Candace and Culture

Leaving Rotorua was tough for Candace. A departure, not just from her friends and community, but her roots, and the proximity to deep Māori culture that shaped her everyday life. 

Moving to Tāhuna Queenstown was an adjustment at first, but never to get down in the dumps, Candace decided to make the most of it, “I was surrounded by te ao Pākeha (European world view), but I saw this as an opportunity to learn, and it made me want to learn more about te ao Māori and appreciate it more.” Armed with a passion for te ao Māori, and a desire not to let the move south disconnect her from that, Candace began influencing young people around the district to share in what she loved.

At Wakatipu High School, Candace and a group of mates were tutored and formed a Kapa Haka group named ‘Te iti o Tāhuna’. “Our group was small but full of passionate performers and we gave the school a really good name when we performed.” Multitalented, the group were often key members of the school production “it was a great way for us to gain experiences of performing in general not just with Kapa Haka.”

At University her passion did not wane. She gained a Bachelor of Arts in Education and Māori from University of Otago. Since then, Candace has landed dream roles tutoring Kapa Haka at Mount Aspiring College and travelling around Central Otago teaching Māori culture to primary school students. COVID-19 changed her goals a little but it hasn’t hampered her spirit, “I’m a lot happier to just go with the flow now and see what happens, in life generally.”

In 2020 Mayor Boult invited her to become part of the Tuia Programme. As part of this Candace receives one-to-one mentoring from the Mayor and attends leadership events around the country, or more recently, on Zoom. 

Over time, she has not been afraid to let Mayor Boult know what she thinks needs to happen in the community., “I like to tell him what I think, we need to be looking after our rangatahi (youth), especially around mental health issues, so I let him know my thoughts on that. We have a great relationship.”

In terms of the future of the Queenstown Lakes, she believes young people need more of a say, “Rangatahi (youth) are the future and many feel left out of the conversation,” Candance believes having young people at the table will have a flow-on effect and create a better future for everyone. 

When Candace left Rotorua eight years ago she felt as though she had lost her community. But in fact, she’s gained another. One which has benefited from her positivity, superb leadership and felt her passion for rangatahi. 

Asked if she would run for mayor one day, Candace says, “yeah sure, why not. It would be a great opportunity to show and encourage rangatahi to be part of the conversation and council too.”