Sidney Eugene Tawhara 

Ngāpuhi, Te Aupōuri, Te Rarawa and Ngāti Porou 

Builder 

2024 Student of Heke Toi Whakarākai (Carving) 

Sidney Eugene Tawhara attended the ART Open Day at Te Wānanga o Raukawa, Ōtaki campus in November 2023, where he enrolled and at the end of the day had his name drawn to win the Te Wānanga o Raukawa ART Day Scholarship. This entitles Sidney to the first year of enrolment/tuition fees conditional upon fulfilment of all his study requirements. He says, “I am so happy and honoured to be awarded this scholarship.” 

Sid worked at Stresscrete back in 2008-2009 then returned to Wellington to begin his apprenticeship in carpentry. He built a few homes in the Wellington region up unto 2015, and with an adventurous spirit, he travelled to parts of Asia and Europe meeting the people, experiencing life, working along the way and having in his words “his bestest time”. Starting in Vietnam, he backpacked through Southeast Asia describing it as a “humbling experience”. He travelled to Germany for Christmas 2016 and loved it so much that he decided to live there. He has a young son who is still domiciled there. 

Working on the Bugatti assembly line, making beds and washing dishes at the Ritter Hotel in Heidelberg, peeling potatoes and cooking sides for a 2-star Michelin chef at the same hotel and learning to speak German along the way. Sid remarks, “It’s like speaking English, but pronouncing all the vowels as in te reo Māori.” Whilst in Germany he returned to carpentry finding it an awesome experience. 

Returning to Aotearoa at the end of 2022, he has loved seeing how much te reo Māori is everywhere and going past the Wānanga for the first time and thinking “I'd love to go there”. Sid has kept himself busy by building three homes for Kainga Ora in that time. 

Enrolled in the Heke Toi Whakarākai - Whakairo (Diploma in Design and Art – Carving) for 2024, Sid felt this would align with his carpentry skills. He is also hoping to reconnect to te reo Māori, his iwi and strengthen his spiritual connection in te ao Māori. He anticipates that when his son reaches out to him and his Māori side that he would have done his best to be prepared for that time. 

Feeling privileged and grateful, Sid is excited for the coming year. He is feeling primed for the next chapter in his life. 

Mahia te mahi, whiwhi te whiwhinga 

If you are also interested in the Heke Toi Whakairākai - Whaikairo  programme, visit https://www.wananga.com/diploma-in-design-and-art-whakairo/carving for more infomation.