Never too old to finish your studies

Iritana Waiariki says when she was growing up, tertiary study was not a priority.

Although she wanted to become a nurse, getting a job was more important, and finding the money for schooling was hard for big families such as hers. She is one of seven children.

But Iritana never lost sight of her dream and, at 52, last week graduated from the Waiariki Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Nursing. She is the first of her siblings to have a degree.

Iritana, who affiliates to the Rauhoto hapu of Ngati Tuwharetoa and is a trustee of Nukuhau Marae, decided the time was right to train as a nurse when she and her family returned home after more than a decade living in Australia.

Iritana had been working as a health and safety manager but, for years, was always the one who did the caring when whanau members were sick.

Her first step was to complete a one-year Diploma in te reo Maori.

"I always wanted to be a nurse so I thought to make that journey, I needed to get back to my roots, so that's why I did my diploma. Then to get into nursing, they advised me to do the New Start Programme into tertiary study because I had no tertiary qualifications."

The six-month New Start Programme introduced Iritana to the rigours of academic study and when she'd completed that - in the top 5 per cent of students, no less - she felt ready to begin her Bachelor of Nursing degree.

Her family thought she was crazy, and at 45, too old to be back studying. But Iritana was determined. In 2007 and 2008, four days a week she would travel to Waiariki's Rotorua campus.

Without family support, it all became too much. She returned to Australia for three years but, when she came back to New Zealand in 2011, she was ready to try again. In a major blow, she discovered the curriculum had changed and she had to repeat almost all the study she'd already done, but this time, she vowed that nothing was going to stop her.

"I was determined I was going to finish it no matter what, and I was never going to quit it again."

Iritana says the study was hard, but this time she and her family were prepared for what lay ahead. It was tough intellectually, spiritually and financially.

Although she worked part-time in a rest home until her last year of study and she was grateful for the support of grants from Tenon, the Lake Taupo Forest Trust and Ngati Tuwharetoa, Iritana sought help from Taupo Budget Advice to manage the family's reduced income.

"I decided I needed a budget to get myself through school, so I joined up with Budget House and that was the best thing I could have done."

Her final year of study was hard. Iritana gave up her part-time job to concentrate on her work.

She sat her state finals exams in November and got her results a month later.

"I was stressing out ... then I was so rapt when I passed, it was just awesome. And then I got a job on top of that."

While she's successfully landed a new graduate placement as a mental health nurse in Whakatane, Iritana says her ultimate goal is to come back to Taupo and work among her own people.

"It is where I grew up and I know a lot of people ... Maori health workers are good advocates for Maori health and I saw that on my placements, that there's a big need for Maori health workers."

She says while doing her degree was a struggle, she has no regrets. She's also recommending it to others, especially Maori.

"Now it's all about education. I educate everyone - 'come on, you've got to stay at school'.

"Because of me being at school, my daughter has gone back to school. She's doing nursing at Wintec and she's in her first year. She thought 'if Mum can do it, I can do it'."

The mother of four, grandmother of eight and great-grandmother of one had between 20 and 30 people supporting her at her graduation last Thursday, including friend Diane Whitehead, who flew over from Perth to be there, and who loaned her a korowai (cloak) to wear.