Three years ago, Takawai McMath was standing on a muddy building site in the Far North, reflecting on what kind of future he wanted to build.
The 41-year-old father of three recently graduated with a Bachelor of Teaching from the University of Waikato, as part of the inaugural cohort of students in the University’s Te Hiku Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programme.
The Te Hiku ITE programme, led by Ngāi Takoto with support from Te Rarawa and facilitated by the University of Waikato, aims to address teacher shortages in Northland by supporting more Māori and local students into teaching careers.
Launched in 2021, the programme was developed in consultation with iwi and school leaders as part of Te Hurihanganui, a Ministry of Education initiative focused on tackling inequities and racism in education. It is delivered by University of Waikato staff Professor Mere Berryman (Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Awa, and Ngāti Whare) and Jay Haydon-Howard.
Takawai McMath, second from right, here with Jay Haydon-Howard, his eldest son Ngataiawa Pirini-Maika and Professor Mere Berryman, is one of the graduates from Te Hiku Initial Teacher Education programme.
The initiative combines online learning with marae-based wānanga and wrap-around support from local iwi and school communities, allowing students to study from their rohe while remaining connected to their whānau and communities.
April marked the first graduation for the Te Hiku programme, a major milestone for the Northland teaching initiative.
“The wānanga were long days, sometimes 13 hours, but it worked. We were all in it together. Some of us dropped off, but we pulled each other back in. We kept each other going,” says Takawai.
Takawai credits a rainy day conversation with his best friend, who was also working in construction, for planting the seed of change. His friend took the first leap into teaching and, six months later, returned to the building site to encourage Takawai to do the same.
“He lined up a job interview for me at Kaitaia College and wouldn’t take no for an answer. I started there as a teacher aide.”
But there was another, more personal motivator for Takawai. His eldest son, Ngataiawa, had once shared with him that university didn’t feel attainable for Māori.
“That stuck with me. I didn’t want him to believe that. I wanted to show him it was possible.”
Not long after, Ngataiawa enrolled in a business finance degree at the University of Waikato’s Tauranga campus, where he is now in his final year.
“I told him, no gap year, get straight into it. And he did. Having him studying down there helped keep me on track too. I couldn’t drop the ball when he was watching.”
The decision for the cohort to attend graduation together in Tauranga came naturally. The group, who studied through marae-based wānanga, remains close and committed to celebrating their shared achievement.
“We’re from all over the Far North, but we agreed on Tauranga because that’s where our amazing kaiako Jay and Mere are based. It’s also where my son is studying, so it made sense. My whole whānau was there.”
For Takawai, returning to study was not without its challenges. He had lived for years with hearing loss that affected his confidence, only receiving hearing aids in 2017. The change was immediate.
“They made a huge difference. Suddenly I could follow full conversations. I could sit in a lecture and not miss half of what was being said. That gave me the confidence to study.”
Now a teacher at Kaitaia College, Takawai is proud of how far he has come and of those who supported him along the way.
“I’m especially proud that Jay and Mere nominated me for the Vice-Chancellor’s Award. I wasn’t in study mode when I started. Honestly, I look back at my early work and I’m too embarrassed to re-read it. But I stuck with it, and now here I am.”
Following his graduation in Tauranga, Takawai reflected on the journey and the impact it had.
“It’s easy for our boys in the Far North to drift. There isn’t always a lot going on, so you have to lead by example. I did this as a dad, and now my son is walking his own path too. That makes me proud.”
