"My reason for moving home was to raise my daughter here," Tama said. "I had a pretty good upbringing here, and I want her to experience that as well."
Tama, a trained barber, has purchased the Hokitika Barbershop. He saw a gap in the market in Hokitika and believes there is a need for his services. He plans to expand the business and take on a trainee by the end of the year.
“As a teenager, there was nothing really for me to look up to besides your standard trades like building, electricians, and stuff. I feel like there should be a mixture of things to offer young kids to get out there and do.
"Barbering is a job you can take around the whole world. You only really need a toolbox of stuff, so it's definitely a good job to get into," Tama said.
His partner Cassidy has also started a new business, a home salon called the Lash and Beauty Boudoir.
Tama's return home has been a fulfilling experience for him.
"There's a Whakatauki (proverb) that always resonated with me growing up, especially in the last few years. And it goes: E hoki koe ki ō maunga. Kia purea koe e ngā hau a Tāwhirimātea. So that basically means come back to your mountains to be cleansed by the breath of Tāwhirimātea (god of weather).
“And it happens, you know, you come back home and you love it," Tama said.
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