Kāhu ki Rotorua: He wāhine whakahihiko i āna tamaiti, i tōna whānau: Dedication is the Mother of success

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Kāre anō kia tā te manawa o Tia Kahukiwa nā te puawaitanga o tana pākihi whakakaupapa."

Nō ngā wiki e rua kua pahemo atu ka whakarewangia te mahi engari kua kī tonu ngā tāpui mō te Nōema me te Hakihea tae rawa atu ki te kaupeka hou – tētehi āhuatanga hoki !".
Ko te orokohanga o te whakaaro nei i puta mai i tētehi pō whakangāhau moe mā ngā tai-nohinohi.

Hiko ai tō Tia ngākau i te wairua hākoakoa o te pō nei. Anā anō tētehi take e kaingākau nuitia ana a Tia ki tana mahi pākihi whakakaupapa ,"Nōku e tamariki ana he ahakoa te hiahia kia whakatūria he pāti māku kāore i hua mai."

Nō te wā e pakeketia, ka hua ake he pākihi poihau, he pākihi tuku kame hoki. Ehara kau i te mea ka whakapoihautia noa iho ngā poihau, ā, ka herea ki te taura rikoriko, kāore. Ka whakaauahangia, ka whakarawekengia, ka whakarakaungia, ka whakatangatangia hai poihau whakamīharo.

Ina noa atu ngā tini kahu tuarongo hei whakarākei whare, hei whakarākei wāhi whakahirahira, he kahu kōrikoriko, he kahu māheni, me he rite ki te kōperu tāwhana kau i te rangi, mātua ko te pūtake hei waka kawe i ngā kōingo o te tangata ki Te Mangoroa. Nō ngā hapū huhua o Te Arawa a Tia, kai ngā kaupapa rau wōna ringaringa, he whakatairanga pēpi, he whakamana hoki i ngā taitamariki , waihoki, ko te mārenatanga.

"Nō roto i ahau te whakaaro kia aro kau ki ngā pāti whakanui pēpi engari he matawhāiti noa te titiro, ka rua, me ū ki te mahi kia pakaru noa te mahunga!"

He tauhou a Tia ki te ao pākihi nei engari kua noa atu kē ngā tau a ia e titiro noa atu ki te pae tawhiti hai oranga mōna.

"He rautaki tāku – he rua tekau mā whitu taku pakeke engari tēnei hiahia nui kua titia ki taku ngākau nō te wā ahau e rua tekau ana, ko te whakatu pākihi motuhake māku – he maunga kua ekea'.

Tia Kahukiwa with her babies Polly to the left and Major-Khan to the right. Whakaahua/Leah Bowen

He poumahi mā te Kōhanga ki Hinemihi a Tia, koina tana mahi matua. Tokorua āna tamariki, ko ia anahe te pakeke i te kāinga. He ngāwari tana mahi nā te ātawhaitanga a tōna whanau. " Ka rua tekau mā rua taku pakeke ka whānau ai taku mātāmua – ko ahau te manuao o tōku taina hoki nōna e toru noa te pakeke." He waru o ngā tau te pakeke o tōna tuahine ināianei.

I tētehi nōhanga moe ngātahi, i toko ake ai te whakaaro e rua tau kua pahemo atu ki tētehi pākihi pēnei tonu.

"Kia tūāpapangia tētehi oranga roroa mo taku whānau, nā reira te aronga ki te whakapiki i te mahi moni māku".

He rautaki e rima tau te roa ki te whakatuwhera i tōna ake whare rānei ki te kimi i tētehi wāhi tiaki i āna kame. I tēnei wā kai te wāhi hāneanea kē ngā kame.

Ko te moemoeā pae tawhiti e tekau ngā tau kia tua kia whiwhi whare tuturu mahi mōna me te whakataruaruangia tana mahi kia kapi i te rohe me te whenua. Ko te wāhi pāorooro rawa atu kai te pukamata, kai te ipurangi, te Instagram, Pin-Interest engari anō tōna hiahia ki te whakatū whārangi ipurangi motuhake kē ia.

Na tana pōhi tuatahi ki te whakanui i tana mahi, kua tahuri katoa ngā tangata ki a ia. Kai te momona haere te hiahia ki tana mahi i a tātou e whakatata atu ana ki te wā o te kirihimete. He ahakoa i pōhingia tana pānui tuatahi e rua wiki kua pahemo kua ngāhuru mā tahi ngā pāti kua whakaaengia māna ngā kaupapa e kawe.

Kua ora rawa atu ia i tōna tuahine i a Neeala, tōna teina a Leah me tōna whaea kēkē a Te Pumanawa. Ko te whakaara ake me te whakaheke hoki i ngā kame tētehi mahi nui o roto i tana mahi.

Ka rerekē rawa atu te nama, kai te āhuatanga ake o te kaupapa te nama.

Mātua, ko te whakarākei poihau hei timatanga kai te iwa tekau o ngā tara te nama , ko ngā kahu tuarongo hei utu timatanga kai te takiwā o te whitu tekau tara. He ahakoa he tou tirairaka a Tia ka whai taimā ia ki te noho tahi me tōna whānau. Ka whakairia ngā pānuitanga ā wāea pūkoro – kia moe rānō ngā tamariki kātahi ka tahuri atu ki te whakahoki kōrero.

Hai kōrero whakamutunga māna, kua rua tau hoki a Tia e tauira kura mahita ana kia kōtahi anō te tau kua puta ia hai pouako tuturu – nōna te waimarie i whakawhiwhia e ia ki te karahipi Teach New Zealand. – Te Rito Maioha. Auahi ana e kō.

Tia Kahukiwa has barely had time to catch her breath her fledgling event planning business has taken off so fast.

"It's literally been only two weeks and already I'm booked out for November and December and also into next year.

"It's amazing."

And it all started with a child's slumber party. At that sleepover the kids had a lot of fun and Tia was caught by the occasion.

There's another reason Tia loves what she does and why she chose planning, "I've always wanted to give my kids birthdays that we never had".

Now she's making up for lost time and offers a balloon service and equipment hire.

The balloons are not merely blown up and tied with long, glittery ribbon. They are pre-designed balloon garlands, that take hours of planning and creating, they are made using different resources that all contribute to the final product. She's uses high-quality balloons of different sizes & colours that are twisted and placed to match each custom design.

The party equipment includes some of the most amazing backdrops, shimmery, shiny, colourful all designed to transport party goers to another universe or to bring fantasies to
life and to set a mood appropriate to the occasion.

Tia (Te Arawa whanui) caters for all sorts of celebrations including but not limited to baby showers, birthday parties and weddings.

"I was going to focus on slumber parties but that would be too restrictive and I needed to make the most of my options."

Although Tia has been in business only two weeks, she had been thinking about her future for years.

"I have a plan.

Tia Kahukiwa is owner/operator of Tia's Parties and Events. Photo / Leah Bowen

"I'm 27 now and have been thinking about having my own business since I was 20.

"It's was a huge goal and hard work to get to this point."

Tia, whose day job is as an Early Childhood Educator at Ngapuna Early Learning Center next to Hinemihi Marae, is a single parent with full-time care of two children but says she copes because of her hugely supportive family networks.

"I had my son when I was 22 and I have been taking care of my baby sister since she was three."

Her sister is 8 now. And it was a slumber party for her sister two years ago that sowed the seeds for Tia's business.

"I want security for my son and sister so I needed to make more money."

Tia's five-year plan is to open her premises or at least have some secure storage for all her equipment. Currently most of it is kept in her house.

The 10-year plan is to own 0 premises and franchise her business.

At the moment, 99 per cent of her business is conducted on her smart phone using
various social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest although she is thinking about setting up her own website. From the first post about her party hire the response has been overwhelming.

And it's getting more hectic as the festive season approaches. Since that post two weeks ago Tia has booked in 11 parties.

She says she's lucky because her sisters Neeala and Leah, whom she didn't meet until recent years, and auntie Te Pumanawa help her in a number of ways. Setting up and taking down equipment is all part of the service.

Prices vary, depending on what's required, but balloon decorations start at $90 and backdrops from $70. Despite all the demands of her business Tia sets aside family time. That's when mesages get put on hold and not answered until after the kids are asleep or before they wake up.

And just in case Tia has some down time, she is also two years into a three-year Bachelor of Teaching ECE Degree having won a scholarship from TeachNZ.