My name is Carolynn Tipene. My grandfather was Isaac Ihaka Walker, and my grandmother was Harata Ami Walker (née Manihera). Harata passed away in 1978. Her wish was to be buried at Pākehā urupā as she felt Te Hora urupā was not well maintained (and she was absolutely right). Jim Walker, my father, did not honor her last wish. From that day forward, Dad declared that we would have a marae in Canvastown, “That was when we as an iwi had not a dime.”

Our Whakatū and Wairau whānau gathered in Canvastown most weekends, dreaming of the day we would have our own marae. We worked hard under the guidance of our grandparents, uncles, aunties, cousins and whānau. Those were the times when whakawhanaungatanga was our driving force, and we as a whānau never lost sight of our goal.

My father was known for his honest, no-nonsense approach and humorous one-liners. He worked tirelessly for the iwi alongside his whanaunga. My mum was a proud Ngāti Porou descendant. Sadly, many of the people I speak of now lay in our urupā. Today, we reap the rewards of their mahi. Like my father, my approach is grassroots, and my pride in our iwi is pono. I am grateful to have been voted onto the Board of Trustees, and I endeavor to be the best I can be in this role for my whanaunga.

Over the past 10 years my mahi has included:

• Cultural Advisor at Marlborough Community College, advocating for rangatahi who needed support to achieve NCEA Levels 1 and 2, along with vocational guidance.

• While working, I studied and achieved a Certificate of Practice and a Diploma in Whānau Ora.

• Today, I work for Te Kotahi o Te Tau Ihu. I started as a Work Broker (funded by MSD) for two and a half years until the contract ended. I was then offered a Whānau Ora Navigator position, where I now work with our people to achieve their moemoeā, something I find both challenging and fulfilling.

• I also work part-time for Te Ara Whakaora (funded by Corrections), working alongside Māori in addiction and supporting their recovery. Addiction is one of the greatest challenges facing our society, placing our people under the umbrella of the police, courts, prisons, mental health services, and the corrections department. It is challenging mahi, but extremely rewarding when whānau achieve sobriety.