Moana Timoko

2024 Cohort

Pronouns: she/her

Ko Ngāpuhi te iwi. Ko Te Mahurehure, ko Ngai Tūteauru ngā hapū. Nō ngā whānau, Timoko, Rogers, Patupatu Ruma - Harding, Sharp. He kaituitui kaupapa te wahine nei.

Moana is of the Ngāpuhi tribe. Her sub-tribes are Te Mahurehure and Ngai Tūteauru of the Hokianga. She is highly driven by kaupapa and whakapapa – by purpose, connections between people and actions. Moana works as an educator within her community of Kaikohe. She attributes her traits and drive to the people she works around on a daily basis. She also acknowledges 'tūpuna activation' (ancestral drive) as an internal motivator that provides a sense of obligation to 'just get on with it'.

Working for, with and by her whānau (family) is a priority. Moana acknowledges her partner, Mr Tahu. As a combination, their planning and thinking is supported by the physical hard work of her ‘hearty mad scientist’. Their work and growth emanates potential.

“I want us to be remembered as tūpuna who created prosperous opportunities for our extended whānau – all of our people.”

Social change work

Moana manages the operations of their whānau company, Āteanui (which can be interpreted to mean, ‘space of potential’). Creating spaces for transformative learning, and reclamation of ancestral scientific knowledge, is a focus as Moana believes in giving people time and space to think, plan and learn. Current projects involve growing a huge number of peruperu (taewa – Māori potatoes), sharing her experiences, and piloting the development of a buy-in model that provides kai and allows people to commit to reconnecting with some traditional kai growing practices. Working together as whānau, Āteanui provides an example of the potential of community collaboration and cultural regeneration.