Kāhu ki Rotorua: Alyssa Webster's personal values help land top role at Girls' High

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Nā te manaakitanga o tana whānau e tū mataaho nei a Alyssa Webster i roto i tona rangatiratanga, he wahine whati kō, he tāiki ngāpara me te whakapau kaha kia pau te kotahi rau paiheneti!

Kai a ia! He kotahi tekau mā ono noa te pakeketanga o tēnei wahine māia, ā, nō tēnei tau ake kua whakarewangia ia e te kura o Rautāwhiri: Te Kura kōhine o Rotorua hai ūpoko kākā kura.

Ka rere te pātai ki a ia. I pēwhea rā i riro i a ia taua tūnga rangatira me tāna pētiti whakahirahira hoki, hei tāna me tono! Ka tirohia te rārangi o ngā pou tono, ka whakarāpopotongia kia kotahi tekau, nā wai rā ka whai-kōrero ai ngā kotiro nei.

Ka rua ka whoatu te wāhanga pōti ki ngā tauira o te kura me ngā mahita o te kura ko te mea whakamutunga he uinga. He ahakoa kāre he kararehe ki te whakarite tangata mō te tūnga nei, hai tāna, ko te taumata tēnā nōna e tau iwa ana.

"Kia pupuritia e ahau tōku mana ōku moemoeā hai arahi i ahau i te huarahi o te tika".

Hai tāna ko te urunga ki te kapa toa ko Raukura tūara mai tūara atu tētehi mana nui mōna. Ko Te Reo Māori tōna arero kāre hoki ia e kaha ki te kōrero Pākehā, engari he kaha nōna ki te tuku mātauranga.

A pae tata nei, ka nui te hiahiatia kia whakawhiwhia e ia ki tētehi karahipi mō te poitūkohu ki tētehi whare wānanga i Amerika e ahei hoki ai ia ki te whai i te mahi whakaari. Ko te pae tawhiti kia tu ia hai manu whakaari, nā reira hoki tōna hiahia kia uru ki Toi Whakaari hei tauira whakaari.

Whoi anō kai te kapu o te mate urutā ēnei hiahia ōna.

Nā te mate urutā whati kau te tāuhu o te mātauranga i te tau e rua mano e rua tekau mā tahi, he uaua hoki māna te aro ki te rorohiko kura ai, engari i puta tonu ia i te korokoro o te parata."

Patua rawatia ngā pāpāringa o te kanohi e te mate urutā ko te hokitanga atu ki te rorohiko mahi ai, e hika ka mate tuarua ahau!".

Ko āna kaupapa i tēnei tau, ko te Mahi whika, Te Reo Ingarihi-Auaha, Te Reo Māori, te karaehe waiata me te whakaari.

"Kua hē katoa tōku ao i te mate urutā ko te hākinakina, te mahi ā kura, kapa haka te whakataetae-ā-motu poitūkohu enei mea katoa kua whakakorengia. He mea nui tēnei ki ahau, ko ōku tino ēnei kaupapa".

He kaihaka motuhake a Alyssa i roto i te kapa o Raukura. Whakaahua / Homaitanga

Ae, he tāiki ngāpara tēnei toki. He wahine pūrei pā whutupōro me te kī o rahi e whai tama nei ka pūrei netpōro hoki ia.

"Ko te wairua o te wero tangata te mea nui ki ahau nā reira whakapau kaha ai ahau!". Kua raruraru hoki taku kimi karahipi i Amerika nā te mate urutā whoi anō mō te wā itiiti nei kai te patapātai noa ia. He aha hoki ngā whakaaro o ōna mātua? Pūtē ana ngā kanohi e tīhohe kau ana ngā pāpāringa – ko te nui o te utu ki a rātou te mate.

Engari hai te tōrengitanga o te rā, he mōhio nōna nā tōna matua Pāpā a Jamus me tōna māmā a Reine ka wawe ki te hāpai i a ia, me ōna tuakana hoki a Owen me Sebastian, e hika kai wareware hoki tona whakapakanga a Emmerson, kai Rautāwhiri hoki tēnei. Pai ki ōna tuakana tana haerenga ki Amerika e whai haerenga hoki ai rāua!

I whānau mai i pakeke mai a Alyssa i Rotorua nei. He tauira tawhito hoki nō Te Pipiwharauroa kai te marae o Mataatua tēnei kōhanga a ko tana kōhanga tuarua ko Pukeroa Oruawhata nōna e wha noa ngā tau ka nuku ki kōnei.

Nōna te waimarie he tauira ia nā Nanny Jossie me whaea Lena. Ka piki ake ia ki te kura auraki ka aro anō ia ki te Rumaki. Ko ōna kāwai he rau. He Ngai Te Arawa, he Ngai Tūhoe, he NgāPuhi, he Whānau-ā-Āpanui me Ngāti Porou ia.

"Ka tini kē ngā hononga ki ngā iwi o te motu, ki Waihau, Mataatua me Te Whakarewarewa".

"He ahakoa kai te nuinga o te taima e hakoke ana ahau ka kore pea ahau e tae ki ēnei kāinga, tūturu kai te ngākau te whakaaro atu".

Kāre a Alyssa e wehi ki te takahi i te ara kohukohu, he mea e tāea ai e ia nā te mea he mōhio nōna kai te manaakingia ia e tana whānau. He kupu awhina āna ki te iwi. " Me he moemoeā tētehi whainga rānei ōu – hoake!

Mā te kaha ki te nanao atu e puta ai tō wairua muramura!".

Alyssa Webster comes across as confident in her own skin thanks in large part to her supportive whanau.

She is hard-working, loves kapa haka, sport and performing arts, she gives 100 per cent at everything she does.

At 16, Alyssa is 2022 head girl of Rautāwhiri: Rotorua Girls' High School.

Asked how she attained that position — and the cool badge that goes with it — Alyssa said students basically had to go through a selection process. A short list was chosen and the eight to 10 candidates had to give a speech.

Then it was down to voting by students and teachers and an interview.

Alyssa's goal since year 9 was to be Head Girl, "making sure I hold my values and aspirations close to me, helping to guide me on my pathway."

Alyssa said being in a back-to-back winning kapa haka roopu, Raukura, was a big thing for her.

In the short term, Alyssa would love to gain a basketball scholarship to a US university where she can also study drama and acting.

Her ultimate goal is to be an actor. To that end she would also like to study at Toi Whakaari, the New Zealand drama school in Wellington.

All her goals are Covid-dependent.

Alyssa Webster, left, with Rautāwhiri principal Sarah Davis and deputy head girl Carly Ohia. Photo / Supplied

The pandemic disrupted the 2021 school year and Alyssa found having to study online was sometimes difficult but she did pass her exams.

"When we had the lockdown because of Delta it was a real smack in the face. Having to go back to working online was really hard."

This year she is taking Maths-statistics, English-creative, te reo Maori, music and drama.

"Covid has really mucked up everything. We haven't had any national basketball tournaments for two years or even any provincial sport.

"Covid has had a major impact in my life, it has affected a lot of my sports and cultural activities such as the cancellation of secondary school kapa haka and basketball nationals.

This was a huge thing for me as these were just everything to me."

A keen sportswoman, Alyssa also plays touch and ki o rahi, and if she has time, netball.

"It's the challenge I love and will give everything a go."

Covid is also a factor in seeking a scholarship to the United States. For the time being she is just making inquiries. What do her whanau think about her plans?

She rolls her eyes, giggles and says they moaned about how much studying in America might cost. But at the end of the day, she knows dad Jamus and mum Reine will support her unconditionally. So do her brothers Owen and Sebastian, and the potiki of the family, Emmerson, who is also at Rautāwhiri.

The brothers were interested in her going to the US because that would give them somewhere to visit.

Alyssa was born and raised in Rotorua, and attended two kohanga reo, Pipiwharauroa by Mataatua Marae and when she was four years old Pukeroa Oruawhata.

She counts herself lucky to have been taught by her Nanny Jocy and Aunty Leeda.

After kohanga Alyssa went to mainstream schools but was always in the rumaki class. Alyssa has hononga to Te Arawa, Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāpuhi, Te Whānau-ā-Āpanui and Ngāti Porou.

"I do have many connections with many places, such as Waihau Bay, Mataatua and Te Whakarewarewa

"Although I am not always at these places they are very close to my heart and every time I
visit I feel like I'm at home."

Alyssa can go seeking these goals because she knows she has the support and love of her whanau.

Her advice to others?

"If you have a dream or a goal just go for it. You don't know what opportunities or qualities you have until you actually give it a go!"