Te Aumihi Jones

The university experience pushed Te Aumihi to further decolonise herself and to articulate herself in te reo Māori.

Nō Te Taitokerau

BA/BCom in Te Reo Māori, Māori Studies, Māori Resource Management & Information Studies graduate

“He marangai, tū ana te pahukahuka, he iti Pioke, nō Rangaunu, he au tōna”—Small although the Pioke may be, great is its wake, as it traverses the might of the Rangaunu harbour

Te Herenga Waka Marae and the Māori Student Association are spaces that Te Aumihi felt comfortable & accepted to be her authentic Māori self. The pōwhiri that opens Māori orientation week is a common ground to meet like-minded students, and to connect and establish relationships.

Although Te Aumihi grew up in Te Ao Māori, she centered her degree around Te Reo Māori, Māori culture and history, which has developed her to be able to critically analyse through a Māori lens and to decolonise herself through language use.  Studying at Te Herenga Waka forced her to overcome many challenges, developing her commitment, resilience & perseverance; all of which has strengthened some of her core values throughout her learning journey. The university experience continued to push her to further decolonise and to articulate herself in Te Reo Māori, which are her biggest blessings so far.

Her degree is a tool to be utilised in employment. Currently, Te Aumihi is working with her Iwi Radio station in Kaitaia —Te Reo Irirangi o te Hiku o te Ika. In the past six months, she was a part of live streaming Waitangi Day celebrations from Waitangi, contributing to the development of a te reo Māori application and working to revitalise & strengthen her reo-ā-iwi in Muriwhenua.