Manukura | Kahurangi Fergusson-Tibble

“Ruku ki te pō, ruku ki te ao”

Delve into the unseen, to delve into enlightenment.

This whakatauakī resonates with the pathway in which my life travels. As I am a person with a visual impairment, my life has required me to be brave, trust in myself and be supported by the people I love, to delve into the unknown. But, through this, I have been blessed to have had some of the most amazing experiences, meet some legendary people, but most importantly face some amazing challenges and barriers in life, so that I can become the person you know today.

Ko Kahurangi Fergusson-Tibble tōku ingoa.

He uri ahau nō Ngāti Porou, Te Aitanga a Māhaki me Ngāti Uenukukōpako.

Ko Dr Chloe Fergusson-Tibble taku hoa rangatira. Nō Te Hikutū me Ngāti Kahungunu ki Te Wairoa ia.

Tokorua ngā tamariki, ko Jaxyn rāua ko Storm o rāua nei ingoa

He tangata kāpō ahau.

I am blessed to have come from a whānau that value education. In particular my recently deceased father Maaka Tauranga Tibble and my mother Roberta Huinga Cookson nee Katipa, who both forged a pathway for me and others in the health sector, specifically in disabilities, mental health and addictions.

I am privileged and grateful, that I have been able to follow a kaupapa that draws on a shared experience with my father and to combine that with the mahi that both my parents had and that was to love and help our people thrive and live healthy lives.

I followed my parents into working as an AOD counsellor firstly in Te Tairāwhiti, where I had the honour of working alongside my mother and father. Then, I had the privilege of moving back to Tāmaki Makaurau, to support my wife to obtain her Medical Degree at Waipapa Taumata Rau University of Auckland, where I worked at Waitematā DHB in Whitiki Maurea Community Māori Mental Health and Addictions within the Te Ātea Marino addictions team.

This was a special moment for me for many reasons. Firstly, this gave me the opportunity to give back to a community that helped raise my siblings and I, as we were born and raised in West Auckland and secondly, my father Maaka Tauranga Tibble, was the manager for the community Māori mental health and addictions service I worked for.

I am now the Waha Tohutohu Matua – Principal Advisor Māori at Te Pou and Blueprint and assist on many of the events, projects and resources that our sector receives to help their mahi at the front line.

The best piece of advice that I can give anyone, is something that my father gave to me, and that is:

When you are young, we stand in the shadow of our parents and ancestors and this is for many reasons, like protection and learning etc. But there comes a time in everyone’s life that you must cast your own shadow and that when you do start to cast your own shadow, be thoughtful of the effect that your shadow has on the whānau and the people.

Lastly is to make sure your ego isn’t focused on the amount of people or things your shadow is upon. Be more focussed on the amount of kaupapa and people that you can help, to cast their own shadow because that sphere of influence is far greater than just mine alone and when we all cast our own shadow this creates critical mass and this amazing hauora Māori movement that is building, becomes undeniable.