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Teatawhai Kumar
BA(Hons)
Ko Ngātokimatawhaorua te waka
Ko Maungataniwha te maunga
Ko Mangataipa te awa
Ko Kohatutaka te hapū
Ko Ngāpuhi, ko Te Rarawa ngā iwi
Ko Mangataipa te marae
Ko Oneroa te whānau
"There is loads of academic, social and financial support to get you through what should be the most memorable time of your life."
After many high school years of being scared, yet curious about the idea of 'University', I finally enrolled in and graduated with a BA majoring in Te Reo Māori and Linguistics. Fast forward two more years to the present day and I'm almost at the finish line as I prepare to submit my MA thesis in Māori Studies which investigates Ahi kaa (traditional right of occupation) in North Hokianga.
Once you get here, you'll discover that university isn't a daunting place, but be prepared to put the hard yards in! So get amongst the best here at Victoria, you won't regret it.
Emma Kuperus
BA
Emma Kuperus, who is expecting to complete a BA(Hons) degree in Māori Studies in 2009, has just won a prestigious summer research scholarship to the Australian National University in Canberra.
These scholarships give promising young research students the opportunity to spend the summer working with the researchers at the ANU on a project of mutual interest, experiencing first hand what it is like to work towards a research degree. The scholarship provides full board on campus at one of the many ANU hostels, a weekly allowance and return travel to Canberra.
Emma's Honours courses have involved the linguistic study of Māori: she has taken two courses in Linguistics and two courses on Māori language, one of which is a MAOR 489 essay on the passive use of verbs like haere and noho.
She will be working with Dr Mark Donohue from the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific on some comparative aspects of the 'passive' suffix in Polynesian languages, building on her MAOR 489 research. She was selected for the high quality of her undergraduate and Honours work, her potential as a research student, and for her knowledge of and interest in the Polynesian language family.
Arini Loader
MA
Ko Tararua te maunga
Ko Ōtaki te awa
Ko Ngāti Raukawa te iwi
Ko Ngāti Maiōtaki te hapū
Ko Tāhiwi te whānau
"My story is living proof that anyone can achieve at Victoria if they are willing to work hard and engage in what the University has to offer you."
When I began here at Victoria University in 2002 I was a single parent with little confidence and few formal qualifications. I made a decision early on to give it everything I had and to work hard until I got the results I wanted. I subsequently completed my Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature in 2006 after which I completed my Graduate Diploma in Arts in Te Reo Māori in 2007. This was followed by the completion of my Master of Arts degree in Māori Studies that combines my love of both literature and te reo Māori.