Empowering the Next Generation: Te Mātāwai’s Internship Fuels Māori Ambitions

Three fresh-faced rangatahi have just completed their internship at Te Mātāwai, making them the 5th intake of the summer internship programme.

The internship programme provides a safe space for young Māori to gain practical experience and insight into the role of Te Mātāwai in te reo Māori revitalisation. 

Interns get the opportunity to engage with various projects, develop their professional skills and build meaningful relationships with people in the Tari, and with whānau we are fortunate to connect with out in the regions. 

Te Mātāwai aims to empower the next generation and promote Māori representation within senior roles in Aotearoa. 

Hine Brown, communications and marketing intern, describes her journey as “truly special, surrounded by Māori who are smart and leaders in their fields. Being part of the comms and marketing team has given me essential skills to take with me. I've witnessed the dedication and hard work that goes into building a strong kaupapa and enjoyed helping the team communicate this to the world.” 

Maata Ngāpō, kāhui support intern, says “my internship has been an invaluable experience that has allowed me to work in a dynamic workspace dedicated to the strategic planning of the intergenerational transmission of te reo Māori. Working alongside board members and being able to support kāhui, I've been able to contribute to key initiatives that support the revitalisation of te reo Māori. Today, efforts to revitalise te reo Māori are in full swing, and I am proud to be part of this.”  

Tūheitia Young, research intern, says he had a great experience “Working in Te Mātātupu, the research and evaluation team, has helped me develop new research skills from looking into literature on what has been successful and difficult in language planning for whānau. I've also had a chance to work alongside the team on data gathered from Te Mātāwai funded kaupapa. It has shown me the importance of giving feedback to a kaupapa. It has also been so much fun having two other interns in the tari.”