Te Tohu o te Mātauranga – congratulations to two of our kaimahi!

In December 2024, two of our kaimahi, Marianne and Aroha, completed their four-year Ngā Poutoko Whakarara Oranga Bicultural Social Work degree at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa (TWOA). They were fortunate to be fellow tauira as well as colleagues.

Here, they share their experiences and their reasons for taking on the challenge of work, life and study…

Marianne and Aroha both began working for Te Whare Ruruhau o Meri Trust in 2023/2024. Aroha is the kairuruku for the Kaupapa Māori Sexual Crisis and Court Support, based in Whangarei, while Marianne is the kairuruku for the Sexual Violence Court Support, supporting whānau who are mōrehu of sexual violence to navigate the criminal justice system.

For Marianne, her journey as māma to her five tamariki (who whakapapa to Ngāti Kurī and Ngāti Amaru), has been about showing them that it’s never too late to pursue tertiary education and set a goal. She wants them to see that, despite life’s challenges—whether a global pandemic, the loss of a parent, a career change, or financial pressures—resilience, patience and being open to the aroha of others can help you achieve anything at any age.

Aroha explains that she is motivated to support and care for whānau, providing social work support that promotes change, social cohesion and people's empowerment and liberation. She found that being employed in social services, working full-time and attending studies at TWOA was a massive commitment and hard work, but she says she felt very supported on her journey with study leave, grants and professional development.

“A privilege and an honour”

Marianne and Aroha describe it as a privilege and an honour to work for Te Whare Ruruhau o Meri Trust, where the wellbeing of whānau and tamariki are the main priorities – as well as preserving and enhancing whakapapa ties and helping to connect whānau along this journey.

Aroha’s academic journey continues. This year, she is undertaking the Diploma Kaitiakitanga (supervision) and eventually wishes to do the master’s programme in social work. She says she is excited about the future and what it holds.

For Marianne, now that she has her tohu and Social Work registration, she plans to continue working in her South Auckland community, supporting survivors of sexual harm and developing mātauranga that demonstrates how healing from generational trauma can be achieved through holistic practices embracing Te Ao Māori approaches.

As someone entering this mahi later in life, she envisions staying on the frontline, working kanohi ki te kanohi rather than moving into management roles. However, she acknowledges that one key lesson from her journey is to "never say never!"

A boost for our important mahi

Both Aroha and Marianne's success in becoming qualified social workers has increased the number of registered social workers employed at Te Whare to 19. What’s more, three more kaimahi (all tāne Māori) are currently on their social work study journey—one in their second year and two in their first year of study.

All of this is very welcome news, enabling us to further bolster our impact to help whānau overcome family harm and sexual violence, and to heal and restore oranga.