Te Kūmara Vine

Tralee Walker is a recent recipient of a Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō Education grant.

 

Kia ora my name is Tralee Walker.

I was brought up in a small town called Westport on the West Coast. My mother is originally from Levin and my father is from Denniston a mining ghost town on the West Coast. Westport is a lovely small town but has given me and my whānau a disconnection to our whakapapa and to being Māori. My father’s background is European and my mama Rehia McDonald is the link  to Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō.

My association with being Māori was hard growing up since there are so many difficulties in society these days to discourage you but that didn’t stop me from following my dreams with tertiary education.

I feel as those with being Māori it is harder to step your foot through the door and I hope with my own experience that I can inspire my Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō whānau to believe in themselves over prejudice views and with my dreams of studying a double Major in Psychology and Sociology and a double minor in Maori indigenous studies and Te Reo Māori shows that these barriers are changeable with resilience. I am privileged to be part of our iwi and this grant to help grow awareness and strength with education to our people.

I want all of our descendants to benefit from each other and open more pathways of professions in Māori communities in general. This is only the start for me and I am incredibly blessed to Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō for the helpful hand with pursuing my education.