Scholarships recognise te reo teaching excellence
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Two students – one Māori, and one of Niuean descent - have been awarded the prestigious Sonny and Mona Riini Memorial Scholarships at the Faculty of Education.
The scholarships were awarded to Patricia Tauariki (Ngāti Haua) and Lorena Lalomanogi Tahafa Tagamaka Talagi (Niue). Both are passionate about learning to teach in te reo Māori and are second year students in the Bachelor of Education (Teaching) Huarahi Māori specialisation. This three-year degree programme prepares students to teach in Māori medium, bilingual, and mainstream English classrooms.
The awards are made by the faculty’s School of Te Puna Wānanga and recognise a student’s dedication to the Māori language and their commitment to using it in class, on practicum and in their everyday lives. In addition, the scholarships acknowledge student academic endeavour, manaakitanga and leadership qualities.
Patricia Tauariki decided to become a teacher after working as a teacher aide. Although teaching has become a “natural passion”, she also realised the value of gaining a recognised qualification. One of the first in her family to learn the language, she finds many opportunities to speak te reo Māori.
“This is a living language,” she says, “ and I enjoy being able to speak it every day. Using it in class, at home with my son, in formal and social events and on the marae means that I’m always progressing in my ability to speak te reo Māori.”
Lorena Talagi studied te reo Māori right through to Year 13, and wanted to keep learning the language after she left school. After spending a year immersed in te reo in the Tohu Tūāpapa Mātauranga foundation course she subsequently enrolled in the Huarahi Māori programme after realising she could use her language proficiency to learn to teach in te reo Māori.
“For me, language and cultural identity are really important,” says Lorena, “and although I’m studying in a Māori immersion setting, my lecturers and classmates still acknowledge me as Niuean. That’s the kind of teacher I want to be – someone who acknowledges that people have their own identity, and nurtures and adds to this.”
The annual scholarships cover course fees for one year of study in the Huarahi Māori programme. The awards commemorate the significant contributions to Māori education made by former lecturer, mentor and kaumatua of the Auckland College of Education Sonny Riini, and his wife Mona, also a teacher educator.
These awards will continue to inspire and enable graduates to share their language and culture in classrooms throughout New Zealand.
