Deane-Rose Ngatai - KiwiRail Scholar 2008, 2009

Ko Horouta te Waka,

Ko Hikurangi te Maunga,

Ko Awatere te Awa,

Ko Hinerupe te Marae,

Ko Ngati Porou te Iwi,

Ko Deane-Rose Ngatai toku ingoa.

Tihei Mauri Ora.

In 2008 I began a Bachelor of Design at Unitec in Mt Albert directly from secondary school. I am currently in my second year, majoring in Photography and Media Arts. Having lived in Waitakere, Auckland, since I was born I have been raised as an urban Maori and have had a bilingual education. Influenced by my bicultural identity and whakapapa, my inspiration is drawn from my culture, Maori traditions, arts, history and people. My aims and ambitions for the future are to keep the traditions and arts of my culture alive through my work, communicating important ideas, traditions and history of Maori. With these strong influences, my work has a continuous Maori theme and I have been working with both moving image and still photography. My desire is not only to document our culture; future, people and traditions, but to create works that affect and inform our people and also the rest of the world.

In my desire to succeed in my goals and to make myself, my family and my people proud, I intend to stand as a positive role model for other young Maori artists, providing them with a positive figure to look up to. I am committed to my study and hope to make a positive contribution to our communities and society. Receiving the KiwiRail Scholarship for the past 2 years has brought me a step closer to achieving these goals. Winning the Scholarship has made it possible for me to equip myself with the latest technologies required in this growing field. The support the scholarship provides has enabled me to produce high quality work. I am extremely grateful to be a recipient of the KiwiRail Scholarship. It has made a huge contribution towards my tertiary study and to my life. I would not be at the level I am now without the support and faith in me that the scholarship gives.

He mihi mahaki tenei kia koutou o te Vice-Chancellors' Committee ratou ko KiwiRail mo tenei taonga angitu. My humble thanks to the New Zealand Vice-Chancellors' Committee and KiwiRail for this treasured opportunity.

“ Ko te manu kai i te miro nona te ngahere, ko te manu kai i te matauranga nonate ao.”

“The bird who eats from the miro tree owns the forest, the bird who eats of the tree of knowledge owns the world.”