Emotion, aroha and pride as Ara celebrates Māori success

_{Ara Executive Director Darren Mitchell congratulates Questo King a Monte Ohia-Te Hokinga Transformation award winner.}

The annual Ara Institute of Canterbury Eke Panuku awards for Māori achievement celebrate life-changing accomplishments in a night filled with aroha and pride.

In 2025, the event drew more than 123 nominations, with 44 awardees recognised across all faculties and levels of learning. The stories shared spanned a wide range of study areas, from Level 3 and 4 certificates in construction, music and beauty therapy to diplomas and degrees in social work, midwifery, engineering and osteopathy.

Ara’s Te Puna Wānaka wharenui was filled with learners, whānau (families), educators and industry partners to hear the trials and triumphs of the winners. Haka (chants), waiata (songs) and applause filled the space as achievements were celebrated.

In her welcome, Associate Director of Māori Success Tate Tiatia acknowledged the importance of partnerships and the highlights from a year of consolidation and growth for Ara Māori.

“We’re on a mission to see te ao Māori reflected increasingly in everything that we do, ensure ākonga (students) develop key attributes and skills to succeed, and that they can see themselves reflected in campus environments and curriculum. Our hope is they empower themselves as their own heroes,” she said.

_{The evening was opened by Stan Tawa with the mihi whaktau and welcome from Ara Associate Director of Māori success Tate Tiatia}  

Among the true heroes of the evening were three recipients of the premier accolade honouring the vision of Te Rereamoamo Monte Ohia, who served as Te Pou Matua/Kaiārahi at Ara (then the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology) from 2005–2008.

His principle, “Whānau transformation through education,” underpins the Monte Ohia - Te Hokinga Transformation awards, which celebrate journeys of profound personal change while carrying a legacy of hope and empowerment.
40-year-old Questo King (Tainui), winner in the Foundation Level 4 – Te Uruuru Whenua category, was a supreme recipient.

Admitting to nerves when starting his New Zealand Certificate in Health and Wellbeing (Mental Health and Addiction), he thanked student support at Ara and his partner for pushing him through the hard times, and said whānau was behind his step into study.

“I came from the mob and just wanted to learn more about myself to help my family who are going through generational trauma. I wanted to learn to be a healthier husband and father to my children,” he said.
King, who is hoping to do more study and ultimately work with youth, said the connections formed at Ara and being part of the Ara Māori whānau had changed his life.

“The people I have met at events and now see out in the community have made me feel happy to be Māori. I’d never really embraced being Māori before, so seeing how people embrace it here has been a real eye-opener for me,” he said.
Fresh from presenting her final fashion collection at the student-led Prospect Ōtautahi fashion show, Bronté Perriam (Rongowhakaata, Ngāi Tahu) also received a supreme award.

Perriam was recognised in the Degree – Ka Whai Hua category for her Bachelor of Design (Fashion Technology and Design). She said her Ara study had been a journey of self-discovery and the award “meant the world”.

“I have struggled with my identity being tangata whenua who appears very pākehā, so being recognised here, truly feeling connection and belonging and being celebrated by amazing people was very emotional for me,” she said.

Wearing a woven kākahu (cloak) she designed for a second-year avant-garde project, the graduate said she said she planned to continue to grow her knowledge in mātauranga Māori (Māori wisdom) and surround herself with Māori creatives.

“Te ao Māori, my whakapapa (genealogy) and being tangata whenua (indigenous) is important to me as a designer. Being able to incorporate kaitiakitanga (guardianship) and mātauranga principles is central for storytelling and sharing my culture with larger audiences,” she said.

21-year-old Tomairangi Taiepa (Moriori, Ngāti Mutunga), a winner in the Foundation Level 3 – Te Kāhu Kōrako category, was also a supreme award recipient.

The New Zealand Certificate in Mechanical Engineering ākonga was unable to attend the awards evening but was described as an outstanding student from day one, whose generosity of spirit, achievement and resilience made her an inspiring example of how education can empower and transform.

Ara Executive Director, Darren Mitchell, reflected on the vivid examples of ākonga Māori, which showed how education transforms not only learners but also their whānau and wider communities.

He affirmed the importance of embedding Māori perspectives in teaching and support: “This helps empower all ākonga to achieve their aspirations. You are all living examples of that - and of what we can achieve when individuals, whānau, and communities come together.”

Looking ahead, Mitchell said that as Ara transitions out of Te Pūkenga network in 2026, a key focus will be working more closely with Ngāi Tahu to strengthen the integration of Māori knowledge and perspectives into educational practices and organisational culture.

“Ara’s vision for 2030 sets out some key shifts we want to see, and we are working with Tokona te Raki, an agency operating under the mana of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, to achieve those goals,” he added.

_{Winners present on the night from Ohia-Te Hokinga Transformation awardees (top) and ākonga from Level 3 to Post-graduate study.}

Full list of award recipients:

Te Kāhu Kōrako – Level 3
• Claudia Mason (Te Arawa) – Te Pōkaitahi Reo – Te Kaupae 3
• Declan Bennett (Flynn) (Te Arawa, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Maniapoto) – NZ Certificate in Study & Employment Pathways (Pre-Health)
• Isaiah Smith-Burton (Ngāti Kahungunu ki Te Wairoa) – NZ Certificate in Study & Employment Pathways (Health & Science)
• Kori Kapa (Tainui) – NZ Certificate in Construction Trade Skills (Carpentry)
• Te Kura Jennings (Ngāti Maniapoto) – NZ Certificate in Construction Trade Skills (Painting & Decorating)
• Lynsey Castle (Ngāti Awa, Ngāpuhi, Te Arawa) – NZ Certificate in Collision Repair & Automotive Refinishing
• Tomairangi Taiepa (Moriori/Ngāti Mutunga) – NZ Certificate in Mechanical Engineering
• Trinity Christie (Ngāti Kahungunu ki Te Wairoa, Ngāi Tahu / Kāi Tahu) – Te Pōkaitahi Reo – Te Kaupae 3
• Vicki Aue (Ngāti Kahu, Ngāpuhi) – NZ Certificate in Food and Beverage Service
Te Uruuru Whenua – Level 4
• Caroline Papa (Ngāi Tahu / Kāi Tahu) – Te Pōkaitahi Reo – Te Kaupae 4
• Caroline Tonihi (Ngāi Tahu / Kāi Tahu) – NZ Certificate in Health & Wellbeing (Social Services)
• Corey James Wilson (CJ) (Ngāi Te Rangi) – NZ Certificate in Exercise
• Ebony Taane (Ngāti Maniapoto) – NZ Certificate in Beauty Therapy
• Ella Downing (Ngāi Tahu / Kāi Tahu) – NZ Certificate in Study & Employment Pathways (Pre-Health)
• Georgia Jacobs (Ngāi Tahu / Kāi Tahu) – NZ Certificate in Health & Wellbeing (Social Services)
• John Heuy (Johnny) (Te Ati Haunui-a-Pāpārangi, Ngāti Apa) – NZ Certificate in Health & Wellbeing (Social Services)
• Meg Downs (Tapuika, Ngāti Pikiao, Tūhourangi) – NZ Certificate in Exercise
• Questo King (Tainui) – NZ Certificate in Health & Wellbeing (Community Facilitation)
• Rory Manuel (Te Rarawa, Te Aupōuri, Ngāti Maniapoto) – NZ Certificate in Health & Wellbeing (Social Services)
• Satriarn Linstead (Tūhoe, Ngāpuhi, Te Arawa) – NZ Certificate in Study & Employment Pathways (Pre-Health)
• Sincerely Karaitiana-Turnbull (Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Te Wairoa, Ngāti Ranginui) – NZ Certificate in Health & Wellbeing (Pre-Health)
• Tanitia Moana (Ngāi Tahu / Kāi Tahu) – NZ Certificate in Health & Wellbeing (Social Services)
• Tui Fa’asina (Ngapūhi) – NZ Certificate in Health & Wellbeing (Pre-Health)
Te Aranga Ake – Level 5–6
• Adam Wilson (Ngāti Kuia) – Bachelor of Information and Communication Technologies (Networking & Infrastructure)
• Alexandra Cope (Ngāi Tahu / Kāi Tahu, Te Atiawa) – NZ Diploma of Architectural Technology
• Billie Joker (Ngāti Tūwharetoa ki Taupō, Tūhoe, Whakatōhea, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Hauiti, Whanganui) – NZ Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care
• Devon Keeley (Ngāi Te Rangi) – NZ Diploma in Engineering (Electrical Electronics)
• Tamati Rupene (Nukutai) (Ngāti Maniapoto) – NZ Diploma in Cookery (Advanced)
Ka Whai Hua – Level 7
• Abi Bateman (Te Arawa) – Bachelor of Midwifery
• Amber Watson (Kāi Tahu, Ngāti Kurī) – Bachelor of Nursing
• Anika Gates (Ngāti Kahungunu ki Te Wairoa) – Bachelor of Social Work
• Bronté Perriam (Rongowhakaata, Ngāi Tahu / Kāi Tahu) – Bachelor of Design (Fashion Technology & Design)
• Caleb Ellis (Tūhoe) – Bachelor of Musculoskeletal Health
• Ciaran Kingi-Booth (Te Ati Haunui-a-Pāpārangi, Ngāti Apa) – Bachelor of Music (Music Performance)
• Jarkwyn Munro (JJ) (Ngāti Whātua Ōrakei) – Bachelor of Social Work
• Josh Lang (Te Aupōuri, Ngāpuhi) – Bachelor of Nursing
• Reanna Love (Ngāti Kahungunu, Te Atiawa) – Bachelor of Nursing
• Shanay Te Haate-Williams (Ngāi Tahu / Kāi Tahu, Ngāti Kurī, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa) – Bachelor of Social Work
• Sierra Bright (Ngāi Tahu / Kāi Tahu, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kurī) – Bachelor of Design (Applied Visual Art)
• Trey Anderson-Kereti (Ngāti Porou, Ngā Rauru) – Bachelor of Broadcasting Communications (Screen Production)
Ka Puāwai – Level 8–9
• Lucien Nabbs (Rangitāne – Te Waipounamu) – Postgraduate Diploma in Osteopathy
Monte Ohia – Te Hokinga, Transformation Award
• Bronté Perriam (Rongowhakaata, Ngāi Tahu / Kāi Tahu)
• Questo King (Tainui)
• Tomairangi Taiepa (Moriori/Ngāti Mutunga)