Nominations for Māori Vice President

Your Māori Vice President Candidates:

July Fidow - Te Kura o Rautawhiri / Rotorua Girls’ High School

Te Aomihia Taua-Glassie - Tikipunga High School

Kōrero ā te Kaitono

Name: July Te Huatahi Fidow (née McLean)

DOB: 17/04/1975

Age: 51 years

Role: Current mangai on Te Huarahi Māori Motuhake

Branch: Rotorua Girls’ High School

Rohe: Te Arawa

Kura: Te Kura o Rautawhiri / Rotorua Girls’ High School

Ko July Te Huatahi Fidow ahau, He uri ahau nō Te Arawa, Tūhoe, Ngāti Raukawa me Ngāti Porou. He uri anō ahau nō Tā Apirana. My whakapapa is a strong foundation for who I am and how I approach my mahi. Hapai o Muri ,Hapai o mua reminds me that what we learn from those who came before us shapes what we do today and the future we create for those who follow. E Tipu e Rea reflects the importance I place on nurturing our ākonga, supporting them to grow in Te Reo Māori, tikanga, whakapapa and Mātauranga Māori, and creating pathways for their future. These values shape the way I work alongside ākonga, kaiako and whānau and strengthen my commitment to Māori education.

Au nei mōhiohio motuhake

I am a kaiako committed to Māori educational success, Te Reo Māori, tikanga and Mātauranga Māori, and to strengthening the collective voice of Māori educators to create successful pathways for ākonga. My professional and union mahi is grounded in Mana, Arotake and Kotahitanga. I bring experience in education and union leadership, from establishing the Rūmaki at Rotorua Girls’ High School to working alongside members, supporting national campaigns and standing together through collective action.

Au nei pūkenga kōrero

Teaching Experience: I have 20 years’ teaching experience across primary and secondary education. I am currently a teacher at Te Kura o Rautawhiri / Rotorua Girls’ High School, teaching Te Reo Māori and Tikanga ā-Iwi. My experience includes curriculum development and assessment, with a particular focus on Te Reo Māori, tikanga, whakapapa and Mātauranga Māori. Māori Education Experience: One of my significant contributions to Māori education has been establishing and opening the Rūmaki unit at Rotorua Girls’ High School. This established a pathway for ākonga to learn through Te Reo Māori and strengthened Māori-medium education within the kura. I have experience developing curriculum and assessment programmes that reflect Te Reo Māori, tikanga, whakapapa and Mātauranga Māori. I have also worked across kaiako networks to strengthen professional capability, deepen understanding and support effective Māori education practices. My mahi in Māori education is about ensuring that Māori ākonga can see themselves, their identity and their knowledge reflected in their education. Qualification: Bachelor of Teaching (Primary), 2007.

Hononga Pito Kōrero

PPTA Te Wehengarua involvement: 1 year of branch-level involvement. 1 year of regional involvement. Current Te Arawa Māngai on Te Huarahi. CTU Rūnanga PPTA Te Wehengarua Māngai. Member of the Māori Teacher Conference Organising Committee. Member of Te Arawa Pouako, a local Māori teacher network. Supported all aspects of the 2025 industrial action, including organising pickets, meetings and media opportunities. Attended the PPTA Te Wehengarua Ending Streaming Course. Completed Mahi Tika 2.

Other relevant union experience: 15 years’ involvement with Te Riu Roa, including union mahi, advocacy, organising and supporting Māori members as a member leader and Field Officer. My union experience has included national campaign work on pay equity, climate change, political engagement and learning support, as well as involvement in collective bargaining negotiations. These experiences have given me a strong understanding of member advocacy, organising, negotiation and the importance of standing together. Together, my experiences across Union spaces , Te Riu Roa and PPTA Te Wehengarua have strengthened my ability to listen, advocate and work collectively for members, while bringing a strong Māori perspective to union leadership.

Kōrero Whaiaro

Hāpai o muri, Hāpai o mua, E ngā pouako Māori, ngā ringa raupā, tēnā koutou katoa. Ko July Te Huatahi Fidow ahau, he uri nō Te Arawa, Tūhoe, Ngāti Raukawa me Ngāti Porou.

I am a kaiako with 20 years’ experience across primary and secondary education. One of my achievements is establishing the Rūmaki at Rotorua Girls’ High School, providing a pathway for ākonga through Te Reo Māori and tikanga Māori.

He kaiako ahau mō te 20 tau ki ngā kura tuatahi, kura tuarua hoki. Ko tētahi o aku mahi whakahirahira, ko te whakatū i te Rūmaki ki te Kura o ngā Kōhine o Rotorua, kia whai huarahi ngā ākonga mā te reo Māori.

My union journey spans Te Riu Roa and PPTA Te Wehengarua, from local organising through to national mahi. I have served as a CTU māngai, Te Arawa Māngai on Te Huarahi, contributed to Te Arawa Pouako and the Māori Teacher Conference Committee, organised Rā Whakamana – Te Rā Whakaputanga, and supported members through the 2025 industrial action.

Ko tōku ara uniana, mai i Te Riu Roa ki Te Wehengarua, e toro ana mai i ngā mahi ā-rohe ki ngā mahi ā-motu. Kua tū ahau hei māngai CTU, hei Māngai mō Te Arawa ki Te Huarahi, ā, kua whai wāhi ki Te Arawa Pouako, ki te komiti whakarite hui pouako Māori, me te whakarite i te Rā Whakamana – Te Rā Whakaputanga.

My advocacy and organising experience is grounded in Māori representation. For me, representation is more than having a Māori voice at the table; it is ensuring our perspectives, aspirations and experiences influence decisions.

Ko aku mahi whakarite kaupapa e ū ana ki te kanohi Māori. Ehara te kanohi Māori i te noho noa ki te tēpu; me whai mana tātou ki ngā whakatau, kia rangona ai ō tātou wawata me ō tātou wheako.

As Te Hāpai Ō, I will bring my experience, commitment to Māori education and unionism, and collective organising experience to strengthen Māori representation across Te Wehengarua and build kotahitanga for the future.

Mana Motuhake. Whakamana. Kotahitanga. Mā tātou, mō tātou.

Ingoa: Te Aomihia Taua-Glassie

Te Rā: 26 o Akuhata 2026

Au nei mōhiohio motuhake | Personal Information

Ko Hikihiki te pā o tōku hanganga, ko te maioro te ekeria. He uri hau nō Ngātiwai ki Te Uri o Hikihiki, Puaha o Waikato ki Ngāti Tīpā; titiro iho hau ki ngā maunga e kore nekeneke, Te Tairawhiti ki Te Whānau a Ruataupare. Ko Te Aomihia Taua-Glassie hau e karanga nei ki te motu. Tokorima waku mokopuna e kuraina ana i te kura kaupapa Māori, i a hau e whakaako ana i te Kura Tuarua o Tikipunga o roto Whangārei Terenga Parāoa. Ka mutu, nā runga anō i te ngākau māhaki, te pono, me te tika, e tono ana hau mō te whā o ngā tau hei reo, hei ringa hāpai mā koutou, ngā mema o Te Wehengarua.

My whakapapa connects me to Ngātiwai (Te Uri o Hikihiki) and Te Tairawhiti (Te Whānau a Ruataupare) on my mother’s side, and to Waikato (Ngāti Tīpā at Port Waikato) on my father’s side. I am Te Aomihia Taua-Glassie. I have five mokopuna attending kura kaupapa Māori while I teach at Tikipunga High School in Whangārei Terenga Parāoa. With humility, integrity, and purpose, I stand to seek your endorsement for a fourth term—to continue serving as a voice and advocate for members of Te Wehengarua.

Au nei pūkenga me aku wheako | My Skills and Experience

Koni atu i te 20 tau hau e whakaako tamariki ana i te kura tuarua. Hoino, kei te mura o te ahi hau e toutou ana i ngā ngārehu kia mura tonu ai, kia kore ai e whakapirau. Wētahi wā, tata kōwhekowheko te ngārehu; wētahi wā, e kaha marika ana te mura. Hakoa pēhea taku terenga—i te akomanga, i te uniana, i ngā kaupapa huhua rāini o te wā—kua kohia e hau waku kaikōmako me waku kauahi, ā, ko waku tohu mātauranga me waku wheako ēnā. Mā wēnei ringa hāpai kua tika taku whakapipi i ngā rākau kaupapa, me taku whakatohe take i taku kauati i te ahi, kia tahu tonu, kia roa ai te kā o te ahi. Hakoa ngā pō whakaporearea nā tēnei kāwanatanga, hakoa te ao mārama mō ngā kaupapa kaiako—ehara hau i te kaiahi tere noa. He kaitiaki ahi taku whiringa, kia hāpai i ngā kaiako i a rātou e tautoko marika ana i ā mātou mokopuna.

For over 20 years, I have taught secondary ākonga on the frontline. Today, I remain at the hearth of our mahi, tending the embers so they continue to burn bright and never die out. At times, the embers barely flicker under pressure; at other times, our shared flame burns fiercely. No matter my pace—in the classroom, within the union, or across the many initiatives of our time—I have gathered my kaikōmako and kauahi: my qualifications, research, and lifetime of frontline experience. With these tools, I lay the foundation of our kaupapa and generate the fire needed to sustain an ahi kā roa—an enduring flame for our collective future. Despite the disruptive political landscape brought on by this government, and through every bright day needed for kaiako initiatives, I am no fleeting spark-setter. Choosing to be a guardian of the fire is my deliberate commitment—so that our teachers are uplifted as they steadfastly guide our mokopuna.

Honongā pito kōrero (Key Relationships and Partnerships)

Maha waku whakakitenga ā-rohe, ā-motu rāini. Erangi, hōrekau he huihuinga tua atu i te kerēme o Wai 3553, te whakakapuia e ngā tāngata me ō mātou rōpū: ko mātou ko NZEI, ko Te Ākatea, ko Ngā Kura a Iwi, ko Waikato-Tainui, me Te Kapotai nā runga anō i te whakaaro tahi ki te tiaki i Te Tiriti o Waitangi ki mua raini i te Rōpū Whakamana i Te Tiriti. Nei rā te mihi rangatira ki ngā toki kaikōrero, kaikerēme o tēnā iwi, o tēnā rōpū—mō tā rātou whakatakoto taunakitanga, me te koi noki ki te whakautu i ngā pātai e kaha wero ana i ā rātou kōrero.

I have gained vast strategic insight across both regional and national spheres. However, there has been no gathering quite like the Wai 3553 claim—the powerful bringing together of our people and key organizations: PPTA, NZEI, Te Ākatea, Ngā Kura a Iwi, Waikato-Tainui, and Te Kapotai, bound by a shared commitment to defend Te Tiriti o Waitangi before the Waitangi Tribunal. I pay my highest respects and tribute to the formidable spokespeople and claimants of every iwi and organization—for laying down their evidence with conviction, and for their sharp brilliance in navigating the intense questioning put to their testimony.

Kōrero whaiaro (Personal Statement) 

He mōkai hau ki te iwi, he mōkai hau anō noki ki Te Wehengarua. Ko taku whakapapa me waku wheako te tūāpapa o taku kaiārahitanga i a hau e whakakikokiko ana i ngā mātāpono o Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Mō te toru o ngā tau kua hāpai i ngā kaupapa, ehara i te mea he whāinga māmā te aronga, he kawenga taumaha wētahi wā. Koni atu i te 20 tau hau e whakaako tamariki ana i te kura tuarua. Kei te mura o te ahi hau e toutou ana i ngā ngārehu kia mura tonu ai. Hakoa pēhea taku terenga—i te akomanga, i te uniana, i ngā kaupapa huhua o te wā—kua kohia e hau waku kaikōmako me waku kauahi, ko waku tohu mātauranga me waku wheako. Mā wēnei ringa hāpai kua tika taku whakapipi i ngā rākau kaupapa kia roa ai te kā o te ahi.

I roto i ēnei pō whakaporearea nā tēnei Kāwanatanga, kua tū hau hei tuarā mō ngā kaiako. Mai i te hautūtanga i te hīkoi i Whangārei me taku tū ki te Kōmiti Select, ki te whakaatu tuatahi i ngā kōrero reorua i ngā PUM o Te Huarahi; mai i te whakatūnga o te Rōpū Kaiwhakaako Reo Māori o Aotearoa ki te taha o TROTT me te whakaruruhau o te uniana, ki te rangahau, Me aro ki te hā o Hine-ahu-one: Wāhine Māori in Leadership—wera taku rae i ngā take miharo me ngā take e pēhi nei i te oranga o te wāhine.

Erangi, hōrekau he huihuinga tua atu i te kerēme o Wai 3553 i tēnei tau—ko te whakakapuia i a NZEI, ko Te Ākatea, ko Ngā Kura a Iwi, ko Waikato-Tainui, me Te Kapotai ki te tiaki i Te Tiriti o Waitangi ki mua i te Rōpū Whakamana i Te Tiriti. Nei rā te mihi ki ngā toki kaikōrero i whakatakoto taunakitanga me tō rātou koi ki te whakautu i ngā pātai e wero ana i a mātou mō te Ture Mātauranga me te Marautanga.

Ehara hau i te kaiahi tere noa; he kaitiaki ahi taku whiringa. Mā te whakarite i waku kauahi, ka anga whakamua kia tautoko marika i ā koutou ngā mema mā tēnei koutou e poipoia ā tātou mokopuna i raro anō i ngā ringa atawhai o Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

A dedicated servant to the people, and likewise a dedicated servant to Te Wehengarua. My genealogy and life experiences serve as the cornerstone of my leadership as I bring to life the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi.

For the past three years I have carried these causes forward—this focus has been no easy task, and at times a heavy weight to bear. For over 20 years I have been teaching young people in secondary school. I stand at the heat of the fire, tending the embers so that they remain burning. Wherever my path takes me—whether in the classroom, within the union, or across the many ongoing issues of our time—I have gathered my kindling and my fire-making tools: my qualifications and my lived experiences. With these supportive hands, I have carefully stacked the firewood of our purpose so that the flame will endure.

Throughout these unsettling times under this Government, I have stood as a pillar of strength for teachers. From leading the march in Whangārei and presenting before the Select Committee, to delivering the first bilingual address at the PUMs of Te Huarahi; from founding the Māori Language Teachers' Association of New Zealand alongside TROTT under the supportive umbrella of the union, to the research project Me aro ki te hā o Hine-ahu-one: Wāhine Māori in Leadership—I have labored tirelessly over both the extraordinary matters and the challenges weighing upon the well-being of women.

Yet, no gathering was more significant this year than the Wai 3553 claim—uniting NZEI, Te Ākatea, Ngā Kura a Iwi, Waikato-Tainui, and Te Kapotai to defend Te Tiriti o Waitangi before the Waitangi Tribunal. I pay tribute to the master speakers who laid down evidence and demonstrated their incisive sharp wit in addressing the complex questions put to us regarding the Education Act and the Curriculum.

I am not merely one who kindles a quick flame; I choose to be a keeper of the fire. By readying my tools, I press forward to fully support you, the members, so that you may continue to nurture our future generations under the protective care of the Treaty of Waitangi.

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