I Am Rotorua – Renee Tapsell

I Am Rotorua

“We’ve been at this for about two or three years now, and we’re turning three this month. It’s been quite the journey, not just in terms of the business, but in my own māoritanga, too. Coming home and meeting so many people, hearing their stories, learning their whakapapa—it all feels like it was meant to be.

One of the really cool things we’ve been working on is with Te Arawa Fisheries. They’ve got this programme called Occupy, which is about equipping our Māori divers with proper training. A lot of them have just been handed gear and told to ‘fill this bag,’ without any formal training. That’s how we lose people. It’s preventable, ya know? That’s why we’re working to improve water safety, especially for Māori.

And now, with our wahine scuba programmes, we’re empowering our women, but it’s also a way to reach their tāne. When they see their wāhine diving, they think, ‘I should upskill, too.’ It’s been incredible to see how this kaupapa has grown, touching so many parts of our community. I’m not just teaching; I’m learning as well. It’s this amazing, all-encompassing journey that’s come together from so many different angles.”

“For a lot of us, it’s a lifestyle thing. I can think of so many of my mates who, when there’s a tangihanga, they’re straight out to the water or off on a hunt. It’s just what we do. Some of them are educated about it, but plenty just head out because that’s the way it’s always been.

What we’re trying to do now is change that mindset a bit. Yes, you can learn a lot from your uncles or your cousins, but there’s more to it—there’s the physics, the physiology, and the safety side. We want to teach people that it’s not cool to take risks just for the hell of it. It’s about being leaders, about knowing when something’s not right and having the courage to speak up and change it.

We get some gear in here that’s been patched up with duct tape, hanging on by a thread. There’s this old saying, "It's not broken until it’s completely broken,”’ but that’s not the mindset we want anymore. We want people to understand the risks, to take care of themselves and their gear, and to be the ones who make sure everyone else is safe too.”

- Renee Tapsell Aotearoa Dive