Kia ora. My name is Hape Ki Tuarangi. I’m a recipient of Te Uru Rangi scholarship and a recent graduate at Enspiral Dev Academy in Wellington. Here is a little bit about my background, whakapapa and future ambitions.
I’m 25 years-old and te reo Māori is my first language. I was born and bred in Ōtaki. I attended Kōhanga Reo, Kura Kaupapa Māori, Wharekura and Whare Wānanga. I have two children, who are also following in my footsteps and currently attend kura. For the past five years, I have been the Moodle Administrator/Developer at Te Wānanga o Raukawa – the Māori tertiary institution here in Ōtaki. During that time, I have been fortunate to learn from the likes of Antony Royal, who has been a mentor to me. I have helped set up and maintain a learning management system, along with a handful of other I.T projects.
Pērā ki te nuinga o tātou te iwi Māori he nui āku hononga ki roto o tēnā iwi, o tēnā iwi. Like most Māori I have a rich whakapapa that connects me to various iwi and marae around the country. On my mother’s side though my grandmother Robyn Crocome, I have connections back to Kāti Huirapa ki Puketeraki, which is how I was eligible to apply for Te Uru Rangi Scholarship.
However, I grew up in the rohe of Ngāti Raukawa, so usually when asked about my whakapapa or pepeha that is the iwi I refer back to. By receiving Te Uru Rangi through Ngāi Tahu, I have made a commitment to myself to learn and reconnect with my hononga and whakapapa in the South Island.
Now that I have graduated, my aim is to get a job in the industry where I can continue to learn and acquire the skills and networks to create tools that will help further the revitalisation of te reo Māori and the continuum of Mātauranga Māori. I have a lot of big dreams and ideas that I would love to see happen in the near future, which is why I am so passionate about this industry. Finally, I would love to go back to my kura and other kura, to teach our tamariki not only how to code, but to prepare them for a world that is so reliant on I.T and people who can understand its language.
I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the support I have received from Ngāi Tahu. If it wasn’t for their support, provided through Te Uru Rangi scholarship, I wouldn’t have been able to attend Enspiral Dev Academy and take part in the amazing and new learning environment that they have created in Wellington. This experience has enabled me to create better opportunities for myself and get me off to a great start on my career change and to building a better future for me, my whānau, hapū and iwi. E kore au e ngaro he kākano i ruia mai i Rangiātea. Nā Hape.
Hape Ki Tuarangi Cook (centre) and his partner Waima Mihaka (right), Te Haumoana Cook (top) and Haeata Reremoana Cook (left).