Lieutenant Tipene Lee from Kaitaia has served in the army for five years now as a signal officer. He is one of many who has made the decision to move out of the small Far North town in order to seek a better pathway. Although Covid-19 has given him a chance to take time off, he looks forward to supporting the communities within Aotearoa post-Covid.
Lieutenant Tipene Lee says now is the time for Māori youth to join the forces. "Especially now during Covid-19 is perfect for Māori to consider joining the NZDF. Covid-19 has highlighted the fact that the NZDF provides our people, their whānau and their tamariki a stable, well-paid career."
Lee was a very shy person growing up, he says. While the confidence was not there as a kid, it was something that was developed. And now he has found his feet as a leader within the New Zealand Army.
"My current role is what's called an S6, an S6 is a senior adviser to my commanding officer of the first battalion, royal New Zealand infantry regiment and my first priority job is to advise all communication matters for the battalion."
University did not catch the interest of Lee after school, instead, he took another route in life. "The very first month was hard for me, I think I traveled outside of Kaitaia other than Auckland maybe three times. So that was tough, being away from home security, we just call it homesickness."
And that decision sure paid off for him. He says post-Covid will be a really ideal time for people to join the defence forces. "As a Māori, even more as a Kiwi and a New Zealander, it means a lot to me to know that we are ready to support our people at a moment's notice. Every soldier, sailor, air person, officers are on standby to support Aotearoa."
Lee wants to be an example for the community of Kaitaia, where he says it is filled with talented people that tend to hold themselves back.
"I was friends with people who could've made the NRL easily, those who could've made the All Blacks quite well and all those kinds of talents. However, they got stuck in the bubble of Kaitaia in the Far North."
Tipene will soon be returning to the army fulfilling his role as a signal officer to ensure that the country can go back to normality after Covid-19.
