Ebony Kahukura wins Eva Trowbridge Waikato University Award
A very big congratulations to the 2019 winner of the Eva Trowbridge University of Waikato Scholarship, Ebony Kahukura! The 13th winner of this award - a one-year scholarship of $3,000.
Currently a part-time teacher at Greenpark School, Ebony will be undertaking the Te Tohu Paetahi one-year programme which consists of six in-class te reo Māori language acquisition papers and two online papers, with the goal being a total immersion Māori language teaching and learning environment with English phased out completely.
For Ebony, winning this scholarship will help carry the financial burden associated with taking time out of her career to study, and she is also a single mother of two children. Ebony is passionate about Te Reo Māori and has always wanted to develop a proficiency in her ancestral language.
"Now with both my children attending Puna reo and carrying on to Kura kaupapa, it makes sense to ensure that I am providing a home environment that nurtures their language and culture, a whare reo Māori. Equally important are my responsibilities to my wider whanau and hapū, where Te Reo Māori is the means of communication. In terms of my teaching career and future plans, we know that teachers have the greatest influence on students’ achievement in an education setting. My belief is that Māori language and culture should be accessible to all learners in any learning environment including learners in mainstream schools. My improved proficiency in Te Reo Māori is my contribution to the revitalisation of our language beyond home, beynd the marae and reaching in to the hearts of our nations tamariki. A whakatauki that comes to mind is "Ko taku reo taku ohooho, ko taku reo taku mapihi mauria. My language is my awakening, my language is the window to my soul.""
Well done Ebony, it is a pleasure to have you join this list of Eva Trowbridge Scholarship winners!