Rangiamohia Dansey-White

With a passion for te ao Māori and being in spaces that see change for the betterment of her people, Rangiamohia Dansey-White enrolled at the University of Waikato so she can enact positive change for Māori and improve race relations.

“I wanted to understand the systems that need to be disrupted and changed in order for Māori equity to flourish,” Rangiamohia, 27, says.

After losing her tourism job due to Covid-19, Rangiamohia received Te Wai Ū o Tūwharetoa Trust Scholarship and began her Bachelor of Arts degree.

“I chose Waikato because of its high calibre of Māori and Indigenous academics within Te Pua Wānanga ki te Ao - Faculty of Māori and Indigenous Studies.

“Not only is the campus conveniently close to home (Rotorua), the classes I took allowed me to think outside the box and challenge my own thinking along the way.”

The highlight of her study was taking part in the 2022 Te Āhurutanga Māori Leadership Programme.

“This kaupapa provided so many experiences that I would never have thought were possible, engage in kōrero that wouldn’t be provided in the lecture hall, as well as form some life-long friendships.”

Rangiamohia isn’t ruling out postgraduate study, saying her ultimate goal is to work at the grassroots level or in the governance space.