A new in-school programme from Tagata Moana Trust in Ōtautahi Christchurch is built around one idea: Pacific people already carry the skills, they just need the room to use them.
Co-founder Nina Oberg Humphries left her previous stable job to co-found Tagata Moana Trust and has been helping Pacific youth find their way into STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) pathways for nearly five years. Now, with financial support from the Ministry for Pacific Peoples’ Toloa Community Fund, Nina has launched a new tech programme, the Tupaia STEAM Academy.
The in-school coaching programme, for students from year 11-13, is named after Tupaia, the Tahitian master navigator and linguist who is known as the original wayfinder.
"Naming this programme Tupaia was really important. It's the pinnacle of innovation and that deep relationship to why we are here," says Nina.
Tupaia STEAM Academy is helping equip youth with the digital skills they need for future careers in STEAM. With small cohorts of just 10-17 students, Tupaia includes curriculum-aligned lessons that integrate Pacific culture, history, and arts, giving students with a strong sense of cultural pride and identity.
The programme includes industry visits, panel discussions, meeting professionals STEAM fields, team projects, and hackathons.
Over the course of three terms, students set personal and educational goals, develop their storytelling skills, learn how to prepare for exams and map out their future study. Nina is passionate about supporting more Pacific youth into STEAM careers.
“We need to do a few things to change the percentage of Pacific people working in STEAM. We need to embed ourselves in education. Our kids need to see themselves in these sectors. We need our parents to be supportive and to understand these roles, and we need our industries to be ready for us.”
Tupaia STEAM Academy aims to tackle all these challenges. "It's successful because our kids get to learn about themselves, says Nina.
As part of this culturally enriched approach, Nina has redefined the term AI to mean “ancestral intelligence.”
"Pacific peoples are innovators. We have a history of it, and we will continue to have a history of it."
The foundations of Tupaia were set by another Tagata Moana Trust programme. FATU Projects was an after-school programme that took school students into STEAM workplaces, showing them what was possible and connecting them with Pacific networks and innovators.
Nina says running after-school programmes had become more challenging in recent years, and continuing Pacific STEAM education required a new approach.
“Over the last two to three years we saw increasing barriers. We didn't want to take our kids out of school anymore. We didn't want barriers around simple things like transport. The Toloa fund has enabled us to start this next iteration: the Tupaia STEAM Academy,” says Nina.
Nina says her dedication and passion for her work is driven by seeing the sacrifices her parents and grandparents made.
"Their sacrifices that they have made and the crazy adventures they have been on - those stories are why we do it, because we want to see our community thrive and prosper."
Nina's grandmother, Rangi Oberg, has been a key role model in her work. She received the Queen's Service Medal for her community leadership.
"Her community service across the wider New Zealand community opened doors for me. It gave me confidence to be adventurous and take the risk. Just like she did, all we can do is try, and then we get back up and try again. My mother, my aunties, all those women in my life - they set the foundation of being able to take those risks and be supported through them,” says Nina.
With Christchurch's population rapidly growing, Nina says it is crucial to have appropriate support for Pacific youth, and Tupaia STEAM Academy is bridging that gap.
“There had been programmes in the past but nothing constant. In lots of ways, we have become the first of many things. It’s really important that programmes and organisations like us exist because the more people we have, the harder it is to infiltrate. Our community is a place where we create real change that can go a long with this rapid growth."
Follow the Ministry for Pacific Peoples on Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok to watch upcoming interviews with Nina.