Local experts lead Tairāwhiti Stem event to boost tech skills and careers

Te Aomihia Walker (Ngāti Porou, Rongowhakaata) teaching the ākonga about a kāpehu whetū (star compass) at the Stem wānanga.

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Ākonga from across Tairāwhiti attended a day-long wānanga that aimed to inspire and teach students about science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem) and the opportunities Stem creates.

The Stem event was organised by the Mātaki Marangai project which works with eight kura from Tolaga Bay to Ruatōria to engage ākonga in weather, citizen science and mātauranga Māori.

The project is run by Dr Emily O’Riordan and Dr Greg Bodeker of Bodeker Scientific, Tui Warmenhoven of He Oranga Mo Nga Uri Tuku Iho Trust and Mark Schwarz of MetService.

Students from Gisborne Boys’ High, Lytton High, Campion College, Ngata Memorial College, Tolaga Bay Area School, Hatea-a-rangi School and Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Taonga Tuturu ki Tokomaru attended the event.

“The Stem event was held to inspire and encourage ākonga in Tairāwhiti to consider a career, further studies or other pathways within Stem, as very few go on to study IT or sciences,” O’Riordan said.

“Technology is a known skill shortage in the East Coast and an aspiration of the Tairāwhiti 2050 plan is for Gisborne to be a New Zealand technology hub.

“All of our speakers were born and/or raised in Tairāwhiti and have gone on to have huge impacts for their communities,” she said.

Speakers included educationist Dr Wayne Ngata, StardustME co-founder Stu Potter, marine biologist Te Aomihia Walker, Rocket Lab launch technician Adam Bartlett and Mātai Research Institute chief executive Dr Samantha Holdsworth.

Ngata (Ngāti ira, Ngāti Porou, Te Aitanga a Hauiti) spoke about the Mātaiao teaching framework he created, which aims to reconnect students with environmental knowledge of atua Māori.

Ngata is an educator and has worked to revitalise te reo Māori and te ao Māori in education.

He taught students about the water cycle using mātauranga Māori (traditional Māori knowledge).

Potter (Ngāti Awa) of StardustMe – the first Māori-owned space tech company – spoke about how Tairāwhiti was a great location for technology and engineering organisations, including aerospace. He encouraged students to dream big and be entrepreneurial.

Walker (Ngāti Porou, Rongowhakaata) runs her own environmental consultancy services, advocating for Te Ao Māori approaches to environmental management.

She is also a Sue Taei Ocean Fellow, a fellowship which empowers indigenous Pacific women in pursuing professional and educational opportunities to create sustainable solutions through ocean conservation.

This fellowship supported her participation in the Unesco fisheries training programme in Iceland where she learnt about fisheries management and economics.

She was on the panel at the October 2021 Arctic Circle conference, looking at how indigenous knowledge can tackle climate change.

Walker talked about her pathway into marine biology and encouraged students to “learn as much as you can, take part in local projects, and think about the future”.

She led the rōpu through an interactive kāpehu whetū (star compass) workshop to learn how tīpuna navigated the stars.

Adam Bartlett from Rocket Lab inspired students with his story of how he ended up as a launch technician for the Māhia-based space company.

Bartlett spoke about his pathway – from growing up in Gisborne, where he enjoyed fixing up cars, then going into the navy, getting a degree in product design and applying those skills to work at Rocket Lab.

He said he loved his job because it allowed him to be close to his home and whānau.

Holdsworth spoke about some of the brain research that is going on at Mātai, including working with Gisborne Boys’ High School First and Second XV rugby players to study changes in the brain from concussion.

The students were given a guided tour of the institute and saw what happened when metal is in an MRI machine. They also spoke to some of the scientists’ performing cutting-edge brain research in the heart of Gisborne.

TKKM o Nga Taongo Tuturu ki Tokomaru student James Forrester said he was excited to learn more about Stem and what the Mātai Institute did.

“My favourite speaker was Adam Bartlett because I am really interested in science, maths and physics. The Stem event opened my eyes to opportunities after finishing school and I was grateful to be invited.”

Hatea-a-Rangi student Lauralee Taumaa said the kōrero was interesting and gave her some valuable life lessons.

She had the opportunity to talk to Bodeker about the potential of creating her own business and some concerns she had.

Bodeker offered her his business card and the chance to discuss further what she could do.

“I’ll forever appreciate that.”

Matai O’Connor, Ngāti Porou, has been a journalist for five years and Kaupapa Māori reporter at the Gisborne Herald for two years.