Me

Kia ora my name is Tihei Tuhura.
I am from the East Coast, just north of Gisborne. It is rural sheep farming area with a close knit Maori community .This is where I grew up. I also have family in Porirua, Wellington on my mother’s side. There are 10 brothers and sisters altogether in my family. I went to a rural primary school outside Ruatoria called Hiruharama for my early childhood years.
Then I moved to Gisborne where I went to Gisborne Intermediate School. From there I went to Gisborne boys High School for a term. Following this I moved back to Ruatoria and enrolled at Ngata Memorial College where I stayed up till the 4th form. During this time I also achieved numerous certificates and a trophy award at prize giving. I left to Whakatane after 4th form and enrolled into Trident High School where I’m currently attending school.
My aims for the future are to enrol as an officer in the N.Z army. I hope to gain a tertiary qualification or a trade certificate whilst in the Army so that I will have a career outside the army. The army also provides opportunities to travel train and develop good life skills, which is important to me.
What I hope to achieve on this student exchange to Brazil is to form lifelong friendships and gain an inside view on the average life of a Brazilian family and their society’s culture. How Aotearoa indigenous people differ from those indigenous to Brazil, so I may gain an understanding of life in general, in foreign places. It’s important for me to share cultures, to share experiences and to experience new opportunities so that I can learn about Brazilian peoples, their customs and traditions so in return they may do the same. To learn a new language will be really beneficial to widen my social capacity. I believe that this will be a life changing experience and I look forward to this awesome opportunity.
At last year’s prize giving, I achieved an excellence award in performing arts and excellence in senior Maori arts and crafts and I also won the leadership award .The sport I enjoy playing most is rugby but I also enjoy other sports such as cricket, tennis and volleyball. Last year I also trained in the arts of kickboxing, training every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I had two novice fights, the first against a man and the other against a school mate. I enjoyed the self discipline I developed and the physical benefits gained. This year I was proud to be selected for our school 1st XV Rugby Team. I am a member of the Matata Voluntary Fire Brigade and am currently working toward becoming a qualified fire fighter. My interests include kapa haka, geography and N.Z war history.