05/10/2026
Shirley Neho: Ngā Tāngata o Te Hiku o Te Ika | People of Te Hiku o Te Ika 🧡
“I was born in Kaitāia, my parents Charlie (Hare) Neho and Jenny Gordon married in Te Hāpua, but I grew up in Auckland. I whakapapa to Ngāti Kurī, Te Paatu, and Ngāti Kahu. I wanted to go to school in Kaitāia, but I wasn't allowed, so I finished my education in Auckland and then went on to Teachers' College. My parents really loved people. They were very social and liked to be connected to their family and friends. We never really had a simple trip to a place where we didn’t stop and kōrero with whanaunga.
I feel like I learned my sense of work ethic from my mum. She always encouraged a balance of work and fun. Work was work, give it your all wherever you’re at, but it wasn’t to be the be-all and end-all of your life. Every job she had mum would get work for both my aunty Sharon and I, so we were earning money right from when we were 15. But life was having fun and she showed us that as well.
After my mum passed in 1993, we had no reason to stay in Auckland. My partner Clifford Wallace and I moved back to Kaitāia in 1998. I had secured a job as a Tutor for Te Wananga o Muriwhenua and Cliff could build so easily found work. We had always wanted to come home and connect our sons with their grandparents, family and whenua.
I have held many jobs in Kaitāia and each one required upskilling. I was a trained teacher and then switched career into social work. Some of my best highlights are from when I worked for Te Oranga. We did amazing stuff in the community and had a really great team. All of us were working in spaces that were interesting to us as well as impactful for the community. We would support one another where needed and it just worked well, it was a really clever way of working for our community. I’m really proud of that approach and our manager Owen Lewis who created that environment.
Moving into social work was quite eye-opening. I feel like growing up, we almost had a protected life, and to see the conditions and quality of life some people lived in was really sad but I saw how caring they were to others. I met people with the biggest hearts in that space. I always think people have a defined purpose, and sometimes they get lost and don’t find it. I like to encourage people’s natural strengths and remind them that they are their whole selves and determine their own path.
When I stepped into governance mahi, I was trained under some really knowledgeable people, like Malcom Matthews and Robin Shepherd. Being with those characters gives you a good backbone.
Why have I stayed in Te Hiku? Because I really love it. My family, my people are here. It’s a great town with heaps of opportunity. I’ve been able to get a Degree and a Masters whilst living up here and working full-time – all the opportunity is right there for others to do the same. Kaitāia is so unique in the variety of lifestyles it presents, you can have two people who have lived here their whole life and yet never had a shared experience. People are what fills my cup. I live a full life because I spend time with people I care about or who I’m interested in hearing about. You can learn so much from just listening to someone else, or find yourself connected to the right places to thrive. My mum always told me to have no regrets. There will always be consequences for your choices, good or bad, but you just have to own it. I’m not a perfectionist by any means but I’m more than okay with that – I can flow with whatever is in front of me. I am a morning thinker, so my ‘morning person’ sorts out what my ‘afternoon person’ is going to do for the day, and I always try my best to make each day count, even something as simple as weeding the garden, but I never stress if I don’t get everything on the list done either.
If I was sitting down with a young person of Te Hiku who wants to get into business or leadership, I’d say: Go for it. Economic wealth gives you freedom, and with freedom, you can make choices. Surround yourself with good people. I learned from Sarah Greener; “Be the dumbest person in the room”, so that you are always learning from others. You attract who you are, and people will turn up when you need them. Back yourself, contribute to your community, and don’t just be a taker – we’re in this together. Look for your purpose, live a purposeful life, and find out what makes you happy.”
