Terere Aoake
Terere is the youngest of a long line of very successful Aoake Whanau who have attended this school. They have a great sporting tradition and have all contributed to the culture of the school. Terere completed five years at college gaining Levels 1, 2 and 3 and University Entrance. She was Huia House Leader in 2005 and was involved with Kapa Haka, basketball, touch, rugby and netball over her time here.
On leaving Terere attended Otago University and graduated with a BCom in Marketing Management and a BA in English. While at Otago Terere was Residential Assistant at Hayward College. She also held the position of Chair for Te Tai Tuara (Association for Maori Commerce Students at University of Otago).
An interesting job Terere worked at was as an Event Organiser and Promoter for Incahoots organising the New Year’s Gig on Great Barrier Island. The Gig featured 16 DJs and there were over 600 in attendance. Terere has also been Marketing Co-ordinator at Te Puia New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute the largest Maori tourism operation in New Zealand.
Terere is now the Liaison for Kia Ora Hauora for the Midland Region (which covers Waikato, BOP, Lakes, Tairawhiti and Taranaki DHB) but she is based at Lakes DHB at the Rotorua Hospital. Kia Ora Hauora is a Ministry of Health initiative, the programme itself is designed to help pathway Maori Youth into health studies at a tertiary level and then get them working in the health sector. She really enjoys this work as it allows her to help the youth choose the right course of study for them and providing the right mentors, information and support systems so that they reach their full potential.
Terere has taken up boxing. She is training to enter the boxing ring with a goal of being champion of her weight class!!
Terere has sent me a run down on all the “Aoake” Whanau who have connections with Matamata College. Mervyn, John Hopa, Margaret Aoake, Joanne Aoake, Manawa Aoake and Ngaroroa Aoake are all members of her extended whanau and this is a summary of what they are up to now.
From Terere:
In terms of my family Mervyn, and John are my Uncles on my mum’s side. Mervyn is her brother and John her first cousin, Joanne and Manawa are my aunties on my mum’s side, they are her sisters. Margaret is of course my lovely mummy and Ngaroroa is my elder brother so hopefully that has helped a little in terms of our family history. In fact my uncle Mervyn has just been elected on to the Queenstown Lakes District Council. My Aunty Joanne still lives in Matamata. She is the Maori NGO advisor for Community Services for the Midland Health Network based in Hamilton and when I was at college she was my Kapa Haka tutor in 2003.
My uncle John works in freight and cargo management for Qantas in Australia and is based in Sydney. My mum is the head chef and 2IC of a little place just out of Coromandel called the Royal Oak Hotel.
The lovely man in my photo is of course my daddy (Robert Kahle) I am very lucky to have an amazing family who have supported me and continue to support me in all I wish to achieve. When I was attending Matamata College I actually lived with my Nana and Koro who I cared for whilst I was at school with my Aunty Joanne who moved in with us as well. But me being a daddy’s girl, when things started to get too tough for me or I felt like throwing the towel in, my family would band around me and support me but my dad was the one who would make everything seem so much easier.
This photo was taken on the 27th August 2010 the day I graduated from Otago University. I chose this particular photo with my dad as he was able to make it to my graduation which was amazing. Not that you can tell but at the time this photo was taken my dad is actually really sick. But my dad, being the trooper he is, refused to show any pain or pity for himself and made that whole weekend about me and for that reason I am grateful and delighted to have that particular photo as my picture for our alumni site.