When Cook Islands-born Reverend Tapita Taia Ching first received news she was being recognised in the King's Birthday Honours, her initial reaction was disbelief.
“At first, I thought it was a scam, so I had to ring in and ask,” she laughs. “And they said, no, no, don't delete it.”
Now, she says the recognition is a privilege, but one that reflects the work of many people around her. Reverend Tapita is receiving a King's Service Medal for services to the Pacific community and education.
"It takes a whole team. Those at home, your whānau, those in the kura, the school, the community and the church. It takes a whole team to do that."
"And of course, I want to thank God for this honour that I've received and for calling me through the schools. This is all possible because of him."
She is currently chaplain at Victoria Primary School in Nelson, where she works closely with Pacific students and leads cultural programmes that celebrate language and culture.
“I look after our Pacific students here, working with another teacher who is part Māori and Māori Kūki ‘Airani. We look after our Pacific culture group, which I started in 2010.”
But her commitment to language, culture and service was shaped long before her work in schools.
Reverend Tapita says her upbringing taught her to recognise need and respond to it, influenced strongly by her father, who was a teacher in their village.
“In our little village, my dad never liked any children crying so he would always send us out to see why they were and if there was anything we could do to help them.
So I was the one he sent out. I grew up with that. When there is a need, it's always a privilege to go and see how you can help. And if you can't, then you find others who can, so people know that we're there for them.”
That early sense of responsibility continues to guide her work today.
“It’s just seeing what the need is and then going and doing it for the school, the community and the church.”
Since joining Victoria Primary School, Reverend Tapita has helped create opportunities for Pacific tamariki to strengthen their connection to language and identity through the Moana Pasifika group.
“When I came into the school in 2009, I could see a lot of Pacific students, so I said I didn't mind starting a Moana Pasifika group because it’s vital that they know who they are and their identity.”
The programme now includes Te reo Māori Kūki Airani (Cook Islands language) language classes, Samoan groups, and weekly cultural practices supported by community members. For Reverend Tapita, language and culture cannot be separated from identity and belonging.
“It’s just lovely that the kids want to know their language and culture. You've got to know where you're from first. You've got to know your identity.”
Her commitment to supporting and helping people continue out of the classroom doors. Over the years, Reverend Tapita has taught English to refugees, helped families navigate services when language has become a barrier, and supported people experiencing homelessness to access housing and the support they need.
She has also worked at Salisbury School in Richmond, Nelson, Aotearoa New Zealand's only residential school for girls aged 8 to 15, where she supported students with complex learning and personal needs. Through the Open Home Foundation, she opened her home to young people needing additional support, homeschooling them and providing weekend respite care.
"There was a young boy we cared for who was really struggling," she says. "We supported him through everything and stuck by him. He grew up to be a beautiful young man. We used our Cook Islands values to support and help him, especially with the help of God."
Reverend Tapita’s commitment to ensuring Pacific tamariki feel connected to their culture and language, aligns with the Ministry for Pacific Peoples’ priority to revitalise Pacific languages. Looking back on her journey from the Cook Islands to New Zealand, Reverend Tapita remains focused on the next generation and the importance of helping children feel connected to their cultural roots.
“If children know who they are and where they’re from, they will grow into who they are supposed to be.”
(Image credit: Nelson Mail - Martin De Ruyter)