Staff Profiles

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Roera Komene - Kaihautu / Operations Manager (2019 - Present)

Roera tells us a bit about himself, what drives him and answers the question ‘if he could have dinner with someone famous, who would it be and why?

Te taha o toku Kuia,                                                         Ko Mamari te Waka  Ko Kirioke te Maunga Ko Punakitere te Awa Ko Te Iringa te Marae Te mana e noho ana i reira, ko Ngati Tautahi te Hapu Ko Nga Puhi te Iwi Ko Roera Apiata Komene taku ingoa

I identify as maori of Ngati Tautahi ki Te Iringa, Nga Puhi iwi on my father’s side in the far north (Kaikohe), and Scottish, Irish on my mother’s side.

Born in Murihiku/Invercargill, we moved to Tamakimakaurau/Auckland returning to Otepoti/Dunedin at age 3 to our relation’s down at the Kaik. I did some schooling there, eventually shifting to Brockville where I grew up, leaving the whanau home at age 16 to pursue a girl and anything but school!

I started work in the transport industry which lasted till my late twenties. It was an interesting industry at that time due to a couple of “world financial crisis’” and subsequent job losses – I was made redundant 3 times in the space of 12 months! On reflection these and other work experiences at that time led me to a realisation and I really started asking myself what I wanted to do in life. The only thing I could come up with was that I wanted to learn te reo maori. That was in 1998.

I became the tutor of that course 2 years later for the te reo me ona tikanga maori (maori language and culture programme) at the then named Arai-te-uru Kokiri Training Centre, now known as Kokiri Training Centre. I moved on to then work at Te Roopu Tautoko ki te Tonga, as kaimahi/co-facilitator on the Te Puna Manawa, maori men’s stopping violence programme. There I was introduced to some brilliant maori facilitation, role models, training and supervisors’. It was while working there that I was introduced to the addictions field working with problem gambling, alcohol and other drugs – nunui nga hua i aua wa = I learnt heaps! This lead me into working as a maori health promoter at, Te Waka Hauora in the public health unit working with Alcohol and other Drugs, Mental Health and Sexual Health kaupapa through to 2007 at which time I was approached by Michelle Taiaroa, Kaihautu, A3Kaitiaki Ltd to assist in establishing A3K in the reintegration and rehabilitation space at the Otago Corrections Facility alongside her and Anne Robertson.

Starting as the Cultural Therapist, as A3K and our services grew I became the Tikanga Programme, Programme Facilitator / Co-ordinator, Professional Development programmes developer / Facilitator and Cultural Supervisor Services facilitator. In September 2019 due to Michelle moving into her full-time roll as manager at Te Runanga o Otakou I stepped into the Kaihautu / Operations Manager position.

I’m very passionate about promoting and using te reo me ona tikanga maori and maori models to create pathway’ for wellbeing to assist tane/men and their whanau with changes they want, or need to seriously consider changing.

When I’m asked what it is I do I usually reply “I work with identity “. If we identify as being maori there is an unlimited wealth of knowledge and experience just waiting for us to tap into – i tuku iho mai nei, i a ratou a koro ma, kui ma. There is a minimum we should know about maori protocols and my experiences have led me to understand that when maori are given the opportunity are supported and guided to engage in kaupapa maori activities, I’ve seen amazing transformations’ and certainly measurable, personal/cultural growth not only from our 4 day noho wananga programmes but across all our kaupapa. For me learning about our culture and te reo is plus, plus. I do believe our language is the major gateway to our culture – Kia rapua = gather it!

If I could have dinner with someone famous, who would it be and why?

I would have dinner with my tupuna Hone Heke. He was of Te Ao Tawhito/the old world, a great rangatira/leader and yet a man of his time. Controversial, politically active and an acknowledged cultural expert.

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