I grew up in a little town called Wharekahika, a very small community, I guess about 250 people. So we’re really tight, and everyone knows everyone. My parents owned the local general store, which meant me and my siblings learnt a lot more about the people of our community from behind the counter.

I grew up in Tāmaki Makaurau but I’m originally from Ahipara which is in the Far North of Aotearoa. Summers and school holidays were spent at home in Ahipara, which was great because I got the best of both worlds, city life and country life.

I’m only a newbie to firefighting really, compared to some of the guys that have served us. I’ve been a volunteer firefighter for 10 and a half years now, but I always think I should’ve done it 20 years ago.

140 years ago, today Edendale dairy factory commenced operations, placing the first batch of the cheese on the press at 3pm. The site is still going strong as NZ’s oldest dairy processing site.

It always surprises people that I’m a volunteer firefighter based in Auckland, but I’ve been part of Fire and Emergency New Zealand for 14 years.

I’ve been volunteering for around 14 years - volunteering for me has always been about helping out the community. Things happen in life that you come across and as a bystander you feel sort of helpless and scared, you don’t feel in control.

I grew up on a dairy farm in South Taranaki and have always appreciated the lifestyle associated with farming and being able to work alongside family in an outdoor environment.

I’ve had a bit of an interesting upbringing really; I was born in South East Asia, Brunei. I moved to Singapore and then to New Zealand when I was six.

I grew up in Cambridge and attended St Peter’s School. I was the kaea in the school’s kapa haka ropu for a number of years, however, I did not grow up speaking Māori

My father was New Zealand European and his best mate was a Māori fella. His name was Turi. He brought Dad into his whānau, as if he was a blood relative, openly and warmly, in a very ‘Māori’ way.

I’m new to Matariki and understanding what it means for me and why it’s important for Aotearoa, New Zealand. But I want to understand it in a more deep and meaningful way.

Well, I started off farming and I used to get $5 bucks a week from my Uncle. I would milk some of our cows, feed the pigs and the dogs and that is what I did every day as a 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 year old.

I’m learning te reo Māori (Māori language) to reconnect with my culture but also understand who I am as a person.

There are a couple of reasons why I’ve taken the opportunity to expand my knowledge of Māori culture and do the te reo course at Fonterra through Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.