Hope to be a role model for young wāhine – Rangikata
"Every field needs more Māoritanga, Māori people, and Māori excellence within it."
Rangikata Turner O'Carroll - Tertiary Tauira
Ko Taranaki te Mounga
Ko Waitara, ko Mohakatino, ko Waiongana ngā awa
Ko Tokomaru te waka
Ko Te Āti Awa, ko Ngāti Tama ngā iwi Ko Ōtaraua, ko Puketapu ngā hapū
Ko Puke Aruhe, Ko Otaraua, Ko Muru Raupatu ngā marae
Nō Waitara-nui-a-Whare-Matangi-ki-te-kimi-tana-matua-a-Ngarue ahau
Ko Rangikata Turner O’Carroll tōku ingoa
Kia ora whānau, my name is Rangikata Turner O’Carroll, and I was born and bred in Waitara.
I am the eldest of seven tamariki. I attended Te Kōhanga Reo o Ngā Pekanga, Waitara East, Manukōrihi Intermediate, and Waitara High School. Throughout my high school years, I always knew I wanted to work with people in some capacity. Initially, I was interested in criminology and forensics. However, after doing an internship with a forensic scientist during high school, I realised that wasn’t the pathway for me—it was a bit too freaky! In my final year at Waitara High, Why Ora helped me apply for the COACH programme with Auckland University/Whakapiki Ake.
This transition programme for Māori students interested in healthcare reignited my passion for the health sector and clarified what I wanted to study. Currently, I am working full-time in the hapū space while completing my final year of a Bachelor of Health Science majoring in Population Health at Waipapa Taumatarau (UoA).
My passion lies in the healthcare industry, particularly in promoting the health of Māori and Pasifika people. I aspire to become a physician because of my first-hand experiences with the health disparities that Māori and Pasifika people face here in Aotearoa. I am well aware this field is male dominated, but I hope to be a role model for young wāhine like myself who are passionate about healthcare. Of all the brilliant doctors we have in Aotearoa, only 3.5% are Māori, and less than 2% are Pasifika.
This highlights the lack of cultural understanding in the field, with western medicinal practices often taking precedence. My goal is to create a space where these approaches can coexist and be used together to improve health outcomes for our people. Reignited with this passion, my aspiration is to contribute to the Māori healthcare workforce and uplift the health of our people and my whānau. One piece of advice I would give to anyone thinking about their future is to take every opportunity to explore what’s out there. You’ll never know your interests and passions—or whether they truly resonate with you—unless you try them. Once you’ve found your passion, hold onto it tightly. Every field needs more Māoritanga, Māori people, and Māori excellence within it. Ko te manu e kai ana te miro, nōnā te ngahere, Ko te manu e kai ana te mātauranga, nōnā te ao
started to thrive because I felt connected and supported by the communities I was involved in.
I spent over 14 years working in people-facing mahi; from early childhood education to vocational education and training with adults.
One of the most profound experiences for me was my mahi as an education tutor at Arohata Women’s Prison in Wellington; a recurring theme this experience highlighted was how the education system was not set up to empower Māori to be Māori and be successful.
I began to reflect on my own life and how education for me became an escape from some of the realities I was working through as an adult. I didn’t associate being Māori with being successful in a mainstream world – so I take this moment to mihi everyone I have worked alongside since who helped me to realise this!
In 2020 I felt a calling to go deeper, that change was coming. When we decided to uproot our lives and move to Patea, I didn’t understand the wairua connection I had to the land there (I had never been there prior to the move) but knew there was a feeling of home.
Through kōrero with my dad’s whānau I realised our Whakapapa is Taranaki ki te Tonga. I have spent the last four years reconnecting to my Tutahione whanau ingoa, while challenging in many ways, it has helped me understand who I am on a deeper level.
This haerenga (journey) arrived at the right place at the right time. Working for Why Ora at a time in my life where I feel grounded in my identity is so empowering and something I passionately advocate for with our taiohi. I understand having someone in your corner is necessary for positive development, so if I can be that for one taiohi, I have won!
Seeing barriers removed and spirits lifted is all I aspire to do, not only in my mahi, but in life. My idea of success has changed. More than ever, I am harnessing all my super-powers of being connected to things beyond the physical; to grow taiohi, whānau and community wellbeing through wairua.
Looking to the future I would like to bring all my experience and creativity together to start a small wairua led business, focusing on coaching and growing others wellbeing, as well as my own. That’s my 5-year plan and I’m excited about that!
