a challenge. But my greatest quality is my work ethic. Getting through my master’s was a real milestone,” Will says.

After graduating in 1988, Will worked as a lecturer in Physical Education at Auckland College of Education before teaching at a range of UK secondary schools, marrying his “English rose” and returning to the university environment – this time, to train the next generation of PE teachers.

Will is now Senior Lecturer in Physical Education and the Director of Physical Education at the University of Exeter in Devon, and it’s in recognition of his contributions to physical education teaching and teacher training that he has received his many accolades – including the opportunity to run with the Olympic torch during the London Olympics in 2012.

His career has interesting parallels with that of Philip Smithells (of the eponymous gymnasium), who taught at the University of Exeter before moving to Aotearoa and becoming the first Director of Physical Education at the University of Otago.

“Philip was the first Director of Physical Education at Otago, and I became a Director of Physical Education at Exeter,” Will grins.

Throughout his travels, Will has carried the values he gained at the University of Otago.

“I had knowledgeable, kind and supportive staff who helped me,” Will says, rattling off names including Professor Les Williams, Dr Bruce Ross and Dr Rex Thomson.

“So, from my time at Otago I carry the importance of being kind to people. And when I interview students for my course, kindness is a quality I look for.”

From speaking te reo to demonstrating the haka, Will has also incorporated te ao Māori into his career.

“Mum told me to take any chance I got to kōrero Māori or draw on our customs and traditions. I feel I’m now in a position to be a positive role model, and that means so much.”

Will and his family visit Aotearoa regularly, “so I can reconnect with my whānau, and our kids can be informed about their Māori side.”

During a recent trip he visited the University of Otago for the first time since he graduated.

“The iconic Clocktower’s a real feature that I remember. And the Staff Club; I used to come up there with my professor for lunch.”

But it wasn’t the architecture or the food that made the biggest impression on Will – it was the learning.

“I wouldn’t be where I am now if it wasn’t for those two years I spent at Otago undertaking my Masters.”

Will may be an Olympic torchbearer, but it’s teaching the next generation of PE teachers that really lights his fire. He hopes to build connections that will benefit Otago and Exeter’s tauira and help launch their careers, just as his was launched all that time ago.

- Kōrero by Kathryn van Beek, Communications Advisor | Kaiarataki Pārokoroko