Rangatahi Promoted to Assistant Lead: Marima Lay's Journey at Spark

"She came in committed on Day 1. And she never let up."

When Marima Lay joined the very first Tūrama Pathways cohort, she was one of a group of rangatahi stepping into one of Aotearoa's most competitive industries with big dreams and a willingness to back themselves. What happened next is exactly the kind of story this programme was built for.

Marima has since been promoted to Assistant Lead at Spark Takanini.

Tūrama Pathways is a Spark Foundation internship programme designed to create equitable access to the technology sector for Māori and Pacific rangatahi. It is built on the belief that the talent has always been there.

What has been missing is the pathway. Zeducation joined the programme as a delivery and support partner, providing targeted soft skills training and pastoral care to help each participant step into the workplace with confidence, communication, and a clear sense of who they are and what they bring.

For the very first cohort, everything was new. The environment, the expectations, the industry. Marima walked into that space and showed up fully, not just for herself but as an example of what rangatahi are capable of when they are given the right support and the right opportunity.

That commitment from Day 1 is now visible in her title, her role, and the leadership she is growing into at Spark Takanini.

Zeducation is incredibly proud of Marima and grateful to Spark NZ for a partnership that goes beyond training. Together, the aim is simple: to make sure rangatahi from Pacific and Māori communities can see themselves in spaces where they have traditionally been underrepresented, and to ensure they have every tool they need to not just enter those spaces, but to lead within them.

Marima's promotion is proof of what becomes possible when potential meets purpose.

This is just the beginning.