Graduates march through Tauranga main street

Tangi Walker today graduated from the University of Waikato. Photo/supplied

Tauranga students of Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology and Waikato University today had their traditional graduation parade up Devenport Rd.

The group of students marched from Red Square up the city's main shopping street.

Student Tangi Walker was one of today's graduates from the University of Waikato. The mum-of-five and nan-of-two has earned her Bachelor of Social Work.

While bringing up John James, Elizabeth, Samuel, Caleb and Michael, Tangi worked a variety of jobs - admin, sharemilking, orchard work and at a supermarket. She had her first educational challenge when she homeschooled her kids "out of necessity because the schools were too full at the time".

For the first two years of her 15-year homeschooling stint, Tangi was part of a supportive network where other home-schooled children got together to socialise. When the network disbanded Tangi continued teaching her kids right up to tertiary level, when they each peeled off to do their studies.

The day Tangi took Samuel to enrol into Toi Ohomai's Tioriori (music) course was a significant one for her. In the student services office, she saw a flier for Kahikatea (Social Services certificate), and something clicked. She thought "why can't I can do that?" - and it turned out she could. She completed the six-month course and applied to the University of Waikato's undergraduate degree.

With the unwavering support of her "rock" John and "amazing" kids, Tangi juggled home life with student life.

"The first year of the degree, I felt like I was in a washing machine. I had to learn the academic speak, which was like another language. I would write down things I didn't understand and Google them later. Google was my saviour," she said.

Tangi has had a long affiliation with Windermere. At one time Tangi and four of her children were attending at the same time. She remembered her second year when Michael completed a course in Art and Design through Toi Ohomai and Tangi was invited to be a guest speaker at his graduation. "I was nervous but being given the opportunity to speak showed me how far I had come."

She was now looking for a job in the social work sector, ideally to work with at-risk youth and their families.

"It's not just the person. The family is the foundation. If the foundation is good, anything can be built on that. It really does take a village to raise a child and I want to be part of the village."