Riley Rangi is our first recipient of the inaugural Ron Papuni Award for Excellence by a Māori student in Year 12 Horticulture at Mount Maunganui College.
Our Ongare Trustees Aunty Kura Benton and Aunty Pua Taikato were on hand at the senior graduation at Baycourt in December to present the award to Riley, who is planning to take a gap year working before deciding on his next steps towards a career.
Riley has share his kōrero with us here;
E ngā mana, e nga mātā waka, e ngā iwi o te motu
He mihi maioha tēnei.
Ki te taha o tōku pāpā, nō Taranaki rāua ko Whanganui ahau,
Ki te taha o tōku māmā, nō Te Arawa rāua ko Fiji ahau,
Ko Jorja tōku tuahine, ko Pourewa tōku teina
Kei Arataki ahau e noho ana
Ka haere mātou ki Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Matapihi.
After I left TKKMoM, I attended Mount Maunganui College, where I discovered enjoyment in Horticulture, taking care of school gardens, planting trees in areas like Pāpāmoa Hills, and started growing trees from cutting at home.
I am about to begin work in a lab testing for kiwifruit maturity and considering horticulture Courses at Toi Ohomai at the Windermere campus.
I would whole-heartedly like to thank the Ongare Trust, the trustees, the owners who over the years continuously support rangatahi like myself, in this case the Ron Papuni Horticulture Bursary Award to Mount Maunganui College students.
Nāku nā Riley Rangi.
