Tupuhi was born and raised  in Te Tairāwhiti where he attended kura at Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngā Uri a Māui learning mātauranga Māori, before moving to Gisborne Boys’ High School in pursuit of higher education. After finishing school, he moved up to Auckland to study at Waipapa Taumata Rau, the University of Auckland. He is currently working towards completing his bachelor’s degree and strives to make the most out of all the opportunities given to him by putting his most authentic self and best foot forward. Being back home over the summer has helped Tupuhi to reconnect with his roots and remind him also of the reasons he left home to study in the first place. Although he does not study in the medical field, he has a particular interest in understanding the research process. In combination with medical research based in Te Tairāwhiti (his kainga), he excitedly took on the summer internship offered by Mātai. He remains very keen to indulge in rangahau with mātauranga Māori based methods.