Ngamoana-grace O’Brien-Fitzgerald is planning to make kai her life after taking part in the Life of Kai, a cooking wānanga available to her through Tui Ora.
Ngamoana (Ngāti Ruanui, Ngāti Tupito, Tainui) is currently studying towards a Level 4 Certificate of Cookery, with her sights set on international horizons.
She has come a long way as just a year ago, her life looked very different after being admitted to hospital after experiencing some oranga hinengaro concerns.
“I was getting no sleep. I was very delusional,” she says. She also remembers paranoia and grief surfacing, including grief for her father, who died when she was 10.
At the time, Ngamoana had been trying to get better on her own through meditation and other practices but eventually accepted help. “I started medication and that really helped clear my mind,” she says. Her message to others in the same position is “If you ever need help, please take it. Don’t just do it yourself.”
Through the hospital, Ngamoana was referred to Kirsty Wilkin, Community Mental Enrolled Nurse at Tui Ora, who became a steady support. “She’s just been an angel ever since,” Ngamoana says, “She’s very patient with me. I’m very grateful for that.”
Kirsty later introduced her to Alex Dickie, Kaiwhakaihuwaka at Tui Ora, and the Life of Kai programme, a connection that would help Ngamoana take her next step for her career.
When Life of Kai was first suggested, Ngamoana was open to giving it a go. “I thought, yeah, cool. Give me something to do while I’m figuring it all out,” she says.
Some of Ngamoana’s earliest memories are connected to kai, and it’s always been a passion for her. Her father was a chef, and when she was younger she would say “I want to be a food critic when I get older.”
She discovered that Life of Kai was much more than just a cooking programme. She gained a deeper understanding of tikanga Māori, learned new kitchen skills, and began to see kai as a pathway for her mahi.
While Alex introduced Ngamoana to practical skills such as dicing and preparing ingredients, he also shared his own career stories. “It was really inspirational,” she says. The programme also includes kōrero, foraging, preparing and sharing kai of dishes such as mussels, pikopiko pesto and rēwana bread.
After the wānanga ended, Alex took Ngamoana to meet tutors at the Western Institute of Technology Taranaki (WITT) to have a look around. The tutors encouraged her to sign up, telling her the course was a fun, practical way to gain qualifications. “If you like cooking, you’ll like it,” they told her.
She was taken through the course information and realised the structure could work for her and that study was possible. “That day I was like, okay, I can actually do this,” she says, and the rest is history.
She has since completed the Level 3 certificate and is now working towards completing Level 4.
Ngamoana is enjoying building a future in food, and through Alex’s mentorship she’s taken inspiration from his career and hopes to get some international cooking experience. “My goal is to go overseas and do cooking over there at some point,” she says.
Her journey has not been easy, but it has been full of support, courage and growth. From a difficult time in hospital to finding her place in the kitchen and the classroom, Ngamoana has reignited a spark that was always there.
Her advice for anyone feeling apprehensive about taking the next step for their future? “Just ask for help. That’s the main thing,” she says.