Kia Orana, (Hello) my name is Ngatamaine Emma Kimiravenga Taranga but you can call me Nga or Maine. My family calls me Maine and my mates call me Nga. I’m a female. I’m Cook Islander Māori. I’m from Aitutaki and Mangaia in Cook Islands but I was born on 26th December 1981 in Hastings, New Zealand. I was born with Cerebral Palsy and I’m in a wheelchair. Cerebral Palsy doesn’t means I’m brain injured it is the body physically that is injured. I’m a normal person, I’M NOT HANDICAPPED AND I’M NOT DUMB!! I understand extremely well. I get very frustrated because I can’t talk and I have to use my alphabet chart and my computer to talk, I can’t join in conversation very easily. I can’t eat, drink, toilet, shower, bath or dress myself. I have to rely on other people for everything.
I like listening to hip-hop and rap music, Māori music, Cook Islands music, old school songs and 70’S. I’m not a TV fan but I LOVE WATCHING SHORTLAND STREET. I love children and youth. I love boys. I like hanging out with my mates. I like go to the parties and socials with my whānau/koputangata (family) and my mates. I love having few drinks (kgb) with my tea. I like working with people who have behavioural challenges. I like helping other people. I’m very interesting Māori and Cook Islands culture and Te Reo (language). I can speak and understand Te Māori Kūki ‘Airani Reo (The Cook Islands Māori Language) little bit now. I’m a computer literate.
I’m a computer literate. I learnt how to use the computer and communicate with everyone when I was four or five years old. I learnt how to use the electric wheelchair when I was five years old. I could walk around with the help when I was five years old.
I’ve got one sister and two brothers and, I’m the third child in the family.
I was brought up by the alcohol, drugs and abused since I was a baby. My father is an alcoholic. I have got angry problems but I’m a good person most times and I’m a supportive person. I have got a good sense of humour.
I think that my Mama, Papa and my Aunty Mii looked after me when I was a baby but I can’t remember. When I was about three years old, somebody from Child & Young Persons Service (C.Y.P.S) took me away from my parents because I was left alone at home on my own all day from six in morning to six at night every day while my parents were working. I had no bath or shower and I had not anything to drink or eat all day.
I’ve been a few foster care homes and then I went to Child Protection Unit in Rotorua. I loved living at C.P.U. I was living there for seven years. I went home to Hastings every school holidays. In the end of 1990 at Christmas time, I went back to my parents in Flaxmere and it was dynamite. There were two ladies to help my parents, one for in the morning and one for at night to help change me, bath me and feed me.
I have been everywhere since I was a little girl. I have moved to many places when I was growing up.
In 1991, at the end of the August holidays, I went to Disneyland for ten days. I did enjoy it in Disneyland but, I missed everybody at C.P.U. I thought that four weeks was too long from C.P.U.
At the end of 1993, I had to go back home to Hastings where I belonged. I didn’t want to go because I felt C.P.U. was my home. I was considered old.
In 1994-1997, I was in a few foster care homes, it was good and bad. I went to Flaxmere also; I was placed in the ‘mainstream’ classes. I was in the form four top of the Māori class.
At the end of 2001, I finished Flaxmere College and I didn’t want to stay at School until I was twenty one years old. I moved into a house in Saint Leonard’s, Hastings. I loved living in my house. I was living by myself and my support workers stay at my house at nights. I lived in my house for twenty two years.
I worked at Disability Resource Centre in Hastings. I worked four days a week. I was a supervisor and computer tutor.
In 2003, I went to EIT in Taradale. I’ve done first year Certificate in Te Reo Māori and I’ve completed it.
I’ve finished working at Disability Resource Centre at end year of 2004.
My birth mother deceased on the 12th August 2006.
I go to Saint Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Hastings every Sunday (well, I do try go 2 Church every Sunday if I don’t get a hangover from the night before). Finally, I’ve found a church that I like which it’s Cook Islands Congregation, where I belong. I’m a member of St Andrew’s Church.
From 2005 to 2014, I have done several courses level two to level four including Mental Health and Addictions course. It was stressful and depressed but I passed all my courses because I had a support from my tutors and my classmates.
2015, I’m a represented for whole Hawke’s Bay. I go around all disability services to make sure that they have right information and they are providing right service for our Pasifika people with disability. On 24th February 2015, I flu to the first Conference in Auckland and it was really awesome but it was quite tiring. I have been on Favia Ora National Leadership group for nine years.
In September 2017, I moved from CCS – Disability Action to Indivdualised Funding and I became an employer of my support workers. I did their timesheets, my responsibilities were ensure that all my needs have met also; ensure that all my support workers were working professional manner and ensure all their needs have met.
In 2020, I started my first paid job and it calls Kāpō Māori Aotearoa New Zealand. I’m a Media Assistance. Kāpō Māori Aotearoa New Zealand is for Māori people who cannot see or low vision. I work at home most times. I’ve been working at Kāpō Māori Aotearoa New Zealand for 4 years.
In 2022, I had a problem finding the support workers. From 2019 to 2023 I had about 20 support workers who just came and went. My 3 awesome support workers have been with me for 27 years and they wanted to retire. I knew someone who worked at Rowan, I emailed this person, and I said that I need support because I’m struggling to find any support workers and I’m stressed. She said that you can email the manager and talk to him. I didn’t want to do that because I knew that I was in the blacklist for all the disability services because of Customs Nursing Care Limited but I decided to email the manager from Enliven. When I had an awesome meeting with the manager at my house, I thought that it looks promising.
In September 2022, I stayed at Middle Road for three weeks, I loved it but I wasn’t ready to give my house up because I wanted to keep my independence. In November 2023, I had to make a real hard decision to give my house up because I was not getting anywhere with the support workers. In December 2023, I went to Rowan and it was really emotional for me. I stayed at Rowan for five months and then, I moved into Middle Rd because I wanted to be close to my home (Flaxmere and Hastings). I still can go out and come home drunk in the weird hours of the morning which I love to do on Saturday night.
I would like to do my own Digital Marketing Business which I never done before. I would like to earn heaps of money and move myself from benefit.
I’m my own boss and I can do anything I like. I’m a extremely independent woman and there is nothing that I can’t do. I pay all my bills via internet banking. I make taxi bookings via e-mail or txt. I make all Doctor and WINZ appointments via e-mail. I buy my own groceries with support and I type the shopping list on my computer. I choose what food that I want for breakfast, lunch and tea. I go to town, doctor, WINZ and church by myself on my wheelchair. If my wheelchair or other equipments are broken, I txt the wheelchair people to fix it.
Kia ‘akamanuia mai te Atua i tō kōtou ‘aerenga,
May God give you good fortune on your journey.
