Remote Northland communities struggling to have their voices heard may soon have an 18-year-old teen battling on their behalf.
Charlyse Tansey, a former Ōkaihau College student and resident of the small township of Waipapa (population 870), is looking to a career in journalism so she can tell the stories of people in the region whose local concerns she believes are not always being listened to.
She has taken the first step down this path, thanks in large part to McDonald’s New Zealand who, in partnership with the Auckland University of Technology (AUT), have awarded her one of four Te Tai Tokerau Scholarships for 2023.
The scholarships are designed to offer young Māori students the opportunity to pursue tertiary education and for Tansey, who is of Nga Puhi descent, it has enabled her to begin study for a Bachelor of Communications degree at AUT.
Tansey is hoping it will lead to a job in journalism, a career she first thought of when sitting on the student council at Ōkaihau College. “In that role I saw examples of communities in the region whose concerns were not being listened to and I began to wonder how I could help.
“I thought I could do that as a journalist, that this would be a way of telling their stories,” she says. “I’ve always been interested in communications and hope eventually to get into political reporting or work overseas as a correspondent.”
Under the scholarship she has been awarded $12,500 to help with costs over the three-year bachelor course and Tansey says it means she can concentrate on her study without the worry of placing a financial burden on her family.
“I was determined to do the degree and would have found a way to do so even if I hadn’t got the scholarship,” she says. “McDonald’s are a big corporation and they don’t have to do it, but I think it is cool that they take Māori kids out of the community and help them in this way.
“There is so much Māori talent up north, but it is very rural and can be a forgotten place.”
Tansey is part way through her first semester and says she is gradually getting used to the big city. “It was kind of surreal when I first got here. Northland is quiet by comparison whereas Auckland has a lot of people.
“I wasn’t used to the hustle and bustle at first and found it a bit confronting, but I’m getting to know how the city works.”
She had good advice on what to expect from a close friend who came to Auckland after receiving a Te Tai Tokerau scholarship last year, while the aunt she has lived with in Waipapa for many years was also an inspiration. Bringing up three children of her own (and a stepdaughter) her aunt completed a nursing degree at North Tec in Kerikeri about four years ago.
“She told me what it was like going to university and helped me realise it is possible with hard work to achieve what you want,” Tansey says.
Tansey applied for the scholarship last year and was told she was successful about five days after being interviewed by a selection panel in August. Up to $5000 has been put towards her accommodation costs in Auckland while $2500 will be deposited to her bank account each year to help cover her living expenses.
If not for that, Tansey says she would have had to cover many of her costs through a student loan. “This (the scholarship) means I can stay in Auckland and gives me a great start.”
As well as qualification in communications, Tansey says she is keen to learn to speak Te Reo and to connect more closely with Māori culture. As a journalist she hopes to be a voice on both Māori and general issues.
The scholarship was launched in 1993 as a partnership between McDonalds, AUT and high schools in the Te Tai Tokerau region of Northland. Worth $12,500, four are awarded in Te Tai Tokerau each year. In 2016 the programme was extended to include a karahipi (scholarship) for a Māori student from the Te Tairawhiti (Gisborne) region.
Since being established more than 130 Māori have received the scholarship with over $1 million contributed by McDonald’s.
The successful candidates live in student accommodation together in the first year, and receive support from AUT’s Te Tari Takawaenga Māori (Māori Student Support) and scholarship alumni.
Simon Kenny, Head of Communications at McDonald’s, who also sits on the selection committee, says the concept of the scholarship is simple: “To help young Māori with the talent and ambition to study at university (and) overcome any barriers in their way.
“The longevity and success of the scholarship is in the partnership between McDonald’s, AUT, schools and alumni and how we have learned over time the best way to support students in their journey.
“We believe it’s a great model that could be replicated in partnerships to make a positive impact in Aotearoa New Zealand today.”
Hariata Mareroa, AUT Te Kaiwhakahaere (Manager) says at its heart the McDonald’s scholarship is about promoting Māori potential and supporting educational success and all the partners have remained steadfastly unwavering with their support of the programme.
“Many of the recipients have been the first in their families to undertake an academic journey and over years and decades the karahipi has helped build a belief and pathway for young Māori to not only study, but work, have families and, in many cases, return to Te Tai Tokerau to give back.”