“When I first started at MSWA I was initially really shy. I didn’t want to look at anyone, and I just kind of kept my head to the ground. But by being in such a small space with a small number of people you’re kind of forced to socialise. Once I started socialising with my classmates, I started becoming more confident. Then as I took Te Reo Maori classes I started sharing my story as being half-Maori half-Pakeha, and I got to talk about how weird it was to flick between the two different worlds with people who understood. Before MSWA I didn’t really have a lot of knowledge about Maori Tikanga, so when I started MSWA I started to see how important it was as it was so ingrained in the culture there. I was told ‘these are your Teina, you have to set an example for them and be a better role model.’ It had been said to me in intermediate and in my family, but the meaning behind why we do it was being reinforced for me in Pohutakawa, and it’s something I have carried into grammar school. I’ve been able to bond with people in my Te Reo Maori class, and with my juniors who I now see as my younger cousins. The whole idea of Tuakana-teina is really important, and it’s been cool that I’ve been able to use the same mindset from MSWA and implement it into grammar school.”
“But it wasn’t just learning about looking after each other that’s changed my mindset. I’ve learnt how important it is to get together and talk, and through this I’ve started learning a lot about my identity. I talk about it with the other students, and I found a lot of people had similar experiences as me. And with all the opportunities that kept coming towards me at MSWA, the more I started to see that I was actually quite resilient against all the struggle. I felt like I was seen by all my teachers, and as I put the work in, I got called up for prizes at the end of the year prizegiving. When I got that recognition, I started seeing that ‘wow, I actually can do things; I’m really good at something!’ and that really gave me the knowledge that I can do anything I put my mind to. When I left the school, I was really confident in myself and my identity.”
– Anita Taiapa Brown, MSWA Class of 2018.