Shelley Hoani (Waikato-Tainui, Ngāti Mākino-Te Arawa) has completed a 10-year journey to earn her Doctorate in Indigenous Development and Advancement with Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi, marking the realisation of a dream begun half a lifetime ago.

Growing up in a time when it was easier to be non-Māori, Shelley left school at a young age and was a married mother by 19. Ultimately, she turned to education to find her voice and escape her violent marriage.

“Education was my road to freedom for me and my children”.

In 1999 she started her Bachelor of Teaching (Rumaki) at Waikato University and decided that one day she’d do a doctoral degree when she realised that all the non-Māori lecturers had theirs.

“Here I was as a wahine Māori being told by non-Māori how to teach tamariki Māori”.

After graduating in 2001, she attempted teaching in both primary and secondary schools but discovered that teaching tamariki wasn’t her calling. A mentor suggested she explore opportunities at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.

In 2003, a memorable kapu tī and kōrero at the Tokoroa campus with Whaea June Ormsby led her to become a reo Māori kaiako.

Following an organisational realignment in 2005, Shelley accepted the role of National Programme Manager for the rumaki reo programmes, which required her to gain a master’s degree. She graduated with her Master’s in Indigenous Studies from Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi in 2015 and began her doctoral studies that same year.

Her doctoral journey was both challenging and lengthy, as she balanced full-time work and single parenthood while facing health and wellbeing challenges. Despite these obstacles, she persevered to complete her degree.

Her kaupapa for her doctorate reflected her priority to normalise academia for her tamariki and mokopuna, ‘Exploring notions of success for Māori single parents studying at post graduate level’.

“Many of us will be the first ones in our whānau to take this journey. My children now know that if mum can do it, so can they, if they choose.”

Shelley expresses gratitude for the support from Te Wānanga o Aotearoa throughout her academic journey, noting,
“There’s been leave for noho, academic study plans, and carpooling with others – it’s all helped.”

Now a mother of a large blended whānau and ‘mama’ to many mokopuna, she works at Te Manawahoukura, the Rangahau Centre of Te Wānanga o Aotearoa. As the Lead for Te Hapai Ō, the support team for Te Manawahoukura, she is also involved in the dissemination of Rangahau. Passionate about Rangahau and publication, Shelley shares her love of writing, editing, peer-reviewing, and mentoring with kaimahi and tauira.

Her Rangahau passion has flowed on to other areas in her life. She’s an aca-fan (academic fan) of BTS and K-pop (Korean pop music) because of the messages, sincerity, and values they live by. She shares this K-pop passion with her whānau and is part of an international ‘under the radar’ group of blogger and writer fans.

She’s also growing her mātauranga around karanga, finding her voice to help her challenge and push back on dominant narratives that seek to marginalise and subjugate wāhine Māori. After years of silence due to fears of abuse, she now assists others in finding their voices within their kaupapa.

Shelley’s long journey to her doctorate is a source of pride, providing her with education, a place, and a voice to celebrate her identity as a wahine Māori. She is reminded of the wisdom from Matua Taina Pohatu: “If we don’t tell our stories, others will continue to tell them for us.”

When asked what her final thoughts were about what helped her through the journey to complete her doctorate, she says, “don’t try to be a super mum, dad or person. Find yourself a strong network of hoa-haere that you can check in with regularly – friends, whānau, colleagues and mentors to support you when you need it most”.

Te Manawahoukura was established in mid-2023 to reinvigorate a culture of Rangahau by focusing on Indigenous inquiry and honouring Māori ways of knowing, doing, and being. Find out more at www.temanawahoukura.org.nz.

Shelley is facilitating the first workshop of a 12-part series on Thursday 24 April at 11am. Toitoi Manawa: Whether it's Research or Rangahau - make it yours and make it matter! will explore the potential of Rangahau. Register online.