What does community mean to you?

Cain | Tūranganui-a-Kiwa

Reflecting on being among the first kura kaupapa generation, Cain shares how what was once seen as an experiment gave lifelong gifts, opening doors for himself, his whānau, and for future generations.

“I grew up further up the coast, up the East Coast. Part of the first generation of kura kaupapa kids. Parents are both teachers. It was a big experiment at that stage. And so, especially being the teachers’ kids, we were kind of the crash test dummies for all of that kaupapa coming to life.

Fortunate am I, fortunate were we, to be given the privilege of being proximate to those spaces and that energy at that time that was occurring huri noa i te motu (all over the country), but most particularly within our own takiwā (region) here in Te Tai Rāwhiti.

I remember both the excitement but also the fear that surrounded our whānau, our community at those times, because it was very much an unknown space and there is still very much the sentiment of needing to leave those taonga tuku iho (cultural treasures) behind. And that we, the children being brought up in those spaces, were being set up to fail.

But luckily we were also surrounded by some really visionary people of the time, to understand that actually, those cultural taonga and teachings would give us many gifts, that have, for me personally, having been the recipient of it, enabling me to travel the world. And has opened many doors not just for myself but also for my children, my family, and for others. We’ve been able to take those teachings, those learnings and share them.”