Our Team
Ariana Te Whetu
HE TOKI PROJECT ADVISOR
Ariana has experience in tertiary education pathways and qualifications for Māori students. Her work at the University of Canterbury and Ara Institute of Technology involved supporting course achievement for Māori students. Ariana can provide advise with your study options and career pathways.
Hemi Inia
HE TOKI PROJECT ADVISOR
He uri no Te Arawa waka e mihi atu nei ki a koutou.
I am passionate about helping create a better future for Māori in the construction, infrastructure and healthcare sectors. I am driven by a desire to create change through the use of data, evidence and Mātauranga Māori to achieve the best possible outcomes for Māori success. I have skills and experience in collaborative innovation, project management, relationship management, tertiary education and community engagement to create and implement forward thinking ideas that create opportunities for Māori whānau.
Kaya Staples
KAIAROTAKE
Ko Kaya Staples tōku ingoa. I am a rangatahi researcher for Tokona Te Raki supporting the evaluation of He Toki to understand the enablers, challenges, and barriers for our Māori tauira. As an ex-Ara student and pre-health graduate I bring my own personal experience and knowledge of being a Māori student in a tertiary environment. I believe we are influenced by the environment that surrounds us and the people we come across on our journeys. The research I do for He Toki will help make sense of your learning environment and understand how best to adapt and innovate your environment to improve outcomes.
Rangimarie Elvin
RANGATAHI KAIRANGAHAU
Ko Rangimārie Elvin tōku ingoa.
Ko au te tamāhine o te ringa raupā, te kaiako me te kaiwhakaora. The product of the builder, the teacher, and the healer. As tāngata Māori, we come from a long line of creatives, a whakapapa of weavers, carvers, and more. We come from those who could tell their stories by using their hands – those who created to ensure the prosperity of their whānau. I am here to help nurture that tūpuna energy, and tautoko those with the itchy hands that want to take hold of their own futures, “Tama Tū, Tama Ora. Tama Noho, Tama Mate.” Being kaimahi at Tokona te Raki has helped me tap into that space and allowed me to step into helping He Toki tauira realise the potential passed down from their tūpuna.
Partners
He Toki is delivered through partnerships between Ngāi Tahu and education providers including Ara Institute of Technology, Otago Polytechnic, and the Southern Institute of Technology, along with our network of industry employers led by Helix Global and Te Whatu Ora.
