Scholarship student on track for future success

Going back to school at the age of 45 could be considered a daunting prospect, but when it comes to Aaron McGregor it’s just another example of his quest to grow and learn every second of his life.

Now 47, the Whanganui father of three chuckles when it is suggested that many people his age would be starting to tick off their successes and planning for retirement, not taking on more challenges.

“There’s too much left for me to do in my life yet to start taking things easy!” he says. “I’ve got so much I want to learn and so many things I want to achieve. You’ve got to make every minute count because you never know when your clock will run out.”

His aspirational attitude was what caught the eye of Te Āti Hau Trust Board members and Russell Bell, director of the accountants and business solutions firm, Balance, when they were considering applicants for the Te Āti Hau Trust-Balance-Deloitte accounting scholarship, which was awarded for the first time last year.

“He really stood out as his application was of the highest quality,” says Russell. “The whole basis of this scholarship was to be able to give uri the opportunity that would help them succeed in the future, for themselves and for the community as a whole.

“Aaron was exactly the person we were looking for, and he is proving himself again and again. I am sure that he is going to be a major contributor to Māori business in the future, without a doubt.”

Aaron with Russell Bell, director of accounts and business solutions firm, Balance Chartered Accountants.

Aaron was born the youngest of 13 children to his father Kingi Te Ahoaho McGregor, of Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga and mother Raupo April McGregor (nee Mihaka), of Ngā Rauru, Waitōtara, where he was born and grew up.

The spoiled favourite of the family, he was given the opportunity to be educated at Hato Paora College in Fielding, a Māori boys’ boarding school from the age of 13.

But he hated it and left aged 16, spending the next five years drifting around the country working in various jobs before returning home at 21, to work on the factory floor at the local meatworks. The next eight years, as he worked his way up into middle management, is a cherished time in Aaron’s life because of the relationship he had with his mother.

“My mum was the one who told us to never lose our connection with the whenua and researched our connections back to Te Āti Hau,” he remembers. “My parents taught me te reo Māori, their first language, when I was little. When I came home that’s how Mum and I would talk to each other – much to the suspicion of my siblings who didn’t always understand what we were saying. It meant so much to her, to be able to do that. She gave me such a strong foundation. It was such a loss, not only to me and my family, but to our whole iwi, when she died.”

Aaron as a child with his parents Kingi Te Ahoaho McGregor and Raupo April McGregor (nee Mihaka) at Jock McGregor Reunion (1972), Foxton Racecourse.

Aaron moved on from the meatworks to Masterfoods in Whanganui, where he did various roles before ending up in the commercial buying team. When the business began to get more automated, Aaron put his hand up for redundancy. “I was a bit cocky and thought I could pick up another job easy as,” he says.

But it wasn’t to be the case and the pressure of being out of work saw his relationship with his partner crumble. He stepped up to take the responsibility of caring for their three children, Nick, Marlon and Cheyenne.

“It wasn’t easy. I wanted them to have their Dad in their lives as my Dad passed away when I was 8. I also wanted to be a good example to them about working hard, to be successful on their own account.”

So he went back to school, studying for a certificate in small business management at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa under the tutelage of Lou Brider, and caught the learning bug.

Encouraged by his tutor, Aaron signed up to do a Diploma in Business Management and Accounting at UCOL in Whanganui, which is where he found out about the scholarship. Worth $1,000 per year for three years, the scholarship also offers eight weeks’ work experience.

“I didn’t think I was in with a chance but thought, well, if you don’t knock on the door, then it’ll never open,” says Aaron. “I was asked to meet with Tiwha Puketapu (former Te Āti Hau Trust chairperson) and Russell Bell to what I thought was an interview. Tiwha said ‘We see you as a risk. If we don’t take this opportunity to support you, the risk is that we will lose out. Congratulations, you have won the scholarship’. No-one has ever said anything like that about me before.”

“That statement was really empowering. It really made me see what is possible, and I really want to be able to repay that one day.”

The Te Āti Hau Trust-Balance- Deloitte scholarship came as a result of the close historical partnerships the Trust and Balance have held over many years. “Balance also partners with Deloitte so it was logical that they would join as partners for such an important scholarship,” Russell says.

“The partnership has been such a success because we share the same priorities and passion for supporting the aspirations of the next generation,” says Hilton Joll, Engagement Partner at Deloitte. “The scholarship gave us the opportunity to really show that in a practical way and giving back is an important part of what we do as a business.”

Aaron is relishing the opportunity the scholarship has given him, studying four to five papers each semester (instead of the normal three) while soaking up the experience working at Balance in between study time.

“His work ethic is exceptional and he is really adding value to our clients and our team when he spends time with us,” says Russell. “His natural drive to always be working towards the future and embracing change means that the world is his oyster, it really is. I would certainly welcome him as a member of my consulting team.”

Aaron is considering the possibility of studying at degree level after completing his Diploma, which would mean that he could then become a certified chartered accountant.

“I don’t know for sure where I will end up, but I want to be able to reciprocate all the support I have been given by Te Āti Hau Trust, Balance and Deloitte in some way,” he says. “I want to be able to show others what they have shown me, that anything is possible.”