Angel is a recipient of the BDO Sir Henare Ngata Scholarship - awarded each year to three Māori accounting students nationally to help grow the next generation of Māori accountants.
Angel Baty didn’t always see accounting in her future, but after her mum started working in finance, she was inspired to dive deeper into numbers and explore what her career could look like.
Below, Angel shares her journey to accounting, what receiving the BDO Sir Henare Ngata Scholarship means and her dream of giving back to her East Coast community.
“I wasn’t exposed to much accounting at school, but now I love it.”
I was born and raised in Gisborne and along the beautiful East Coast. I went to an all-girls school where accounting wasn’t really on my radar. Most of my whānau worked in the shearing industry or forestry but I wasn’t sure I was cut out for that!
I took a gap year after leaving school to find my feet and during that time my mum started working at BDO Gisborne. Watching her step into that role was inspiring and gave me a glimpse into the world of accounting.
I’m a homebody and knew I didn’t want to travel far to study, so when I discovered Massey University offered a Bachelor of Accountancy degree that could be completed by distance, it felt like the perfect opportunity. I’m now in my final year of study and my mum has supported me every step of the way.
“I feel so grateful for the opportunities the BDO Sir Henare Ngata Scholarship will offer me.”
Getting close to the end of my degree, I knew it was time to start thinking about my next steps. I saw the BDO Sir Henare Ngata Scholarship online and applied without really expecting I’d get it. And here I am!
Receiving this scholarship feels like a huge accomplishment. I’m proud and grateful for the opportunity to better myself and work towards my goal of supporting my community and the East Coast.
This scholarship will help me to broaden my skill set and do meaningful mahi. Of course the financial support is amazing, but the scholarship is much more than that - it will also provide me with the support and guidance of a wonderful team to help me learn and grow in this role.
“The prospect of using my accounting knowledge in the real world is really exciting.”
I’ll be joining BDO Gisborne and can’t wait to apply my theoretical knowledge to the real world. The team here are encouraging and innovative, and I’m definitely looking forward to learning from others who have been doing this work for a while. Being a distance student can feel isolating, so I’m excited to meet more people, share knowledge and get advice and guidance as I develop my career – ultimately helping me to transition from studying to working.
“I want to help my community and inspire others.”
Eventually I’d like to become a Chartered Accountant – after I get my Bachelor’s first! This will hopefully enable me to do more meaningful mahi to give back to my community and inspire others to dream big!
“Don’t ever think you’re not good enough.”
If you’re considering applying for the BDO Sir Henare Ngata Scholarship in the future, my only advice is to go for it! You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. This is an amazing opportunity and I would encourage everyone to apply.About the BDO Sir Henare Ngata Scholarship
The BDO Sir Henare Ngata Scholarship aims to help address the underrepresentation of Māori within the accounting profession. It offers financial assistance, an internship or graduate opportunity with a BDO firm, registration to the Ngā Kaitatau Māori o Aotearoa hui, and mentorship with BDO. To find out more, click here.