Kaewa Savage
(Ngati Rangitihi, Omataroa, Ngai Tahi, Ngati Awa)

I grew up in Tauranga Moana with my 2 sisters, brother and parents. I have loved sport all my life so it made sense for me to head into the AUT sport and rec degree through Toi Ohomai to stay local and remain close to my whanau. This degree led me to want to work within Māori health. Next year I am enrolled to do the te tohu paetahi diploma at waikato university to improve my te reo Maori then following this I want to complete a masters, not quite sure what yet but something within the Māori health space. From this internship I hope to further develop my own te ao Māori worldview and the different mātauranga Māori that I have yet to discover.

Sade Gilbert
( Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Raukawa)

Tēnā koutou,

He uri tēnei nō ngā kawai whakapapa o Ngāti Tūwharetoa me Ngāti Raukawa te au ki te Tonga. I was born in bread within the Waikato region with my big whānau. I am a raukura of Kōhanga Reo, Kura Kaupapa Māori and Wharekura. I have just completed my undergraduate degree in Health Sciences majoring if Māori Health at Te Whare Wānaka o Ōtakou. After getting a little taste of research over my years at university, I have been really interested in a career in research. I value knowledge and its power to influence others, hence my large interest in research. I guess reverting back to how our tupuna once utilized the environment for their health and wellbeing. I want to make it widely known that Māori can approach health with a te ao Māori lens, reverting back to traditional methods of holistic wellbeing. “Nā te Māori, mō te Māori – By Māori, for Māori”. Colonisation has impacted Māori health immensely, and I want to be a part of that change, back to decolonizing and re-indigenizing Māori health.

Being a part of Toi Tangata is a huge privilege and I am very grateful for this awesome opportunity to gain more knowledge and researching skills based around my passion of re-indigenising Hauora Māori, whilst also moving away from these western paradigms of health. I am also excited for start networking with academics, researchers and other professionals in this Hauora Māori field.

Āku whakamānawa,

Sade Gilbert

Wade Sharland
(Taranaki, Rangitane, Ngati Raukawa)

I uri ahau nō te Maunga o Taranaki, i tipu ake au i te tāone rongonui o Te Hāwera. I have nine siblings so my whānau and culture plays a massive role in what I do. I have worked in the NZDF for 22 years (currently a Warrant Officer) and worked as a PT trainer for 16 years. Highlights include as an instructor at the PT school, deploying overseas on multiple occasions and seven years training the SAS. I have studied through Massey University for the past seven years to finish my Bachelor of Sport Development and through TWOA and TWOR for the past four years in Te Reo Māori. I hope to take the experience from this study to learn around applying my passions both PT, language and my whakapapa and working with Māori. My goal when my military career is finished is to move back to Taranaki and work with my iwi to further my understanding, give back to my community and provide the opportunity from my children to grow up in their rohe as my partner Mikayla and I are expecting our first child in March.

Peter Cowan
(Ngati Poporo, Ngati Kahungunu)

Kia Ora, I was born and raised in Bridge Pa, Hastings. I come from a family of Māori showband performers, however the performing genes skipped me and went to my siblings. My interests are in physical activity, health, performing arts, baking and advocating for disability in sport.

My course of study is in sport and exercise science at the Eastern Institute of Technology. I hope to gain a broad knowledge and understanding of how the Growing the Puna programme can positively impact my future career aspirations.