Te Wānanga O Aotearoa
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Te Wānanga o Aotearoa is a
Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...
university and
tertiary education Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...
provider with over 80 campuses throughout
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
. The indigenous-led organisation works towards "
whānau Whānau () is the Māori word for the basic extended family group. Within Māori society the ''whānau'' encompasses three or four generations and forms the political unit below the levels of hapū (subtribe), iwi (tribe or nation) and waka (mi ...
transformation through education" including the redevelopment of Māori cultural knowledge and breaking inter-generational cycles of non-participation in tertiary education to reduce
poverty Poverty is a state or condition in which an individual lacks the financial resources and essentials for a basic standard of living. Poverty can have diverse Biophysical environmen ...
and associated social issues. Te Wānanga o Aotearoa is one of three such wānanga organisations in New Zealand and is one of the largest public tertiary education institutions in the nation.


History

Te Wānanga o Aotearoa was founded in 1984 to provide training and education for those whose needs were not being met by the mainstream
education system The educational system generally refers to the structure of all institutions and the opportunities for obtaining education within a country. It includes all pre-school institutions, starting from family education, and/or early childhood education ...
. Te Wānanga o Aotearoa was the brainchild of
Te Awamutu College Te Awamutu is a town in the Waikato region in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the council seat of the Waipā District and serves as a service town for the farming communities which surround it. Te Awamutu is located some south of Hamilt ...
board of governors' member Rongo Wetere and Māori Studies teacher Iwi Kohuru (Boy) Mangu. The two men wanted to provide a "
marae A ' (in Māori language, New Zealand Māori, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian language, Tahitian), ' (in Tongan language, Tongan), ' (in Marquesan language, Marquesan) or ' (in Samoan language, Samoan) is a communal or sacred place that serves reli ...
of learning" as an educational alternative for the large number of predominantly Māori students who were being expelled from
Te Awamutu College Te Awamutu is a town in the Waikato region in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the council seat of the Waipā District and serves as a service town for the farming communities which surround it. Te Awamutu is located some south of Hamilt ...
. Their solution was to lead a group of these students to create a
wharenui A wharenui (; literally "large house") is a communal house of the Māori people of New Zealand, generally situated as the focal point of a ''marae''. Wharenui are usually called meeting houses in New Zealand English, or simply called ''wikt:wh ...
on the college's grounds. The two men were joined in their endeavours by
tohunga In the culture of the Māori people, Māori of New Zealand, a tohunga (tōhuka in Southern Māori dialect) is an expert practitioner of any skill or art, either religious or otherwise. Tohunga include expert priests, healers, navigators, carvers, ...
whakairo Toi whakairo (art carving) or just whakairo (carving) is a Māori traditional art of carving in wood, stone or bone. History Timber was formed into houses, fencepoles, pouwhenua, containers, taiaha, tool handles and waka (canoe). Carving ...
(master carvers) Pakariki Harrison and Mac Bell and tohunga raranga (master weaver) Hinemoa Harrison. The resulting structure, O-Tāwhao Marae, was opened on 26 April 1985 and is still used to introduce students to (the world of Māori). Although the project encountered resistance at the time, O-Tāwhao is now recognised as a valuable resource for the college and
Te Awamutu Te Awamutu is a town in the Waikato, Waikato region in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the council seat of the Waipā District and serves as a service town for the farming communities which surround it. Te Awamutu is located some south ...
community. In 1984, Mr Wetere led a project to create the Waipā Kōkiri Arts Centre. The centre would provide further educational opportunities for the students who were involved in the O-Tāwhao Marae project and engage others in the community who had no qualifications. The aim was to provide these people with a future beyond the
unemployment Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is the proportion of people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work du ...
queues. Although some
government funding A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a me ...
was available, further
fundraising Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...
and, in some cases, personal
loans In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money. The document evidencing the debt ( ...
from founders were needed to complete the centre. On completion of the centre, new government funding became available that enabled the Waipā Kōkiri Arts Centre to expand its programme portfolio. Office administration,
computer technology Computing is any goal-oriented activity requiring, benefiting from, or creating computing machinery. It includes the study and experimentation of algorithmic processes, and the development of both hardware and software. Computing has scientif ...
studies and trades training programmes in building and plumbing were added to the
whakairo Toi whakairo (art carving) or just whakairo (carving) is a Māori traditional art of carving in wood, stone or bone. History Timber was formed into houses, fencepoles, pouwhenua, containers, taiaha, tool handles and waka (canoe). Carving ...
(carving), raranga (weaving) and Te Reo Māori programmes already running. The centre also became involved in community projects, including renovating marae throughout the country and producing carving and weaving to adorn these buildings. During the 1980s, a time of high unemployment in New Zealand, the (philosophy) of the Waipā Kōkiri Arts Centre was to increase Māori participation in tertiary training by taking education to the people, particularly those without qualifications. With travel being a major barrier for many, the founders began opening
campuses A campus traditionally refers to the land and buildings of a college or university. This will often include libraries, lecture halls, student centers and, for residential universities, residence halls and dining halls. By extension, a corp ...
in other areas, including
Te Kūiti Te Kūiti is a town in the north of the King Country region of the North Island of New Zealand. It lies at the junction of New Zealand State Highway 3, State Highways 3 and New Zealand State Highway 30, 30 and on the North Island Main Trunk rail ...
,
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...
and
Manukau Manukau (), or Manukau Central, is a suburb of South Auckland, New Zealand, centred on the Manukau City Centre business district. It is located 23 kilometres south of the Auckland Central Business District, west of the Southern Motorway, ...
. In 1987, Buck Nin, a leading New Zealand educationalist and artist, and Mr Wetere advanced the concept of creating a tertiary education institute, or
wānanga In the education in New Zealand, education system of New Zealand, a wānanga is a state sector organisations in New Zealand, publicly-owned Tertiary education, tertiary institution or Māori people, Māori university that provides education in a ...
. Dr Nin believed that, by gaining tertiary status, Aotearoa Institute would earn recognition for its qualifications throughout New Zealand and the world. In 1988, the pair submitted an application to the Ministry of Education and the following year the government changed the Education Act to open the way for recognition of wānanga as tertiary education institutions. The same year (1989), Waipā Kōkiri Arts Centre changed its name to Aotearoa Institute and shortly afterwards became the first registered private training establishment (under
NZQA The New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA; ) is the New Zealand government Crown entity tasked with administering educational assessment and qualifications. It was established by the Education Act 1989. NZQA administers the National Certi ...
) in the country. The Aotearoa Institute lobbied government for a further five years before being granted tertiary status in 1993. This gave the organisation statutory recognition as a wānanga and placed it alongside universities, polytechnics and teachers' training colleges. In 1994, Aotearoa Institute changed its name to Te Wānanga o Aotearoa to reflect this change in status. Te Wānanga o Aotearoa experienced growth during the early 2000s (growing from 3,127 students in 2000 to 66,756 students in 2004) and quickly became one of the largest tertiary education institutions in the country. However, there were challenges associated with this rapid expansion. The organisation's internal processes struggled to keep pace with the demand for learning. In 2005, the government appointed a group of Crown managers to help consolidate the organisation and implement systems and processes befitting a nationwide institution. This work included a nationwide restructure, reorganisation of the executive level, and a curriculum review. Since then, Te Wānanga o Aotearoa has re-established itself as a leading provider of Māori education in New Zealand and has become a model for overseas organisations.


Wānanga in tertiary education

In traditional times, were houses of higher learning dedicated to perpetuating knowledge. Attendance at was a privilege, with stringent selection processes ensuring that only the most capable students were chosen to receive the knowledge that was to be shared. In the modern context, wānanga retain their status as places of higher learning, alongside universities and polytechnics as recognised tertiary institutions in New Zealand. Te Wānanga o Aotearoa is one of three wānanga that have been given statutory recognition in New Zealand. The three wānanga are represented by the collective national association ''Te Tauihu o Ngā Wānanga''. Te Wānanga o Aotearoa expresses āhuatanga Māori through its guiding principles, tikanga, staff actions, and programmes. Although operating within te ao Māori (the Māori sphere), Te Wānanga o Aotearoa welcomes all New Zealanders.


Curriculum

Te Wānanga o Aotearoa delivers programmes from certificate through to masters level. Its programme portfolio has been developed over time in consultation with iwi, industry, community and students. Te Wānanga o Aotearoa considers feedback from these groups, the objectives of the Government's Tertiary Education Strategy, organisational objectives and constraints. A key objective is to remove barriers to tertiary education, including economic, geographical, family and work commitments, and previous negative experiences. To achieve this, Te Wānanga o Aotearoa minimises fees, maximises programme options and locations, offers flexible learning hours and provides student support. The resulting programme mix balances these objectives.


Student demographics and achievement

In 2010, 35,991 students studied at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa. Of these, 18,020 (50.1%) indicated Māori
whakapapa Genealogy is a fundamental principle in Māori culture, termed specifically in this context as ''whakapapa'' (, , lit. 'layering'). Reciting one's '' whakapapa'' proclaims one's identity among the Māori, places oneself in a wider context, and ...
and 3,702 (10.3%) indicated Pasifika origins. Sixty-eight per cent of students were women and 52% were over 40. Thirty-eight per cent of enrolling students in 2010 had no qualifications and 30% were unemployed. Student satisfaction was high in 2010, with 91% satisfied with their tutor and 90% satisfied with their learning environment. Satisfaction was also high with learning resources, programmes, and facilities. In 2010, Te Wānanga o Aotearoa's overall programme graduation rate was 70%, with course completion and retention rates of 78% and 81% respectively.


Initiatives


''Mātātahi Mataora''

Te Wānanga o Aotearoa has increasingly catered to mature students as its reputation for inclusive adult education has grown. While continuing this commitment, the organisation is also focusing on youth. In response to high youth unemployment, Te Wānanga o Aotearoa introduced youth initiatives to ease the transition from secondary to tertiary education. These include full-time youth learning facilities and day courses for those in mainstream secondary schools.


Open Wānanga

Open Wānanga, formerly a subsidiary, provided home-based learning. Popular subjects included Māori history and knowledge and English language. It was reintegrated into Te Wānanga o Aotearoa in 2015.


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wānanga o Aotearoa, Te Māori universities and colleges in New Zealand Organizations established in 1983