Ko Tauhara te maunga

Ko Taupō-nui-a-Tia te moana

Ko Te Arawa te waka

Ko Nukuhau te marae

Ko Ngāti Tūwharetoa te iwi

Ko Ngāti Te Urunga te hapu

Ko Tane Gilbert tēnei.

Born and raised in Kirikiriroa, Tane moved to Dunedin where he is now a fourth-year student studying a Bachelor of Arts and Commerce majoring in Finance and Māori studies at the University of Otago.

Along with 15 other interns, Tane was part of the latest cohort to gain valuable work experience through the annual three-month Te Puni Kōkiri Summer Internship Programme. He worked with the Finance and Procurement puni at our National Office in Wellington during the Summer of 2022.

Tane was passionate about working for a Māori-focussed organisation.

 “I wanted to find out how Te Puni Kōkiri invests its time and money towards the wellbeing and development of Māori,” Tane said.

“I aspire to provide affordable financial assistance to Māori and Pasifika, as well as financial consultation for my iwi and hapū.”

Te Puni Kōkiri has run its Summer Internship Programme annually since 2015. It enables interns to get work experience relevant to their studies along with a firm grounding in kaupapa Māori at our national or regional offices.

The internships support our strategic priorities of continuing to grow a skilled Māori workforce and improving equitable and effective public sector performance for Māori.

Tane said he had worked on a range of projects including learning about managing information requests under the Official Information Act, various business administration, and carbon emissions data entry in line with the Carbon Neutral Government Programme.

He was focussed on finishing his university studies, and then hoped to utilise his education to work for Māori kaupapa and diverse communities.

His advice for future interns was to make the most of getting to know people at the office and don’t be afraid to ask questions.“Try to include yourself in anything, whether that be social sports, te reo classes or even events on the weekends.

“TPK is full of experienced people, with many accomplishments on their back. Work hard, have great commitment, and enjoy your time because who knows, you might end up with a full-time job at the end of it.”

Whaia te Iti kahurangi ki te tuohu koe, me he maunga teitei.

We welcome interns from all backgrounds who have diverse perspectives, innovative ideas and a passion for improving outcomes for Māori to enable thriving whānau. Email info@tpk.govt.nz for further details.