Hustler Heritability: A Case Study
Each working 60+ hours weeks in paid and unpaid roles, my parents are Dr. Frankenstein and I, their monster, pursue my own love: work-life balance. But how did I come to be?
Background & Methods: My left leg stands strong from manual labour. A farmer from 14 turned plumber in his 40s. All his life, my dad has worked from the dark hours of morning into the deep night. Unpaid labour is common and the sweat from satisfaction was bitterly cheap compared to the sweet of a gold coin. His values centred around impressing the boss and demonstrating your work ethic in everything you do. Despite this, my dad is still on a journey to realising his worth but has earned himself a blissful life as a plumber and farmer 4 and 3 days a week respectively.
Observed Effect: Satisfaction comes from hard mahi. MUST be early and stay late. Needing to ask is lowkey shame…
Background & Methods: My right leg is erratic and always busy. Self-made with the ultimate education sector pipeline: teacher à principal à kohanga reo teacher à ERO officer à developing curricula. Mum embodies forging your own path but, in the words of her grandmother Whaia McClutchie nee Tuhaka, my mum “speaks for the people”. She is a rohenga representative, casual caterer upon request, A.C.E. tutor, and more. You will find her coming home from one job and working past midnight on her community projects and volunteer roles. Her choice of mahi impact home and she has never let her interests die at the hand of one job.
Observed Effect: Opportunities are gold. Favours asked MUST be delivered. Multiple jobs = normal. Sooner is better than later. CONSTANTLY WORKING.
Background & Methods
At my core, I am a Nāti and my heart belongs to Te Tairāwhiti. Icon Tā Apirana Ngata told us to reach out to te taha Pākeha to sustain ourselves – an easy task as a science student. He tells us to dedicate our ngākau to our tīpuna Māori so they may adorn our heads but a white-passing Māori is a double-edged sword. In studies, revelation risks being targeted and/or one’s worth calculated on reo capabilities. In mahi, “being” Māori risks being burdened with translation projects without transformation and unsolicited “Māori experience” stories. But at least I have the option – right? Mātauranga Ngāti Porou tells us to “make do”, so there is no choice. My attitude homogenises “cuzzy” and professional with a Nāti twang, my hononga are an unlimited resource, and my CV is now 4 pages long.
Observed Effect: Won’t ask for help. Service > Self-preservation. Homesickness. Imposter syndrome.
Results
No student loan. Affords CBD rent, utilities, groceries and savings. 5 casual contracts + 4 volunteer roles. BSci Biomed graduate. Starting PGDip Biomed. Infinite delulu. Monthly stress-induced spirals. Part-time Waipiro marae rat.
Recommendations for future hustlers
Consider dropping a paper/contract before dropping off the face of the earth. You WILL need to close one door before opening another. Take rest or rest will take you.
