This week's Newsmaker is doctorate student Tahlia Kingi who was this week awarded a Ngarimu VC and 28th (Maori) Battalion Memorial Scholarship worth $25,000 a year for up to two years to complete her PhD.
How did you get involved with your PhD topic?
My whanau are the centre of my
universe and so I am always striving to make them proud. I believe that it is up to me and my generation, and those that follow, to try and live up to the potential for greatness that we all have within us that comes from our whakapapa; because of who our tupuna are and what they have achieved for us. I am studying to be a clinical psychologist, and this career path I believe is no accident as it is inspired by my whanau, in particular my Kuia, Inez Kingi and my Nanny, Violet Thompson. My chosen research topic, self-injury in rangatahi, is a topic close to my heart and is an important kaupapa in clinical psychology as an issue prevalent for many rangatahi (young) Maori in Aotearoa.
What do you hope will come out of your research?
A stronger voice for rangatahi in defining and achieving their own wellbeing. Many rangatahi Maori, in my experience, have the knowledge of how to be well and flourish in today's world, and I think that we just need to listen to them, support them and give them the confidence to achieve this in their own way, rather than have "grownups" tell them what they should be doing and how to do it.
What have been your biggest challenges?
I love a challenge and I surround myself with people who inspire and challenge me every day. One of these constant challenges is in CrossFit. I am a member of a gym that is filled with people much older and much younger than me who are stronger, fitter and faster. They motivate me to try and keep up with them and to always be setting and achieving goals. Another constant challenge is maintaining balance in work and in life.
I consider myself to be very passionate and so it is sometimes hard for me to resist the urge to be involved in a million different things that I love and want to dedicate my time to. I am very fortunate that I have the support of my whanau who keep me in check when I spread myself too thin and need to re-prioritise/re-adjust my life and commitments!