Studying abroad during COVID times
By Jacqueline Paul
In September 2020 I moved from Aotearoa to the United Kingdom during the pandemic. I asked myself “why on earth would I move from one of the safest countries in the world to a place where there were nearly 50,000 cases a day?” But here I am, ten months later and I have finally handed my research dissertation in and I’m relieved to think about heading home to Aotearoa soon. But, it hasn’t been as bad as I thought it would be. I did however spend most of the time in lockdown and classes were online. Nevertheless, perseverance and staying vigilant was critical to getting through these challenging times.
For context, I have just completed a Master’s degree in Planning, Growth and Regeneration at the University of Cambridge. My Masters research He Rautaki Whakatauria Whare o Te Tiriti o Waitangi: Treaty-anchored Housing Strategies investigates the potential of a treaty-anchored housing strategy to support intergenerational housing aspirations to meet the diverse needs of Māori in Aotearoa.
Jacqueline Paul at Lucy Cavendish College, University of Cambridge.
The research process was definitely the highlight of my learning experience. I had the opportunity to interview 24 amazing Māori experts and specialists across the housing sector. The rich and valuable kōrero from these interviews shaped the core findings of the research. In an institution like the University of Cambridge, I was so proud of this specific piece of work because it was a collaborative effort by many.
Studying under the COVID restrictions was tough. You are isolated and confined to your household bubble. The living conditions were difficult to adjust to and the UK Winter (no one told me about how shitty the weather is) was terrible. It was cold, dark and rainy but like all the time! It really challenged my ‘will’ to stay here. I was a long way from home and I was so used to always being surrounded by the people I love every single day and moving away from that was so foreign to me.
Living on the other side of the world away from whānau during a pandemic was scary at first but then I found long life friends who became my support system. I was trying to sustain myself, protect my energy and look after my mental health. It was not easy and I definitely had a mental breakdown here and there. When I moved here, I only knew Kenneth, who I had previously met in New York in 2018. He has been with me the entire time through the highs and lows and is the closest person I have to home. Now, I have gained many friends (especially David, Ari and Sarah) who became whānau. All these relationships made living here in the UK so much better and manageable. I also spent a lot of time with my housemates who were from all over the world, and yet one of my best mates I made here was from Australia. I also connected with many New Zealanders studying at Cambridge, as well as two other Māori. As some may know, Māoridom is very small and I managed to meet with the other Māori studying at Oxford which we coined the term Moxbridge – Māori at Oxford and Cambridge. There is nothing like connecting with other Māori and it made me so proud to be a part of a small group studying at the best universities in the world. We hope that we will be able to encourage and inspire many other rangatahi Māori to pursue higher education.
Māori at Oxford and Cambridge from left to right: Jacqueline Paul, Chris Scholtens, Rachael Aroha Bright, Te Aro Moxon, Roimata Claasen, Luke Claasen.
There were a lot of learnings along the way. Often, I would think about what this country did to our people and question why am I here? I always found this hard to stomach. But I also understood the power of being present and occupying spaces we wouldn’t usually be in. Further, I have seen the recent debate back home about matauranga Māori and western science and the many pākeha academics criticising the value of matauranga Māori. But upon reflection, matauranga Māori is what got me into Cambridge. I reminded myself of the power and value of Te Ao Māori and matauranga Māori by recognising what they bring to western institutions and the importance of adapting and navigating between both knowledge systems.
I always remind myself that the reason why I came to the Department of Land Economy was to further my knowledge in policy and economics within the housing space. It was necessary to acquire tools that will hopefully be helpful to contribute to addressing the growing housing challenges we face as Māori. I think I definitely gained the knowledge I set out to acquire. However, it is important to recognise that there were definitely significant challenges and a lack of diversity across the department. It was definitely an intensive programme and there were no breaks. I would usually work on my Masters during the day time and then in the evening and night time (NZ time) I would have meetings and continue to be involved in projects back home. For me, this was really important to stay connected with what is going on back home given the research work I was undertaking.
Now, I am planning to undertake a PhD in Landscape Architecture or Urban Planning either in the US or at home in Aotearoa. Building on the work I have undertaken in my undergraduate and masters, I would now like to explore Indigenous housing innovations. The study will focus, in particular, on stories from Indigenous architects and communities concerning traditional knowledge, decolonial practices and case studies of built Indigenous housing projects that seek to address the Indigenous housing crisis.
We have come too far not to go further, we have done too much not to do more.
Ta Hemi Henare