By Turongo Mauri Ora Henare-Ruruku

I am a young, passionate Māori advocate who was raised in the Waikato rohe and originally from the Horowhenua region. I have studied at Waikato University since 2023, and during my time, I have strengthened my language fluency and increased my knowledge around Indigenous rights and the impacts of colonisation on Native peoples. It is my aspiration and dream to develop more learning techniques and teach the Māori language to everyone in Aotearoa putting reo into new places and spaces (think comics, music and multi-platform media).

I am drawn to the University of Hilo as I seek to create a global network of peers. I would like the opportunity to study in Hawaii at the University of Hawaii at Hilo as it provides unique academic papers in Hawaiian language, culture and history. By immersing myself in the beautiful islands of Hawaii I believe I will broaden my global perspective, increase my knowledge of Hawaiian culture and further my understanding of global issues, particularly Indigenous sovereignty, language revitalisation and cultural indigenisation. I am confident that this experience will not only help me refine my language skills in Hawaiian but will also enhance my interpersonal and cross-cultural communication abilities. These skills are essential in developing my goals in revitalising Te Reo Māori, and I believe that being exposed to diverse perspectives will be critical in achieving my long-term goals.

I hope to make lifelong friends, have new adventures, try new things and represent my whānau and university while in Hawaii.