Hiwa-i-te-Rangi is the star associated with people’s aspirations, and Nixon Mohi and Keilani Wilcox are just two rangatahi making their dreams a reality during the Matariki season.
At just 16, Nixon Mohi (Ngāti Whakaue ki Maketū, Te Whānau a Apanui, Ngāti Rangi, Ngāti Pūkenga) is balancing kura, elite netball, business and kapa haka.
The Year 12 student at Te Kura o Matapihi has already represented Aotearoa twice in the Under-17 Male netball team and remains eligible again next year.
“Tōna nei whā tau au e takaro ana i tenei kemu o te poitarawhiti. Ko taku ao katoa ināianei,” he says.
“Ko taku whāinga nui, kia eke ki te tīma matua o Aotearoa, te tīma tāne.”
Men’s netball has been growing in Aotearoa since the 1980s, with the Trans-Tasman series starting in 1985. Today, young tāne have more opportunities to pursue the game through pathways like the NZ U17 Male division, introduced in 2023.
He pūkenga rau
Alongside kura and sport, Nixon helps run I Love Being Māori, a kākahu and accessories brand that began as a fundraiser, and has since grown into a celebration of Māoritanga.
“[Nā] te nui o te utu o ngā utu netipōro, i noho tērā pakihi hei ringa hāpai, hei ringa āwhina mōku me taku whānau.”
His goal is to see the brand stocked in mainstream stores.
“Ko te wawata nui, kia kuhu ai ngā kākahu ki tētahi toa [auraki] nei, kia [kitea whānuitia] te Māoritanga.”
‘Te whakapono ki a koe anō’
He also hopes to grow his netball career in across the ditch, encouraging other tāne to give the sport a go.
“Another big goal is to move to [Australia], and get more knowledge of the game from over there.”
Away from the court, Nixon’s other passions include kapa haka. He took the stage in a significant stand with Ngā Toka o Tirikawa at Ngā Kapa Haka Kura Tuarua o Aotearoa this year.
“Ko taku tū, he tū wahine - nā aku kaiako me aku pouako tēra i huakina mōku,” he explains.
“Ka hoki ake au ki tērā kōrero – te whakapono ki a koe anō.”
Te hoahoa pūeru - he moemoeā mai anō
Keilani Wilcox (Tainui, Ngāti Mahuta, Te Whakatōhea, Te Kapotai, Ngāti Hine) is another rangatahi Māori turning lifelong aspirations into reality through contemporary Māori fashion.
“[Weaving is] almost like [therapy]. You sit down and everything else is just quiet. No music, no TV, even if you want - you’re just weaving,” she says.
“It makes you feel very in control, but also like you can create something from nothing.”
The 21-year-old weaver and creative recently graduated from Whitecliffe College with a Bachelor of Sustainable Fashion, but says her passion began as a child.
“My nan had a sewing machine, so I’d use that. I was always cutting up my parents’ clothes and my own clothes. It was just kind of a given that I was going to go into that industry.”
Mā tō rourou, mā taku rourou
She says studying fashion deepened her understanding of garment construction, the industry and Māori design, while renowned designer Kiri Nathan mentored her through her weaving journey.
“I interned with her for about two and a half years, and now I’m taking care of her store in Parnell. She taught me a lot.”
When asked what success looked like for her, Keilani said it looked like community.
“Getting involved with Kiri Nathan and Kāhui Collective, being able to help them because, well, their success is my success, which is quite a normal thing for Māori.”
She believes sustainability is nothing new for Māori.
“[Our ancestors] knew how to treat harakeke, how to harvest it, and how to make garments from it,” she explains.
“Sustainability is what we’re made for. We understand the land.”
Keilani says her greatest source of support has always been her whānau.
“They’ve never told me that I can’t do anything or can’t achieve something.”
Keilani’s dream is to expand her own brand, and one day have a pakihi of her own.
