The young leader won the Prime Minister’s Indigenous Exchange Scholarship and has been part of both the Tuia Leadership Programme through Waipā District Council and the University’s Te Āhurutanga Leadership Programme during his time studying at Waikato.
The Prime Minister’s Scholarships are administered by Education New Zealand and support undergraduate or postgraduate students wanting to have a global experience in Asia or Latin America, and Taane traveled to Taiwan.
The Tuia Leadership Programme is part of the nationwide Mayor’s Taskforce for Jobs initiative and helps develop the leadership capacity of young Māori in communities throughout New Zealand. It saw Taane mentored by Waipā Mayor Susan O’Regan.
The University’s Te Āhurutanga programme supports Māori students to become leaders and role models in te ao Māori, te ao mātauranga and te ao whānui.
“I've been exposed to some great leaders during my time studying, and I think I’ve learned you can be a leader in any realm. Everyone can be a leader in their own space, and how you do that is the way you act, the way you treat people, the way you treat your workspace, and remaining disciplined,” says Taane.
He says for Māori, seeing other Māori in leadership roles also helps pave the way for others.
“When we see our culture, when we feel our culture, when we hear our language, it makes seeing yourself in that space a lot easier,” says Taane.
“My hope is to work in spaces which prioritise, promote, and uplift te ao Māori. I want to work in areas where the Māori culture is fostered so we can see it thrive.”
Taane started out wanting to play rugby, but a shoulder injury put a stop to those plans, and he ended up in Te Whānau-ā-Apanui with his father Willie Te Aho, who is chief executive of Te Aitanga a Māhaki (one of the three principal tribes of the Gisborne district).
“My father asked if I wanted to stay and work in Te Whānau-ā-Apanui. So, there I stayed. A place with no wifi, no service, one shop, one church, one pub. I learned the importance of community, humility, whakapapa and connecting with our whenua.”
It made him realise he wanted to connect to his heritage, so he enrolled in Te Tohu Paetahi, the University’s one-year total immersion te reo Māori course. On completing that, Taane extended his studies into Māori and Indigenous Studies.
Currently, Taane is engaged in several part-time roles, including establishing a youth consultancy to better connect rangatahi with Waipā District Council and on an environmental project with his iwi focused on tuna (eels).
He recently participated in a tuna trap transfer programme, which involved capturing and relocating juvenile eels to ensure their survival in local waters. "The tuna trap transfer programme trapped juveniles at Karapiro, and then released them into other areas to help grow and expand the population.”
Taane also works as a tutor part time for te reo Māori students doing Te Tohu Paetahi.
"Building connections with like-minded tauira and forming relationships with mentors at Waikato has been the highlight of my time studying here.”