The five rangatahi who attended space camp, from left: Bailee Morgan, Dustin Marshall, Fletcher Lochhead, Bostyn Te Whaiti, Anizma-Jae Titoko Isaacs. Photo: Reena Rose Sibayan/Reena Rose Photography
Five young Māori have had the opportunity to attend a week-long space camp in the US, a first of its kind partnership aimed to boost the number of Māori working in STEM (Science, technology, engineering and mathematics).
A partnership between the Pūhoro STEM Academy and American company Honeywell saw five Year 13 students from Aotearoa attend the Honeywell Leadership Challenge Academy at the US Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama last month.
The US Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Photo: Reena Rose Sibayan/Reena Rose Photography
The centre houses the world's largest collection of rockets and space memorabilia, and the rangatahi had the chance to build and launch their own rockets and try out the multi-axis trainer which spins to simulate the forces of space.
Karamū High School student Bostyn Te Whaiti was one of the students who had the chance to take part in camp, and she said some of the rockets in the collection had even been to the moon.
"Words can't describe how it looked and how it felt there, it was just a whole different atmosphere."
Model Rocket Launch. Photo: Reena Rose Sibayan/Reena Rose Photography
Te Whaiti said her whānau and friends were pretty shocked at the news she was going because she had not indicated an interest in space before.
"I applied for it not thinking that I would necessarily get in, so when I got the phone call I was quite surprised and amazed - in shock really - and I rung my Mum and she was so happy and so excited."
Te Whaiti was joined by four other students from Aotearoa - Bailee Morgan (Auckland Girls' Grammar School - Ngā Tūmanako o Kahurangi), Anizma-Jae Titoko Isaacs (Hillcrest High School), Dustin Marshall (Burnside High School) and Fletcher Lochhead (Palmerston North Boys' High School).
Te Whaiti said there were rangatahi from all over the world attending the space camp - and it was incredible to learn about each other's cultures.
"I had such an amazing experience and I just hope other rangatahi Māori, or just rangatahi in general have the opportunity to go over to the Space Center and have an amazing time just like I did."
Bostyn Te Whaiti. Photo: Reena Rose Sibayan/Reena Rose Photography
Nōku Te Ao offers opportunities
Pūhoro Manahautū CE Kemp Reweti said the trip was part of Pūhoro's newly established Nōku Te Ao programme, designed to expose rangatahi Māori to practical opportunities in STEM globally.
Pūhoro had been working with American engineering company Honeywell to ensure five young people could participate in the space camp, he said.
"It is an incredible opportunity and at the same time a unique opportunity, it had never really been extended beyond Honeywell employees' children, so of course there was a huge amount of excitement amongst our rangatahi."
The Honeywell Leadership Challenge Academy has been running since 2010 and this year 125 young people from 40 countries attended, he said.
"There really is a strong international presence of rangatahi from around the world that attend, so to have our rangatahi within that mix bringing their own intelligence, bringing their own mātauranga, was really a unique opportunity that we were extremely excited to afford them."
At the end of the camp all students came together for an official graduation ceremony. At the ceremony the rangatahi of Aotearoa were awarded four awards:
- Critical Thinking group award recipients - Dustin Marshall and Anizma-Jae Titoko Isaacs
- Leadership group award and overall MVP - Bostyn Te Whaiti
- Most outstanding team - Team Focus (Anizma-Jae Titoko Isaacs and Bostyn Te Whaiti)
"We're very pleased that our rangatahi - there are only five of them from around the country - were able to demonstrate some of these key values on the global stage," Reweti said.
Dustin Marshall (centre left) working with team-mates to prepare a model rocket for launch. Photo: Reena Rose Sibayan/Reena Rose Photography
Māori in STEM
Representation of Māori in STEM across the industry sits at about 3 percent despite Māori making up just under 20 percent of the population, Reweti said.
It was critical that young Māori saw the career opportunities available to them and had opportunities to engage in STEM, he said.
"But at the same time we want to make sure that they're engaging in that sector in a way where they don't need to leave who they are at the door, but can bring into those spaces their own mātauranga and knowledge."
It would take time to increase the number of Māori in STEM, but Pūhoro were "playing the long game" with goals of intergenerational change, Reweti said.
Te Whaiti said she did not see herself working in the industry before attending the space camp.
"But now that I've been over there I've seen all the career paths that it's opened. Although I still want to go to university to go through my reo journey, I'm still keeping that STEM opportunity open because I've seen firsthand how amazing it is to be a part of that kaupapa."
125 young people from across the world on Day 1 of the Honeywell Leadership Challenge Academy. Photo: Reena Rose Sibayan/Reena Rose Photography
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