It’s a 10 out of 10 for mayoral scholarship recipients, who have all gained bachelor degrees through a pilot project in the Waitaki.

A celebration was held at the Brydone Hotel on Wednesday night (December 7), for participants in the Build Capability Waitaki scholarship programme.

The programme was designed to provide academic and peer support for Māori and Pasifika people to complete a Bachelor of Applied Management through the Capable NZ programme at Otago Polytechnic.

The goal was to assist those in leadership roles within their work places, who often didn’t have any formal qualifications. A number of the successful graduates were among the first in their families to achieve a degree.

The project was funded by the Ministry of Social Development and supported by local businesses and employers including Breen Construction, Alliance, The Business Hive, Te Whatu Ora Southern and the Ōamaru Pacific Island Community Group.

Nola Tipa, an Otago Polytechnic facilitator - together with Glenys Ker, said to achieve a 100% pass rate was “phenomenal”.

Seven Pasifika and three Māori were chosen by a select committee to receive the full-paid scholarship, and all passed - five with Distinction, and two with Merit.

The degree had given them all a Level 7 NCEA qualification, Nola said.

Some participants had already graduated, while others had final assessments on November 24, and were due to graduate next week.

“Some of them have had no tertiary education beforehand, so to go from school maybe 20 years ago, to a level 7 degree, that is a huge commitment to study. Not without barriers either,” Nola said.

Mihi Stevens overcame perhaps one of the toughest barriers during her study.

“I got sick part way through it, so I had to get an extension,” she said. “I ended up with a tumour, and needing surgery in my head. So they were really good, they allowed me the time to recuperate, and then once I got stuck back into it, Glenys and Nola were really supportive, and the polytech were great.”

Mihi is the health and safety manager, and also beef production manager at Alliance’s Pukeuri plant, and said her new qualification “absolutely” helped her in her workplace.

“I have been in the meat industry itself for 35 years, and all my education has been while working.”

She already had a diploma in health and safety management, and when this opportunity came along, she encouraged some of her workmates to apply, too.

“So from Pukeuri itself, there are actually four of us that have qualified,” she said. 

She was not one to let a tumour stand in the way of her goals. 

“I’m the sort of person that if I start something, I’ve got to finish it. I don’t like dropping anything halfway.” 

Mihi passed with Distinction and has her Māori graduation next Thursday, followed by a general one the day after.

“I was probably more shocked than Nola was, when I got my grades. I looked at Nola and said, ‘I didn’t think it was that good’. She looked at me and laughed and said, ‘I did’.”

Otago Polytechnic facilitators Glenys Ker (speaking) and Nola Tipa. PHOTO: Cara Tipping Smith

Nola said her experience with the participants had been rewarding. 

“I am a teacher by profession, so to see students take the plunge and succeed is phenomenal . . . and to get a 100% pass rate, that is really good.

“It means that they’ve worked really hard to get there, and some of them had insurmountable barriers in front of them, in order to achieve their goals.”

There were not many participants under 40, she said.

“That actually is what the programme is about, for those people who have got life experience or work experience, but haven’t got the piece of paper.”

Shannon Halalele, who runs her own business Halalele Design, graduated in September with Distinction, majoring in entrepreneurship and innovation.

It was “good to get the brain juices flowing again”, and the study helped her with future planning for her business.

Coming together with the group at The Business Hive once a month was “awesome”, and there were always two or three people from the Stewardship Committee present, but a Covid lockdown in the middle threw a spanner in the works for the group.

“All of a sudden we were all split apart, so we didn’t have that sort of fellowship . . . bouncing off each other.

“It was a bit of a blessing for me, because I just studied all lockdown, but we lost that sort of family vibe we’d set up.”

Credit had to go to Nola and Glenys for keeping the communication flowing, she said.

“They were really good with Zooms and team meetings, yeah, they were awesome.”

Nola wanted to mention the “huge support” the Business Hive had given the group to hold its regular wānanga. All assessments were also held there.

Scholarship recipients and now graduates are: Ana Otunuku, Mafa Alaloto, Mary-Anne Tipa, Mihi Stevens, Uinita Tapa’atoutai, Ralph Darling, Shannon Halalele, Sina Fanene, Sione Fisilau and Zhana Poni.

Stewardship Committee

Waitaki community development manager Helen Algar, former Oamaru Ministry of Social Development service centre manager Jenny Bean, Nola Tipa, Oamaru Pacific Island Community Group general manager and Waitaki deputy mayor Hana Halalele, Waitaki mayor Gary Kircher, and The Business Hive director Cara Tipping Smith.

Helping to celebrate the programme's success are (from left) Waitaki community development coordinator Olivia Corrigan, former coordinator Shirley Bee, community development manager Helen Algar, and Oamaru Pacific Island Community Group general manager Hana Halalele.

Ministry of Social Development contract manager Karen Ayson and former Oamaru Ministry of Social Development service centre manager Jenny Bean.