Kaupapa Pepeha | Pepeha Project
As a part of our commitment to the revitalisation of te reo Māori, we encouraged staff to share their pepeha so our community could learn more about who they are, where they are from and where they belong.
The staff who appear in this video are, in order: Michael Steedman (Kaiarataki), Associate Professor Te Kawehau Hoskins (Ihonuku Māori | Pro Vice-Chancellor Māori), Professor Dawn Freshwater (Ihorangi | Vice-Chancellor), Jodi Yeats (Kaitohutohu Whakawhitinga, Whakatairanga – Te Ara Tautika | Equity Comms and Marketing Adviser, Equity Office), Martin Shepherd (Manutaki Kāpeka Mahi Whakahaere, Te Kura Tangata | Director of Faculty Operations, Faculty of Arts), Cathrine Taylor (Kaiāwhina Huarangi, Te Tari o te Ihonuku Māori | Executive Assistant, Office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor Māori), Adam Paterson (Kaiāwhina Huarangi | Executive Assistant, Liggins Institute), Jacob Waitere (Urumatua Whakahaere – Wharenoho | Head of Operations Accommodation Halls), Sarah Jayne Dipert (Poutaki Pūmanawa Tangata | HR Manager), Dylan Chetwin (Kairuruku Wharenoho | Resident Coordinator), Georgia Rowe (Kaitohutohu Pūmanawa Tangata | HR Adviser), Dave Henricks (Mātanga Ratonga Whakahaere | Service Management Specialist).
Following your mihi (greeting) at a gathering or hui, a pepeha is a way of introducing yourself. Using a set structure, it identifies who you are, where you are from and where you belong.
Everyone has a pepeha that links them to their ancestors. It’s like a story that connects you to your waka, your hapū and iwi. It identifies important places like your maunga, awa and marae. A person and their whānau may have several pepeha that link them to their different whānau.
You can learn more about our University whānau by listening to their pepeha.