Kahlil Grocott

“You’ve got nothing to lose. It’s a holistic experience — your hauora, your connections, your future. And you’ll meet incredible people. Just give it a go.”

Kahlil Grocott (Ngāti Kahungunu ki Te Wairoa) is Te Haerenga’s first recipient of the Te Taumata Award, introduced this year in partnership with Deloitte to support emerging Māori leaders with financial support and mentorship. Kahlil recently completed a Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Arts conjoint in Information Systems, Māori Studies and Sociology, shaped around his three pou:Tangata, taiao, and technology. 

“What stood out in Te Haerenga were the workshops that focused on things I’d been thinking about — hauora, values, how to get your CV and LinkedIn right. The whakawhanaungatanga was huge for me. I actually met executives from Te Mana Pakihi through Te Haerenga, and that connection led to me becoming part of their executive team. That was massive.”

Kahlil’s experience in Te Haerenga also strengthened his sense of belonging as Māori within university and professional spaces.“Being surrounded by so many diverse Māori — that was powerful. There’s no single way to be Māori, and Te Haerenga supported all of those ways. Working alongside our Pacific whanaunga was also special. It reminded me how connected we are across Te Moana Nui a Kiwa.”

The learnings of the workshops and the people Kahlil connected with weren’t the only standouts of this programme, but also kai. “Kai is tikanga. There's a reason why. We always whakanoa (remove tapu) with kai at the end because it brings people together. It makes you understand and consider what you learned at that kaupapa.”

Looking ahead, one workshop reshaped how he thinks about life after university:“The values workshop made me rethink everything. We’re taught to focus on pūtea, but I realised there are so many other things I value in mahi. That perspective is something I didn’t get from academic papers — only from Te Haerenga.”