Joe | Ōtara
“Ōtara has been my home for the last 37 years. I would definitely call it home.
A recent challenge I’ve had so far is taking on this role here at MIT. Transitioning from steel division, Fletcher’s Steel Division, to a more student-based interaction type of work. Yeah, so that’s been my biggest challenge for the last three months so far. I grew up five minutes from here, just down the road in Ōtara. I’ve grown up in this community, yeah it’s come with a lot of challenges, but there’s a wide Pacific range of people here, which has made things a lot easier, besides all the crime and the bad reputation that this town has had. You sort of look past those things in life as a young person.
Now being an adult, I think some things in life have made me realise how people are, and how people connect culturally and spiritually, and the differences that people have pretty much shape our future. What’s important to me now that I’ve come through life, you know, from a brighter perspective, is the progression of our people, and of all people I guess, but Pacifica/Māori have always been labelled as, you know, not so well in this country.
So what’s important to me is that we become equal with everyone else and that we strive to be better people, and different backgrounds shouldn’t be a barrier. I mean, we should be a people that can be successful, you know, have all the good qualities that other people have in this country. I look at this as a barrier to us going forward. Yeah it’s just getting there, I guess, and having the right people to get us there, and the right support systems.
The new role; it’s a similar role I do in church where I’m interacting with youth, and just the community in general, putting on events, and hosting events. What’s challenging about this role is that I’m pretty much on my own. I don’t have a team as such, whereas in my church I’ve got a team of at least 20 people. So the challenge is to try to be productive, but also think outside the box; how can I reach the mass students by myself?
I think what’s helping me get by is the support that I’m getting from the staff, and my faith in God is probably what’s taken me through the last 14 years of different jobs. This is my biggest challenge, but I always put my concepts back towards my belief that God can help me get through my day, my week, my month, my years and any challenge that come my way. That’s something that I hope this community can really enhance and adapt to. If it’s helped me, it can help anybody.”
