Pōwhiri ‘moving’, says 2026 Ōtaki Scholar

Pōwhiri ‘moving’, says 2026 Ōtaki Scholar

The 2026 Ōtaki Scholar, Fraser Rettie, has “absolutely loved” his time in the town.

From Aberdeen in Scotland, Fraser was welcomed to Ōtaki with a pōwhiri at Raukawa Marae on July 20. He says the pōwhiri was “unlike anything I’ve ever been involved with”.

“It was really moving. I’ve learnt a lot about the Raukawa Marae – everything I’ve seen, every building, every piece of art. Everything has a history and a story behind it.”

While in New Zealand, he’s been learning as much Māori as possible, enhancing his current studies at Robert Gordon’s College in German and Spanish, as well as statistics. He says te reo Māori is like nothing he’s ever come across.

“It’s a really beautiful language and a beautiful part of Ōtaki and New Zealand.”

Another aspect of Ōtaki that has impressed Fraser is how tolerant and enthusiastic Māori and European – and other cultures – are and how they are all woven together.

That, he says “is something really special” and “something that’s really stood out for me”.

“I’ve loved getting to know how connected everyone is. All the pieces are intertwined.”

Another feature of his time was visiting Kapiti Island, the kind of visit that’s not possible in his native Scotland.

Fraser came to New Zealand as the 2026 Ōtaki Scholar – he is school captain at Robert Gordon’s College.

“The reason I came was to represent my college and because of the history of the SS Ōtaki, a merchant navy ship that on March 10, 1917, fought off SMS Möwe in the north Atlantic. Captain Smith told the rest of the fleet to flee and he fought off this heavily armed German ship with just a a gun.”

The Otaki was sunk, with Captain Smith, 14-year-old midshipman William Martin and four other crew members going down with her. The Smith family gifted the Aberdeen school the Ōtaki Shield and the Ōtaki scholarship.

Fraser said he was in New Zealand to not only represent the history of SS Otaki and the Smith family, but also to represent his college, his city, his country, “and essentially be an ambassador for all of them”.

Fraser is a keen rugby player. He has played for the Robert Gordon’s College first XV for two years as the team’s vice captain.

“Sport is my main passion,” he says. “This year I got the opportunity to vice captain our team on the national pitch, to a Scottish National School Shield win.”

The win was “monumental for the school,” Fraser says.