Alice Anderson

Alice is the daughter of Janine Walker (Winton) and Grant Anderson (Aparima). She is currently in her fifth year at Otago University studying toward her LLB and BA majoring in Indigenous Development.

Alice has had some outstanding achievements this year and we would like to share this with you. She was elected as Tumuaki of Te Rōpu Whai Pūtake – President of the Māori Law Students Association at Otago University. She facilitates events for Māori law students and oversees the governance of the student organisation. She has recognised that many students struggle with their identity upon moving to Dunedin, and ensures she creates opportunities where they feel welcome and can thrive.

She has also been appointed as student coordinator for Te Ihaka Project for Building Māori Leaders in Law. The project was launched last year, with the overall aim to create leadership opportunities for Māori law students within the Law Faculty and in the wider community. She holds events such as noho marae and secondary school workshops that Māori law students are encouraged to get involved in. She works alongside Professor Jacinta Ruru, and together they hope the project will see more Māori law students enrolling in law school and gaining entry into second year law, and that it will also foster positive relationships between tauira in the law faculty.

Alice has also been recognised through scholarships and awards at the University. In 2015 she received the Mark Parker Memorial Scholarship for academic merit, promising leadership potential and experience, and respect and involvement with fellow peers and the community. She also received the Te Tumu Totoweka Prize in Māori culture which is awarded to the student with the highest academic results in two Maori culture papers at 200 level.

In 2015 she won the Otago University Internal Māori Moot competition, which saw her then travel to Waitangi to the Te Hunga Rōia o Aotearoa annual conference to compete as a finalist in the National Kaupapa Māori Moot Competition, which was held on the Treaty of Waitangi Grounds.

This year Alice was a recipient of the Jolene Patuawa-Tuilave Māori Leadership in law scholarship. She is just the second recipient of this award created in Jolene’s special memory. As a whānau we are all very proud of Alice.

Alice Anderson.

Alice Anderson.

Taryn Dryfhout

Taryn (Ōraka Aparima and Waihōpai) recently graduated (for the third time) with a Diploma in Arts, majoring in English from Massey University. Taryn is also the Māori rep for the Massey Extramural Student’s Society. Well done Taryn.

Taryn with members of her proud whānau.

Taryn with members of her proud whānau.