Third-year performing arts student Davontae Bristowe decided to study at Otago after visiting campus with the I Have a Dream (IHAD) organisation in year 11. He’s now serving as the Rangatahi Trustee for IHAD and is also the communications officer for Te Rōpū Māori at Otago.
For tauira Davontae Bristowe (Ngāpuhi, Te Arawa), an overnight stay in Studholme College in Year 11 was all it took to forge his connection to Otago.
Davontae visited the University in 2019 as part of a week-long trip with I Have a Dream (IHAD), an organisation that provides long-term support for children in New Zealand, currently in four low-decile schools in the Tikipunga and Otangarei communities of Whangārei and one school in Upper Hutt.
“I’ve been involved with I Have a Dream since they first became established in the Whangārei community in 2016,” former Tikipunga High School pupil Davontae says.
“I was one of the first tauira to enrol in their programme and they’ve been there almost every step of the way since, supporting me in all aspects of life.”
The trip in Year 11, which was donated by the Luxury Trail Company, was a chance to explore a new part of the country and discover what the University had to offer.
“Along with my cohort, we cycled the Otago Rail Trail starting in Clyde and finishing in Middlemarch, which ended with us travelling to Dunedin to take a tour of the Uni and what it provides. I already had an interest in the campus and how beautiful it looked. The fact that Dunedin is a walking city solidified it.
“We stayed at Studholme College, which was the college I ended up living in for my first year in 2022. I loved the homey atmosphere that it had and how close everything was.”
Davontae, who received a Māori Entrance Scholarship and a Jack Swindell Estate Scholarship, is now in his third year at Otago, studying toward a Bachelor of Performing Arts. He could graduate with a double degree in Indigenous Studies and Performing Arts if he stays at university another year, he says.
Conscious of the support he’s received from IHAD and Te Rōpū Māori (Māori Students Association of the University of Otago), Davontae is keen to give back in any way he can.
He’s the communications officer for Te Rōpū Māori and is a mātāmua (a whānau leader) for Ka Rikarika o Tane, which is a mentorship programme run by Te Huka Mātauraka (the Māori Centre). In this role, Davontae oversees a "whānau" of students by making sure that they’re connected and by offering academic, emotional and social support.
“At Te Rōpū Māori it’s making sure that our tauira Māori make it across that finish line. It’s making sure that they feel fulfilled when they cross the stage at the end of their stint at uni and feel content with the mahi they’ve done to get there.
“Te Rōpū Māori was one of the main factors that helped me transition into tertiary study by not only offering support but by making me feel welcome in this environment and helping me find where it is that I fit in the University.”
Davontae performs with the Te Rōpū Māori (Māori Students Association of the University of Otago) kapa haka group at Te Hokai (Te Rōpu Māori ball) in 2022.
Davontae has also maintained his connection to IHAD and says the organisation was the main reason he decided to pursue tertiary study, though his Navigator – who is a consistent caring adult that serves as a kind of mentor and support person – was sure to offer him all options.
“I had two notable Navigators that I would love to shout out to. Mo Matautia-Tepania who was my Navigator from year 10-11 and Joe Reuben who was my Navigator from year 12-13/14ish.
“I had opportunities to try out different avenues of further development, whether that was jumping straight into the workforce or going to a polytech. And to explore how each of these would impact my own growth as a person rather than how high schools would normally see tertiary education as the only option.”
Davontae has since joined the IHAD board after being appointed to the position of rangatahi trustee at the beginning of last year.
“The plain way to describe my position as a trustee is to make sure that what the IHAD team are doing fits the tauira who they’re supporting, using my own experience of the programme to understand what IHAD plans to implement and if it would work for the tauira as they believe it would.
“At present there haven't been instances where I've needed to do that.”
– Kōrero by Internal Communications Adviser Laura Hewson
*Find out more about I Have A Dream
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