Olivier is a fourth year medical student from the University of Otago who grew up here in Tairāwhiti. Although he did not attend high school here, he has maintained a strong connection to the land and its people returning each summer in his time off studies. He feels incredibly honoured to be able to intern through matai with its state of the art technology and groundbreaking research implemented to better this community. His hope is that Mātai in combination with the region’s dense Māori population will inspire the next generation of young Māori to pursue their dreams in the science space and continue to display the innovative ideas of our people.