Tammy Tauroa
Ngāti Kuri Electorate
Bachelor of Arts (Double Major, Māori and
Anthropology), Post Graduate Dip (Development
Studies) Master of Arts (First Class Hons).
PhD (Enrolled Awanuiaarangi)
Tū ake ki te tihi o tōku Maunga Piko, he tirohanga whānui
ki ngā tai e ngunguru ana. Rere atu ai ngā whakaaro, ngā
roimata o te aroha ki a rātou kua wehe ki tua.
Hoki mai ki ā tātou me ngā moemoeā ki waenganui ki
tēnā, ki tēnā. Kawea ake ki runga i ngā au moana, ki te
wahapū o te Pārengarenga, ki Te Kokotā, mihi mai!
He uri ahau nō te whānau Rata, nō te whānau Rāmeka, ko
Whakakōhatu te hapū, kō Ngāti Kuri te iwi, nō ngā marae
e rua o Te Hiku o te Ika, rāua tahi ko Te Waiora.
Ko Waitai Rata rāua ko Moengaroa Rāmeka ōku mātua
tūpuna, ko Awhina Rata tōku karani māmā. Toko toru ōku
tamariki, ko Aramoana, rātou ko Rongonui, ko Maieke.
I mārena ahau i a Hema Tauroa tōku hoa Rangātira, nō
Ngāti Koroki Kahukura. Ko Tammy Tauroa ahau.
My hopes and dream for our whānau and tribe is to live
within thriving kāinga settings with access to meaningful
resources and opportunities that are directly driven by our
community and our aspirations. This includes elevating
the voice of our rangatahi and the next generation into the
strategic framework of our tribe and reflect and normalise
our reo and tikanga across all platforms including commercial
and cultural domains. I believe we can reach the heights of
our potential as a collective if we foster real and connected
opportunities from a grassroots level.
For the past 13 years I have worked across various roles
at The University of Waikato until recently where I left
to establish and direct my own company Mīere Limited.
I lead a range of Māori research programmers that are
environmental, science and mātauranga focussed on behalf
of iwi, government agencies, Māori Organisations and
Research Institutes. I am the current Research Leader for
two Ngāti Kuri projects; Ngā rākau taketake, and our 5-year
MBIE Endeavour fund for Rangitāhua. I further oversee
a research project with Ngā Wai ā te Tūī (Unitec) and Te
Matapihi (National Māori Housing Network) to establish the
first National Māori Housing Leadership Programme to be
launched later this year in 2021.
Along with my research work, I have created and developed
a large number of projects for iwi and hapū that uplift the
potential of whenua Māori, and created alternative land-use
programmes including employment opportunities. Alongside
increasing the potential of our whenua, I am proud of my
role in leading the establishment of a new first of its kind
home-ownership model for papakāinga in the Waikato for
Ngāti Korokī Kahukura. I currently sit as specialist Māori
Housing Advisor to Te Matapihi (The National Māori Housing
Network) where I advocate for Māori-led housing solutions
across the housing continuum, but specifically with a passion
for papakāinga initiatives. At the heart of my mahi, is always
my tamariki, my whānau and my people, and to serve our
Ngāti Kuri constituency would be my greatest honor.