Pianika Ormsby
Pianika attended the London International Youth Science Forum. She is very proud of her Māori culture and enjoyed sharing it at the forum with the other international students.
Tū ana ahau ki te tihi o tōku maunga tapu, ko Mauao, ka tiro whakararo ki ngā wai piratarata o Tauranga Moana, ki te awanui ki te awaiti, te ūnga mai o tōku waka ko Tākitimu. Nei rā he uri o te iwi o Ngāti Ranginui, te marae o Paparoa hoki. E te tī e te tā, nei rā a Pirirākau, e tau ana.
I stand on my sacred mountain Mauao, looking down to the shimmery waters of Tauranga Moana, the entrance of where my waka Takitimu ferrying my descendents entered the land where I live. I am a descendant of the tribe Ngāti Ranginui from our meeting house Paparoa. This represents who I am and where I come from and this is how I introduce myself.
Tēnā koutou katoa, my name is Pianika Ormsby and I was given the amazing opportunity to attend the London International Youth Science Forum 2018 (LIYSF). I have been raised in Tauranga, and I am a year 13 Māori student attending Tauranga Girls' College, studying chemistry, biology, physics, statistics and English. Apart from the evident love I have for science, I also enjoy being surrounded by nature, spending time with family, trying new things and learning more about my Māori culture.
My love for science sparked from a young age. I was always so intrigued by the way a kernel turned into a popcorn and how a kamokamo (a traditional Māori squash) sprouted into a plant from a few small seeds. However it wasn’t until I had the opportunity to visit Google and Silicon Valley in Year 10, that I realised, science is never-ending and that is something I am willing to discover more of. It is also a big aspiration of mine, within the next 6 years, to receive a Bachelor of Dental Surgery, or a Science related degree which includes health so that I can support my whānau and others within the wider community.
Not only did attending LIYSF allow me to discover more about science, it also allowed me to connect with like-minded people and cultures from all around the world so I cannot thank Royal Society Te Āpārangi and the TSSTA Fund enough for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity I had the privilege of attending. Nō reira tena koutou katoa.