On Thursday, 16 November, Auckland University Waipapa Taumata Rau hosted Year 9 students of Māori and Pacific heritage for the ‘Future Me’ event – a fun and interactive day where University students introduced Year 9 students to a variety of university faculties.

Anari Parangi, the keynote speaker, demonstrated how Pacific people navigated the oceans and explored the world by getting students to journey across the stage blindfolded with obstacles in their way. He reminded students that their ancestors could navigate the world like nobody else.

The rest of the day, students were split up into workshops led by Pasifika and Māori University students. The Māori and Pacific Engineering Association led us in a waka design competition to see who could design the fastest waka. The Samoan students welcomed us with a beautiful song, followed by a Talanoa session where we wrote a letter to our future selves.

The Tongan students led us in a murder-mystery mafia game. We had to defend our client against accusations that they were the killer. The Malosi club, an association that promotes law studies for Pasifika students, led us in a dance-off followed by a mock court case. We also learnt some Cook Island dancing thanks to the Cook Island Student Association.

The day was jam-packed with activities, and we walked the whole campus to get to each workshop. It was an inspiring and fun day out.