Ben | Glen Eden, Auckland

“Kia ora e te iwi. Ko Ben Ryder taku ingoa. I tēnei wā e noho ana ahau ki te uru o Tāmaki. Koina te wāhi e kīia nei, e ai ki a au, koinā te wāhi i pakeke mai au. Koinā taku kāinga rua, me kī. 

Tētahi āhuatanga pea e hāngai ana ki tēnā, ko tētahi ahuatanga pea kua wheako e au, ko te wāhi, ko te wā pea i mate ai taku māmā. Mate ana taku māmā, i uaua pea ki a au. I uaua taku ao katoa me kī ko taku māmā taku tuara, ko ia te poutokomanawa o tō mātou whānau. Ērā kupu katoa whakatinanahia e ia nōna e ora ana i te mata o te whenua. Nō reira ka mate ana ia, āe i pāngia au e te pōuri, i hē katoa ngā rā ki au. Heoi anō, i mōhio au I te mea tokoiwa katoa mātou ngā tamariki a tōku māmā. I mōhio au he wā tōnā me tū kaha au, me tū pakari au, me mārohirohi pea taku tū, mō ōku tuāhine, mō ōku teina, ka mutu mō te whānau, i te korenga o taku māmā. Engari koinā pea tētahi āhuatanga, kua wheako au i tērā momo, i tērā momo mahi. Ko te tino mea, ko te tino hua i puta i tēnā, kua tino mārama au, ki te ao o te whakatipu tamariki. Ehara i te ao māmā, ehara i te ao noa. Kāre aku tamariki, engari kāre au i paku mōhio ki te whakatipu tamariki. Nō reira, āe, koinā tētahi o ngā tino āhuatanga, ngā hua i pā, kua puta i tēnei momo mahi. Ā, ko te mōhio ki te manaaki i te whānau. Ā, ko te mōhio, ki te whakaheke tōtā mō te whānau te take. Ko te mōhio mō ngā mahi katoa ka puta i a au, ngā mahi katoa ka oti i au, ko te oranga o te whānau, te painga, te hua ka puta, nō reira , āe, koinā pea. 

Whānau mai au i Te Whanga-nui-ā-Tara. Heoi anō rā, ka hūnuku mātou ko tōku whānau ki konei ki Tāmaki. Nā, ka pakeke i konei, i te uru, i te uru o Tāmaki. Ka kuhuna ahau e ōku mātua ki te kura kaupapa Māori. I reira ka āta whakatangata mai au, ka āta whakapakeke mai au. Ka tipu au i roto i te ao o Te Aho Matua. Ko te reo Māori, te reo, kawe i ōku whakaaro. Ko te reo ko ngā tikanga te āhuatanga kawe i ahau i ia rā, ia rā. Ka mutu, mutu ana au i te kura kaupapa ka hūnuku atu au ki Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato. Ki reira ka whai i taku tohu Reo Māori me taku tohu Ture. Kāre i tutuki i a au ēnā tohu. Heoi anō rā, ka hoki mai ahau ki konei ki Tāmaki, ka kuhu au ki ngā mahi keri kōhao, ngā mahi whakatikatika huarahi. Mutu ana i reira ka riro i a au tētahi tūranga i Te Whare Hauora o Te Waitematā. Anā, kei konei tonu ahau, kei konā tonu au e mahi ana i tēnei wā, korā tonu au e mahi ana i tēnei wā

Translated

Kia ora everyone, my name is Ben Ryder. I’m currently living in West Auckland. It’s the place I say, that made me who I am today. I call it my adopted home. 

One thing that probably relates to that, or something I experienced, was when my mum died. When my mother died it was hard for me. My world was turned upside down, you know. My mum was my backbone, she was the heart of our family. When she was alive, she embodied everything I just mentioned. So, when she passed, I was overcome with grief and everything just went crazy for me. Because my mum had nine of us, I knew that was the time I needed to be strong, to man-up, and to be strong as a man, for my sisters, my younger brothers, and the wider family, because our mum isn’t around anymore. But that’s probably something where I’ve experienced that kind of thing. The main result that came from that, is that I now have a great appreciation as to what it’s like to raise children. It isn’t easy and it isn’t unimportant. I didn’t have any kids, and I had no clue how to raise kids. So, that was one of the major benefits that came about from doing this kind of stuff. Knowing how to look after the family. Knowing how hard to work for the sake of the family. Knowing that everything I do, everything I get done, is for the well-being of the family, every good result and outcome. 

I was born in Wellington. So, my family and I moved up to Auckland. So, I grew up here, out west, West Auckland. My parents enrolled me in to kura kaupapa Māori. It was there where I started to slowly become more responsible, and slowly more mature. I grew up in a Te Aho Matua environment. I use Te Reo Māori to express my thoughts. The language and the culture are what get me through every day. And so, when I finished at kura kaupapa, I enrolled at Waikato University. While there I studied Te Reo Māori and Law. I didn’t complete my studies. So, I came back here to Auckland and got labouring jobs digging holes and roadwork.  When I finished there, I secured a position at Te Whare Hauora o Waitemata. And I’ve been with them ever since.”