From NIC to New Zealand: Indigenous Student Explores Climate Change Solutions

Nineteen-year-old Mahatta Price, a member of K’ómoks First Nation, and an Associate of Arts student at North Island College (NIC), has returned home after spending the winter studying abroad in New Zealand, known by its Māori name, Aotearoa.

Reflecting on the experience, Price says the opportunity offered a meaningful connection between Indigenous cultures across the world.

“It was a unique and special experience because I was taking part in a culture like my own and learning traditions that felt familiar, while gaining cultural experience from knowledge keepers in another country,” she says.

Supported by the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship (QES) program, Price spent two-months in New Zealand studying at Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi and the University of Waikato. This QES funding round marked the first time colleges such as NIC were eligible to apply.

The project, Indigenizing the Climate Change Response: Fostering Inter-Cultural & Inter-Disciplinary Resiliency Through Study Abroad, gave Price the opportunity to explore Indigenous approaches to climate change through intercultural learning and interdisciplinary collaboration.

During her time at Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi and the University of Waikato, she observed how each institution weaves Indigenous knowledge throughout its courses, programs and campus life. In her second month, she participated in a course focused on developing climate change strategies grounded in Indigenous knowledge, gaining new perspectives on how traditional knowledge can inform environmental stewardship and resilience.

While the academic experience was invaluable, what stood out most to Price was the presence of the Māori language in everyday life.

“As a student of Indigenous Language Revitalization, seeing it everywhere—from the emergency exit signs in the apartment where I was staying to everyday public use in common vocabulary—was really special,” she says.

Now back home, Price is looking forward to continuing her studies and hopes to one day become a teacher, with a focus on Indigenous education and the integration of Indigenous knowledge and perspectives in the classroom.