Three generations on Sharon Campbells back porch Photo: UGP / Kahu Kutia
In this episode of ‘He Kakano Ahau – Intergenerational Vision’, Kahu Kutia is in Te Tairawhiti with Whaea Sharon and her daughter Mania Campbell-Seymour, and she meets Māori futurist Hana Burgess.
As a solo mum raising seven children whaea Sharon talks about putting herself through university to become a school teacher, in lectures she remembers the discomfort in the room when discussing the education system and social issues. Sharon says she doesn't like to sugar coat anything.
“There was always the element of discomfort and I would remind our students that that’s what our children lived every day in the school system and it’s my responsibility to challenge you to the core because I do not accept that we have an education system that pays itself billions of dollars to continue failing our tamariki at the same rate, it is absolutely criminal," Sharon says.
In the same token Mania’s work as a doctor has been met with the same degree of discomfort, she has a first-hand account of a system where Māori have a harder time accessing health care needs. It’s a career where Mania has often felt conflicted.
“Why I have this love hate relationship with my tohu and medicine is that my degree is a ticket to unsafe white spaces, who would want to subject themselves to constantly feeling alienated? Constantly feeling undervalued? The tokenism all that stuff” Mania says.
Mania lives in Wairoa but visits her mum often who lives in Gisborne with her younger brother. Mania’s husband also works as a doctor, she is lucky that she is able to take leave while they raise their young family she visits her mum often.
Hana Burgess Photo: UGP / Kahu Kutia
Kahu Kutia also meets up with Māori futurist Hana Burgess (Ngā Puhi and Te Ati Haunui a Pāpārangi). Hana’s PhD research in genomics and whakapapa.
“Which is essentially this Pākeha idea of finding the causes and solutions to our health issues through our genes so at the moment in indigenous communities genomics is a big one, like scientists come into our communities wanting our DNA our genes our genetic information…but the way I’m looking at it is just an extension of the colonial project” Hana says.
Hana explains her research with Kahu, but further to this she discusses her own conceptualisations of time, her work as an artist and her love for the paua design.
To listen or watch the full episodes of 'He Kakano Ahau - Wawatatia' click here
