A sense of belonging

Tamatha Paul (Ngāti Awa and Waikato Tainui), who graduates this week, was offered scholarships from a number of universities, but Victoria University of Wellington was always her first choice.

Tamatha Paul
Tamatha Paul—2019 VUWSA President

“This university has a fantastic reputation for social sciences and is really well known for being a cool place to study. I always wanted to learn in the city where it all happens,” says Tamatha, who will take up the role of Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association (VUWSA) president in 2019.

A recipient of the Victoria University Foundation Trustees' ‘First in Family’ scholarship, which contributed to her fees and living expenses over the three years of her degree, Tamatha says she couldn’t have come to university without it. “My family would never have been able to afford to send me here.”

She also received the Andrea Brander Accommodation Scholarship, the James MacIntosh Scholarship for achievement, and was on the Dean’s List for Academic Excellence.

Tamatha will give the student address when she graduates with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Political Science at Te Herenga Waka Marae this week. She is “rapt—really happy to be in this representative role” as the first Māori wahine VUWSA president, but is clear that her appointment is based on her merits.

“Studying politics, you learn a lot about Māori issues and that was really cool for me; I came from Tokoroa—one of those small towns that politicians were making decisions for. The maddening thing was that a lot of people assumed I was at University to fill a quota, not because I actually deserved to be here. But I knew who I was and what I had achieved,” she says.

As well as tackling issues such as rent rises and access to mental health services, Tamatha’s vision for the VUWSA presidency is to empower the student community to be more involved in decision-making processes. “I want to implement Tikanga Māori values into the University community, because that works for everyone,” she says.

Tamatha says the University community has been important in terms of strengthening her identity as a Māori woman and has helped her develop a real sense of belonging. “This university is a place that helps to foster your identity and then you’re in a better position to serve your own people,” she says.

“I want to inspire little Māori kids and be a role model for other rangatahi—maybe they’ll see what I’m doing and they’ll end up being the first Māori wahine in space or something. I am hoping that someone—that everyone coming after me—does better, goes further and reaches higher than me.”