Why me?

'If not you, then who? If not now, then when?' - Hillel The Elder

Kia Ora! My name is, Hohepa Te Moana but you can call me, Hepa.



I am 34 years of age and proud to be both born and raised in Ngāmotu, New Plymouth. Whilst originally coming up on the boarders of Marfell, Blagdon and Spotswood - I actually spent time growing up all around the mountain.

This was because during my teens, I became a ward of the state (sort of like a foster kid) and therefore moved between a lot of households and was raised by different groups of people all the way from Urenui down to Okato. As a kid, I found this particularly hard - having no sense of belonging and as if I was an inconvenience to all of the amazing people who took me in at the time. I would frequently cry myself to sleep at night  and wonder 'Why me?'

What I didn't realise at the time though, was that these challenging times were actually setting me up to be New Plymouths proudest advocate. Moving from suburb to suburb, sometimes to wider Taranaki areas such as; Stratford, Opunake, Waitara and more - I learned a lot about people. Whilst there were huge cultural and political differences from household to household, more often there were two key traits that every household had:

1) Everyone wants to be loved and

2) Everyone wants those they love, to know that they are loved.

My schooling until the age of 7 was at Spotswood Primary School after which I was moved next door to Te Pihipihinga Kākano i ruia mai i Rangiātea Kura Kaupapa Māori (or simply: "Kura" for short). At age 12 I then moved on to Francis Douglas Memorial College. As you can imagine, the changes between mainstream and Te Ao Māori schooling was another challenge - I distinctly remember as a kid being asked in Te Reo by my Kaiako (teacher) if I had my togs and after replying 'no' the entire class laughed at me. I was baffled at first, until I learned that the kaiako had actually asked if I could swim.

Years later, the same laughs echoing of ridicule would find their way back to me as I sat in a Year 9 classroom at FDMC trying to read a book to the others in the english class. Coming straight from full immersion Kura, when I saw a "WH" together, this told my tongue to make an "F" sound - you can imagine the laughter that erupted when I read from the book the words: WHO, WHAT, WHEN and WHERE. WHY was especially confusing.

My first job was at Te Korimako o Taranaki 94.8FM radio station where I was for 8 years and nowadays I work for tech' giant Shopify. I've also DJ'd since the age of 15 and have MC'd countless events through Taranaki since this age. 

What these experiences have all taught me is that empathy and understanding can go a long way, everyone is interconnected somehow and there is far more to be achieved when we align together instead of fighting each other. Whilst I have a strong grounding in Te Ao Māori, much of my family is not from that world so being a bridge and communicating between these different communities has always been my life. As you can see, I am the epitome of the old saying: It takes a village.  

I am the direct result of what happens when the New Plymouth community comes together: Someone versed in two of three of our official languages (Sign language is still on the list!) who can walk into any room and communicate with the anyone in it whilst being comfortable to disarm and connect others in the room who may not see eye to eye on issues. You will battle to find someone who loves this place more than I do, warts and all! 

So, Why Me? Due to the circumstances of my upbringing, I'm both deeply and widely connected to this community - the good, bad and the horrifying. I've seen a lot in my 34 years but I know I haven't seen it all and that balance of experience with self awareness is where I can help. Aotearoa New Zealand is heading towards a more Treaty centric way of living and if there is anything the kid who was laughed at in class knows, it's that empathy and guidance can make a lifetime of a difference. This is why I will be be great representative for the community in the New Plymouth District Council.

That's who I am.
That's what I bring.
That's us. 

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