Te Āti Hau Trust - Case Study

Knowing they have iwi support has made a huge difference to brothers Haukapuanui and Sonny Vercoe, both studying for their Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Civil Engineering at the University of Auckland | Waipapa Taumata Rau.

Haukapuanui (26) and Sonny (24) have been recipients of Te Āti Hau Trust grants for six years. In 2022, they each graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours), before returning to the faculty as PhD students.

Just beginning the third year of their doctorates – about half-way through their PhD studies – they were this year each awarded a Te Āti Hau Trust Education Scholarship.

Over the years, this support has helped in many ways – from covering living costs such as rent, kai and petrol, to enabling them to remain kanohi kitea and continue contributing to various kaupapa at home, including hautapu, poukai and wānanga.

“Getting this tautoko, knowing iwi are backing us all the way, makes all the difference,” Haukapuanui said.

“Being able to go to kaupapa at different marae helps to ensure that we can uphold our Māoritanga while navigating the Western spheres of research and academia.”

The brothers grew up in Rotorua and whakapapa to Ngāti Hinearo at Parikino, Te Arawa, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Pāhauwera, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Raukawa and Ngāi Tahu.

Their familiarity and connections to marae are evident in their PhD research.

Haukapuanui is looking at the natural hazard resilience of marae, with a key focus on the infrastructure networks that service them, also considering the added pressures introduced by climate change.

Time and again, he said, Māori have demonstrated effective emergency management, response and relief in spite of limited resources.

“Our people have the goods. It’s about getting our marae recognised for their significant contributions to civil defence efforts and adequately resourced. Our marae serve whānau, hapū and iwi, as well as the wider community in times of need,” he said.

Sonny’s research investigates the detailed seismic assessment (DSA) of wharenui.

“Existing guidelines class a lot of our wharenui as potentially earthquake-prone and often warrant further appraisal, which could be a prohibitive expense for our marae,” Sonny said.

Wharenui have withstood seismic events for centuries, so he wants to ensure that if wharenui are seismically assessed, they are assessed appropriately. His research involves classifying the structural systems of wharenui across the country and defining how the DSA procedure is currently applied by engineers to wharenui.

As a result, wharenui-specific DSA procedures and guidelines can be created for accuracy, time-efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. Ultimately, the research findings intend to streamline the seismic assessment process for engineers and alleviate cost for marae.

Proud raukura of Te Kōhanga Reo ki Ōhau in Ōkere Falls and Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Koutu in Rotorua, the brothers are enthusiastic about encouraging rangatahi to consider tertiary education.

They try to keep an eye on the young ones coming up, and have visited their former kura almost every year, talking to students about different university pathways and rangahau options. Just last year, a batch of five kura students enrolled at Auckland University.

The pair are looking forward to completing their doctoral studies.

“I feel like iwi have been waiting long enough. I’m keen to get to the finish line,” Sonny said.

They talk about future lecturing, academia or consulting roles that could mix with iwi, acknowledging they still have a lot going on in their existing studies.

One thing they’re sure about, though, is their strong desire to continue working with, and for, our marae.