Kiriona Mahia Hapeta
Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Huia, Ngāti Maiotaki 
2019 Graduate of Poutuarongo Toiora Whānau – Bachelor of Social Work 

Kiriona is a proud māmā of four beautiful tamariki. Her eldest daughter is 9, followed by a boisterous 6-year-old son named after his dad’s dad. Her 4-year-old daughter knows how to get everyone's attention, and the pēpi carries the name of Kiriona’s supportive dad, a beautiful tribute. 

The older tamariki are soaking up te reo at kura kaupapa Māori, while the younger ones are thriving at kōhanga. Te reo Māori is a big part of their lives and is important to the whānau. Kiriona’s sisters are also passionate about te reo, having studied at Te Wānanga o Raukawa and now holding conversations in te reo Māori. 

From 2016 to 2019, Kiriona studied the Poutuarongo Toiora Whānau, a four-year Bachelor of Social Work at Te Wānanga o Raukawa. She graduated in 2019, surrounded by her proud whānau. The Wānanga was a natural choice, with whakapapa connections, encouragement from her aunty, and the pull of te reo Māori making it feel like home from day one. 

These days, Kiriona works in a local hapū-based organisation, Ngā Hapū o Ōtaki. She started off supporting the reo strategy, then worked in the admin space, and now she’s working in the housing space. 

Before this, she was in the social work sector, working with vulnerable whānau through various iwi-based organisations. It was meaningful work but also demanding, and with her own tamariki to care for, she made the call to step back. But don’t worry, she’s planning a return when the time is right! 

Her placements during study were eye-opening. She saw kaupapa tuku iho in action with values lived, not just learned. She found spaces where tikanga and whānau values aligned with her own. She even helped run a parenting programme for parents of tamariki aged 0–3. Working within a te ao Māori framework felt natural and empowering. 

Later, she became a whānau navigator, helping whānau shape their own aspirations. Her degree gave her the tools to understand policies, procedures, and the deeper meaning behind whānau ora. She’s proud of how far she’s come and how much she’s grown. 

Kiriona brings her learning into everyday life, in her home, with whānau, and in her work. She lives and breathes the Whare Tapa Whā Māori Health framework. “You learn in action,” she says. “Te Wānanga o Raukawa nurtured me like a seed, kia poipoia te kākano.” 

One of her proudest moments was applying to the DIY Marae television programme on behalf of her marae in her second year of study, and her marae was selected! She was interviewed for the show, and everything she’d been learning just clicked. “It was crazy, crazy! It just aligned,” she says. “It felt like our tūpuna were saying, ‘Here you go, this is your next job!’” 

While she’s not as involved with that marae now due to location, she’s active with her hapū and marae in the area where she resides and works. One day, she hopes to also do more with her mother’s marae in Tainui. 

For now, Kiriona is doing what she does best, raising a beautiful whānau, supporting her hapū and iwi, and making a difference in her community. She’s a great example of putting her learned skills into action. Kiriona is grateful to the Wānanga for being the stepping stone she needed to enter her career, supporting her reo journey, and nurturing her personal growth. 

Mā mahi ka ora

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