Two new Wairoa rangatahi representatives have been selected to attend this year’s Tuia mentoring programme.

Marie Hoepo-Scott and Jacq Dougherty have been chosen as this year’s local representatives. They join a long list of Wairoa Tuia participants, and their inclusion will mark the 16th year that Wairoa has been part of the rangatahi leadership programme.

Tuia is run under the banner of the Mayors Taskforce for Jobs (MTFJ) and is a national, one-year, intergenerational mentoring initiative.

The programme pairs local mayors with young Māori (rangatahi) and provides an opportunity for strong personal and professional development.

Wairoa Mayor Craig Little said that in his time as mayor, he has seen local rangatahi who have attended the programme go on to achieve many successes. “Many still have a strong link to the programme, with one local woman still on the Tuia Governance Board and other past local participants still involved and working for the programme in a voluntary capacity. Mayor Little used elected member Trevor Waikawa as an excellent example of someone who has benefited from the programme, remains involved, and has applied the skills he learned through Tuia to his position on the Wairoa District Council.

Tuia focuses on building leadership capacity through monthly mentoring, with the recipient engaging in 100 hours of community-related work and attending five workshops (wānanga) over the year.

Mayor Little described the programme as a great learning opportunity, providing experiences outside of Wairoa that have changed people’s lives. He said Marie and Jacq are already active in the community, and he hopes the learning from the programme will further empower the pair and that they will, in turn, bring their learnings home.

Marie and Jacq extended a huge thank-you for being selected for the programme, with each of them valuing the learning and networking opportunities they have been provided with.

Caption: Two new local rangatahi, Marie Hoepo-Scott and Jacq  Dougherty, pictured, have been selected for the Tuia mentoring programme. They are pictured with Mayor Craig Little, Deputy Mayor Benita Cairns and elected member and former Tuia participant Trevor Waikawa.

23 March 2026

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