Monday 17 April 2023 11:03am
Tenaya Brown will use her Ngarimu VC and 28th Māori Battalion Memorial Scholarship to undertake a Master’s in Teaching and Learning.
Tenaya Brown (Te Aitanga a Hauiti ki Uawa) has received a Ngarimu VC and 28th Māori Battalion Memorial Scholarship.
The scholarships are awarded annually for tertiary study to students of Māori descent who possess characteristics similar to those of the 28th Māori Battalion soldiers.
Brown is overwhelmed to have been selected as a recipient: “Ngarimu is someone that we all look up to, not just on the East Coast but Aotearoa as a whole. For people to think I have attributes that match those of the soldiers is unreal.
“I feel I have my iwi, my hapu, my ancestors all with me and that I am doing the right thing.”
A graduate of Otago’s Music programme, Brown is passionate about the performing arts, including bringing in more taonga pūoro (Māori musical instruments).
“I’ve always had a passion for arts and helping those around me succeed so I thought why not bring the two together and then be able to give what I’ve received down here as an Otago University student?”
Brown will use the scholarship to undertake a Master’s in Teaching and Learning with Otago’s Te Kura Ākau Taitoka College of Education.
“I thought I would start from our kids because they are our future, so you want to give them what you know and they will be the change for tomorrow. He rangatira mo apōpō - our leaders for tomorrow.
“I have had that support in my upbringing and I want that for other kids. For me, it was schooling and also all the women in my life. My Mum and my Nan, they keep our family together.”
The value she places in family is apparent, with Brown choosing to attend the ceremony in Rotorua virtually so she could celebrate her grandfather’s 70th birthday in her hometown of Tolaga Bay.
Tenaya Brown accepting her Ngarimu VC and 28th Māori Battalion Memorial Scholarship, via Zoom. On stage are Willie Apiata, VC, Tā Robert Gillies, the last surviving member of the 28th Māori Battalion and Associate Minister of Education Kelvin Davis.
Professor Michelle Thompson- Fawcett, Manupiki Māori – Associate Dean Māori for Te Kete Aronui Division of Humanities, says this prestigious scholarship is a wonderful acknowledgement of Brown’s mahi and goals.
“The Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarships are only awarded to 15 Māori recipients per year. Awardees need to demonstrate characteristics that align with the Battalion, such as spirit, courage, comradery, and a desire to give back to their communities and whānau. The scholarships encourage students who hold such values to meet their full potential.
“Tenaya’s success will also provide encouragement to our tauira Māori to apply for these valuable scholarships in the future,” says Professor Thompson- Fawcett.
Brown will be studying her Master’s degree part-time over two years so she can continue in her role as kaiāwhina Māori for Te Kete Aronui Division of Humanities. This year, her work will shift from supporting tauira to building kaimahi cultural capability and competency within Te Kete Aronui. She sees this mahi as hugely complementary to her Master’s research.
She says the scholarship has not only helped her financially to take the next steps into what she wants to do, but the communication with the Ngarimu VC Scholarship Board is also a huge support.
“I get the funding in instalments and there are milestones where I have a conversation with the Board about how I am going in my mahi. The support from them has been awesome. It is a holistic feeling.
“For anyone who wants to go for this scholarship, I highly recommend it. It’s for us; don’t let anything hold you back.”