Ka Miharo Issue 2 Raumati 2010

RAUMATI Summer 2010

KA MĂ?HARO

TEAM TAANE Joining forces

Embracing Pasifika

Early learners thrive

Building a new future

Take pride of place

Jacqui Waenga - Patrick’s mum “Since studying at Te W nanga o Aotearoa Patrick has set goals for himself and his family, and he has a direction for his future now.

Te W nanga o Aotearoa has an environment where you can realise who you are by finding your roots and gaining an understanding of your culture. We all feel very proud of Patrick, he’s led the way for his family.”

or visit www.twoa.ac.nz

TÁ TE POUHERE MIHI I te urunga o Tama-i-te-rá tae noa ki tóna rua, i te kórekorekonga hoki o ngá uri o Te Ika-nui-i-te-rangi ka rere ngá inoi ki a ia i te Púmotomoto-o-Tikitiki-o-Rangi.

Ko te Atua tó tátou piringa, ka puta, ka ora.

Welcome to the first edition of KA MÏHARO for 2010. It gives me great pleasure to introduce this first quarter edition of our Te Wänanga o Aotearoa magazine, which celebrates and shares the journeys and successes of our tauira and kaimahi.

E ara ake ana ngá hirihiri ki a ia kia tukua iho mai e ia ana tauwhirotanga ki runga i a tátou katoa, tae noa ki a Kíngi Tuheitia, á, haere ake nei.

In this edition, the success and life-changing impact of some of our programmes continue as a dominant theme. We hear from the beauty and brains behind one of this country’s most popular musicians and we follow the journey of some of our tauira from South Auckland who have done the hard yards in pursuit of their dreams to join the New Zealand Police.

Móteatea ana te ngákau – tangihia mamaetia te iwi ka nunumi ki te pó nui, te pó roa, te pó whaiariki, te pó oti atu e.

Okioki atu.

Tákiri mai te ata, ka ao, ka ao, ka tino awatea. Tihé mauri ora ki a tátou e puta nei ki te whai ao, ki te ao márama.

Ténei ka mihi i runga i te houanga o ténei tau, waihoki i te putanga o KA MÍHARO o ténei wáhanga e whakatairanga ana, e whakanui ana i ngá tauira me ngá kaiako kua eke panuku, kua eke Tangaroa. Ná runga i térá ka mihi ki a rátou kua tae ki te pae o túmanako, o moemoeá. Ko te kórero ki a tátou: wháia, whakamaua!

We’ll also visit a new sports academy in South Auckland, check out the young Mäori men who are beginning a career in the building and construction field and showcase the good work our Te Wänanga o Aotearoa whanaunga continue to do in the early learning field.

These are just some of the wonderful stories captured in this edition.

2010 will be a year of further growth and refinement for Te Wänanga o Aotearoa.

It follows on from a hugely successful 2009, where we continued to grow our tauira numbers up to around 40,000 and, again,

made financial surpluses. These will help ensure resources are available to re-invest into the communities we serve.

I thank all who have shared their stories in KA MÏHARO and all who have assisted in putting together our magazine.

So, welcome to you all. Take pride in the stories we share in this edition. Be strong whänau, and support each other throughout the year. We look forward to celebrating more of your stories in future editions.

Kia tau te mauri.

Bentham Ohia Te Pouhere, Te Wänanga o Aotearoa.

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HE KUPU RUARUA

Celebrating an educational pioneer The Waikato township of Te Awamutu has formally recognised the outstanding educational contribution of Rongo Wetere, the founding Tumuaki of Te Wánanga o Aotearoa.

R

ongo Wetere was one of 18 local heroes to be inducted into the town’s Walk of Fame in Selwyn Park, which was opened last November by Kïngi Tuheitia.

Other inductees include Tim and Neil Finn of Split Enz fame, rangatira Rewi Maniapoto and the entrepreneurial Tamaki brothers.

Te Awamutu Mayor Alan Livingston says Rongo’s greatest contribution was his refusal to accept failure, especially among young Mäori.

“Through education and training he has instilled a sense of purpose, work ethic and skills, and a sense of pride which has now extended nationwide,” Mr Livingston says.

Te Wänanga o Aotearoa Senior Cultural Ambassador Marie Panapa (Aunty Ma) worked with Rongo in the 1980s to establish better training and job opportunities for youth in Te Awamutu. She says Rongo was a true pioneer.

“Rongo’s vision was very clear and it drove us over what seemed to be insurmountable challenges.”

Marie says Rongo, a Te Awamutu College board member, and former teacher Boy Mangu were the driving force behind the building of the Otäwhao Marae at Te Awamutu College.

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Otäwhao Marae was the first marae to be built in a school or tertiary institution in Aotearoa.

A year later, Rongo and his team established the Waipä Kökiri Arts Centre in Te Awamutu, which offered Mäori arts courses and trade training programmes. This humble organisation evolved into Te Wänanga o Aotearoa.

For the next 25 years, Rongo led Te Wänanga o Aotearoa through a rapid growth phase. Te Wänanga o Aotearoa now offers tertiary programmes to more than 40,000 tauira around the country.

Despite this huge growth, Rongo insisted that head office remained in Te Awamutu.

Mayor Alan Livingston acknowledges that this decision has brought significant benefits to the town.

“It is one of the district’s largest employers and we have had the benefit of the strong cultural qualities provided by the Wänanga, especially in assisting at-risk youth,” Alan says.

Rongo, who is working in Canada on a national adult literacy programme for indigenous peoples, was unable to attend the

launch. Daughter Susan Cullen, who unveiled his poupou with his mokopuna, says her father is humbled by the honour.

“Personally, I believe it made him feel a bit homesick, but he is so passionate about indigenous educational needs he just won’t relax for a minute.”

KA MÍHARO RAUMATI Summer 2010

EDITORIAL TEAM Jarel Phillips Jon Stokes Sandi Hinerangi Barr Paraone Gloyne Steve Bradford

Marketing Manager Managing Editor Editor Te Reo Adviser Proof Reader

CONTRIBUTORS Ngahiwi Apanui Leesah Murray Tui Barton Grant Ngatai Gary Beach Elizabeth Pakai Heemi Boyd Marie Panapa Tatiana Brown Mihaka Panapa Tim Brown Jo Pere Amos Chapple John Peters Jillian Churchill Selwyn Ponga-Davis Susan Cullen Aroha Rivers Novalee Hamon Neville Rogers Vince Heperi Puawai Swindells-Wallace Tony Lafotanoa Ninakaye Taanetinorau Darrell Lambert Dean Taylor Damian McGregor Wayne Te Tai Bruce Mercer Alice Te Puni

DESIGN Kaaterina Kerekere, kedesign PRINTING Norcross Printing Group PUBLISHER Te Wänanga o Aotearoa PO Box 151 Te Awamutu 3800

HE KAUPAPA KÖRERO FEATURES The tuahine behind Tiki Taane

Building a new future

Getting on the programme

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South Auckland may end up with more Mäori and Pacific Islanders in its police force thanks to a pre-entry programme that started up at Te Wänanga o Aotearoa last year.

Hear what graduates had to say about the programme.

Joining the Village

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Former All Black and all-round hero Michael Jones is working with Te Wänanga o Aotearoa to ensure young and talented athletes who struggled at secondary school get another shot at higher education.

Early learners thrive Providing quality childcare for students and staff at all Te Wänanga o Aotearoa campuses is a goal for the future.

Find out how the current köhungahunga are progressing.

PAPER STOCK This publication uses soy-based inks on Novatech elemental chlorine free (ECF) paper that has been bleached without harmful chlorine gas. The paper pulp has been sourced from well-managed forests that promote sustainable afforestation.

REGULARS

ISSN 1176-4333

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A unique carpentry course that combines the expertise of Te Wänanga o Aotearoa, Tainui and Wintec started last year.

Plans are already underway to extend the programme to other trades.

CONTRIBUTIONS If you are interested in contributing to KA MÏHARO, or have any feedback, contact us via email at: kamiharo@twoa.ac.nz

COPYRIGHT © The entire contents of KA MÏHARO are copyright and may not be reproduced in any form either in part or in whole without the written permission of the publisher.

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Ninakaye Taanetinorau, the manager and big sister of one of this country’s most well known musicians, Tiki Taane, credits the small business course she did at Te Wänanga o Aotearoa for their commercial success. Find out more about this wahine toa and their company, Tikidub Productions.

HE KUPU RUARUA Celebrating an educational pioneer HE WHÁRIKI REO Supporting the champions of manaaki

Southern pride Ö TÁTOU WÁNANGA Kaitáia branch KIA HOUHERE Staff news MAI I NGÁ ROHE News from the regions HE MARAMATAKA Events TE PAPA KUPU Máori language glossary

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HE PAETAHI The tuahine behind Tiki Taane

Nä Jillian Churchill

Nä Bruce Mercer ngä whakaahua.

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There aren’t many business people who sign off their correspondence with “Tuahine/ Managing Director”.

But Ninakaye Taanetinorau, sister and manager of Tiki Taane, is proud to be both.

She’s gone from studying on a small business course at Te Wänanga o Aotearoa to running one of the country’s most successful independent music production companies.

Three years ago, Ninakaye Taanetinorau dug out the folders from her old Te Wänanga o Aotearoa small business course and started reading.

What she needed to do was brush up on how to write a business plan, revise the step-by-step process and then apply it to establishing a new company.

“It was really helpful. That template got us up and running,” she says.

“Us” is Tikidub Productions. Ninakaye is its managing director and her principal job is managing the career of well-known and highly acclaimed musician Tiki Taane. The former lead singer of Salmonella Dub is now a hugely successful solo musician with a string of awards to his name. But behind his professional success stands a solid, tightknit whänau. While Tiki sings and produces music and Ninakaye manages, sister Maureen runs the merchandising side of the business and dad Uekaha performs in the band.

The Taanetinorau kids (Ngäti Maniapoto) grew up in Christchurch. Maureen, 37, is the oldest, then comes 35-year-old Ninakaye and “baby” Tiki at 33. There was another brother, Anaru, but he died when he was just six years old.

Ninakaye remembers her father always singing around the house, but says Tiki didn’t pick up a guitar until he was about 13.

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“From then on he went everywhere with it.”

These days Ninakaye lives in Hamilton and reckons she has become a big fan of Te Wänanga o Aotearoa programmes.

The first course she enrolled in was Mahi Ora, a life skills course that provided her with some great resources and inspired her to go on learning. She has also completed a certificate in Mäori leadership.

She’s a long way from the 16-year-old who left school with no qualifications to her name.

It dawned on Ninakaye a few years later that a small business course was just the thing for a mum at home raising two small children.

“While I was at home with the kids I thought I’d be able to generate an idea and grow it.

It was a good opportunity without having to be caught up in the nine-to-five thing.”

She loved the course.

“It was hard, but it gave me confidence.

A lot of the learning is not rocket science, but common sense and logic.”

There was also another benefit that Ninakaye hadn’t reckoned on.

“I learnt how successful Mäori women are in business. That really inspires you to do better.”

She completed the course in 2005 and worked on other business ideas before working up the courage to approach her brother about becoming his manager.

The two had been close during childhood and into their teens and early 20s, “and then Salmonella Dub happened”.

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“We lost him for several years. We felt he was just gone. We understood there was nothing holding him back and he had to keep moving,” Ninakaye says.

There was the odd postcard from Europe, or the family would see him on TV or in a magazine. The few times they did manage to catch up with him, Ninakaye says he was distracted and wouldn’t stick around long.

“We always knew that one day it would come to a point when he would need us again.”

That time came when he rang the family to tell them he was leaving Salmonella Dub. “He didn’t know what he was going to do, but he knew he had to stop and we knew we had to support him.”

Ninakaye backed off for a while, sending a few texts and trying not to add to the pressure she knew he’d be feeling.

Then she discovered she might qualify for funding through Te Puni Kökiri to help develop her brother’s business. So she and Tiki sat down in Hamilton one February afternoon four years ago and talked the idea through.

“It was quite a significant day. I knew he was a bit lost. He had someone on board, but I realised that I knew more and would be more passionate. In the end I muscled my way in really.”

Top photo: The Taanetinorau kids, Tiki, Maureen and Ninakaye.

Middle photo: Tiki Taane merchandise.

Bottom photo: Ninakaye with her tamariki, Puriri (6) and Maire (8) on the right.

“

While I was at home with the kids I thought I’d be able to generate an idea and grow it.

It was a good opportunity without having to be caught up in the nine-to-five thing.

One of the early decisions they made was to ensure they kept control of everything.

There was to be no contracting out of anything. “In that way we keep the brand as strong as possible and people know they are dealing with us and no one else.”

For the first 18 months, it was sheer slog.

“We were working our guts out day and night, but I’ve got a better handle on it now.”

The priority is her children, now aged 8 and 6. “I drop them at school at 9am and pick them up at 3pm. After that everything else can just wait.”

There’s a lot of family and business overlap, but Ninakaye says they are careful to maintain a professional approach while at the same time trying to remain laidback.

”

working how we will grow and we’re not in a hurry. We’ll take it slowly,” Ninakaye says.

One of the first things they need to do is work out exactly what it is that makes them work so well together.

“As a family, we inherently function in a certain way. We’re now trying to identify how we relate to each other, then we’ll know what kind of people we need to pull in. It needs to gel for all of us, and that’s a big ask,” Ninakaye says.

“We’re a really a productive family and quite driven. At this stage, the workload is okay; we’re just handling it.”

Having been so successful, there’s now a new problem looming: how to manage the potential for growth.

Somehow Ninakaye is also fitting in another Te Wänanga o Aotearoa course, Tü Taua, learning about traditional Mäori hand games and pastimes leading into skilled warriorship. Then there are her gym classes. She teaches flexibility and free weights classes and is qualified in Zumba, a fitness programme derived from Latin American dance.

There are bands clamouring to be managed by Tikidub, artists wanting Tiki to produce their albums and others wanting to tap into their merchandising service.

In the notes from Ninakaye’s small business course was a section on vision and why it was important. So she asked Tiki what his vision was, what it was he wanted to achieve.

“We just don’t have time to do it, and there are risks involved. It’s a matter of

His reply: “World domination!” Ninakaye is unfazed.

T

he small business courses are delivered in two modules, a level 2 programme (First Steps to Business) for 24 weeks and a level 4 programme (Certificate in Small Business Management) for 36 weeks.

The First Steps to Business programme requires a commitment of one three-hour session per week and a one-day workshop every three weeks and is an introduction to business practices including planning and goal setting.

Time commitment for the level 4 course is similar, but requires tauira to work on a plan for their own business or develop a plan for a business idea. The emphasis is on practical, relevant issues in the New Zealand business environment.

Both courses attract huge interest, with waiting lists in place. The programmes have been offered through Te Wánanga o Aotearoa since 2002 and more than 19,000 tauira have enrolled since that time.

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TOITÚ TE AKO

Building a new future Nä Jillian Churchill

Nä Bruce Mercer ngä whakaahua.

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t was a bold move – three organisations providing one course. And if there’s one thing kaiako Ken Strothers has learned, it’s that being first isn’t always easy.

Last year, the Te Wänanga o Aotearoa kaiako and a group of tauira embarked on a unique venture – a training course that marked the first time his organisation, Wintec and Tainui had worked together.

The 21-year-old was seeking to learn new skills that would give him a job closer to his Te Küiti home than his previous one, working on deep sea fishing boats out of Timaru.

The 35-week pilot trade training course combined carpentry skills with tikanga Mäori and aimed to equip graduates with the ability to take on a modern apprenticeship in the construction industry.

When he turned up at Hamilton’s Wintec campus, he heard about the pilot course at Te Wänanga o Aotearoa and knew immediately that it would suit him.

It turned out to be a huge learning experience for everyone. And in many ways it’s a commitment that Ken (Ngäti Kahungunu, Ngäti Ruapani) recognises has barely begun.

The icing on the cake was a grant that covered course fees, some transport costs, work boots and tools – offered by Tainui as part of their vision to upskill its beneficiaries.

“We know our job won’t be done for another two or three years yet,” he says.

“It has been an awesome experience,” Bobby says. “I’ve learnt a lot of skills and the work experience has been great.”

The pilot programme received funding from the Tertiary Education Commission, through its Encouraging and Supporting Innovation Fund, that was enough to take on 16 tauira – 13 from Tainui and three from Ngäpuhi and Ngäti Kahungunu.

Bobby had the advantage of having worked before, but many tauira, who ranged in age from 16 to 29, hadn’t. One of Ken’s first challenges was to instil a work ethic in his tauira.

While Wintec took care of the practical training, Te Wänanga o Aotearoa was responsible for the cultural input and wider tauira support and Tainui provided scholarships.

“I was on the phone all the time, chasing them up – you’ve got no idea. But it was what was needed to help the trainees be in a position to take full advantage of the training on offer. “

Tauira Bobby Wehi remembers the first couple of weeks when no one spoke to each other much.

The tauira were required to be on campus at 8am every day. And, while many came from Raglan, Huntly and Ngäruawähia, there were no excuses. Then there were those who needed extra support to ensure they could cope in a demanding tertiary environment.

“We didn’t talk at the start. Then we got to know each other and now we’re all good friends.”

Tauira Bobby Wehi in the classroom.

Kaiako Ken Strothers on a building site.

Tauira Daniel Kereopa studying.

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Ken has a vision...he wants tauira to imagine they are the boss, with their name on the side of the builder’s van driving off to the next job.

Kaiako Mark Johnston helping tauira Damian Williams.

Bobby Wehi in the foreground.

“It takes a bit of organisation to put all that into place,” Ken says.

But by far the greatest challenge was finding enough opportunities for the tauira to gain work experience in the midst of a recession.

With the construction industry hard hit by the downturn in the economy, many builders were simply unable to afford to offer work experience.

So Te Wänanga o Aotearoa got creative and tapped into its own networks, and soon the tauria were television stars. They appeared on Mäori Television’s DIY Marae programme twice and Ken hopes that association will continue with this year’s tauira.

They also worked on projects at Türangawaewae Marae and helped build a classroom for AgResearch’s hi-tech research and development farm at Tokanui.

And for as many challenges as they faced, there were also huge rewards.

Ken says he has appreciated the chance to extend his networks through the collaborative venture and says he also discovered that tikanga Mäori fitted seamlessly into the programme.

“It gave everyone a greater sense of belonging and understanding of their culture. They learnt enough to be able to say, ‘I know why this happens now’.”

This year, Ken is aiming to introduce a mentoring and coaching component to the programme.

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“That’s going to be Tainui’s major contribution this year. I’d love to see that pushed a lot more and made part of our formal strategy,” he says.

He will also be tapping into his networks in a bid to help his graduating tauira find work. “It’s not really my job, but I’m going to help somehow. We’re certainly not ushering them out the door.”

Te Pouhere of Te Wänanga o Aotearoa Bentham Ohia has also come up with a plan that will benefit the tauira. One of the conditions of contractors working on the Glenview campus expansion project is that they will need to offer employment opportunities to the carpentry tauira.

And this year it won’t only be budding builders that will benefit from this new collaboration. On the back of the success of the pilot course, a certificate of introduction to the trades is now being offered to 24 tauira. It will cover construction, engineering, plumbing and gas fitting, and auto options that will enable tauira to gain some experience in each discipline before deciding on what best suits them.

Ken has a vision he likes to share with his tauira. He wants them to become business people, to imagine they are the boss, with their name on the side of the builder’s van driving off to the next job.

It’s a vision that fits neatly with Tainui, who want to see tribal members with skills that not only support their own families, but also set an example for the next generation.

Getting on the programme Nä Aroha Rivers

Nä Vince Heperi ngä whakaahua.

A year and a half ago, Bernard Powell weighed 122kg and loved to drink beer and eat pies. If someone had told him that one day he’d be fit enough to join the police, he’d have laughed at the idea.

B

ut thanks to a collaborative venture between the New Zealand Police and Te Wänanga o Aotearoa, which saw development of a new bridging course to help prepare Mäori and Pacific Islanders for police recruitment, a fitter and healthier Bernard is much closer to his lifelong dream of becoming a cop.

“I moved to New Zealand from Fiji seven years ago and stayed in the South Auckland suburb of Ötähuhu. I always wanted to join the police so I could give back to the community and make a difference,” Bernard says.

Photo: A much slimmer Bernard Powell (far right) celebrating his graduation from the Certificate in Vocational Preparation with other tauira.

But the strenuous fitness requirement to enter the police, in particular running 2.4km in just over 10 minutes, was a tough ask for the construction worker who ate two pies and a punnet of hot chips for breakfast everyday.

A family member encouraged Bernard to enrol in the Certificate in Vocational Preparation for the police, which was launched at the Mängere campus of Te Wänanga o Aotearoa in July 2009.

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Contenders for the NZ Police (l-r): Jason Young, Delsa Muaimalae and Bernard Powell.

Bernard was a model candidate for such a course because its aim is to help young, determined Polynesians who want a police career.

Having nothing to lose, Bernard thought he’d give the course a shot.

“In the past, no matter how hard I trained, I could never get myself fit enough to apply for the police,” he says.

“So I took the plunge and enrolled at Te Wänanga o Aotearoa to see if that would give me the extra push I needed.”

Bernard joined 28 other tauira, all Mäori and Pacific Islanders living in South Auckland, who were trained in every aspect of police requirements, including critical thinking, reasoning, maths, te reo Mäori and leadership training.

For Bernard, it was the fitness component that was extremely valuable.

“I learned how to swim and how to eat much healthier. I gradually lost weight and gained much more energy,” he says.

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TWoA kaimahi (l-r), Evie O’Brien, Tuteri Rangihaeata and Bentham Ohia who worked with NZ Police kaimahi like Sgt Glenn McKay to develop and deliver the pre-entry course.

Collectively, we knocked off over two hours of the police 2.4km run and we lost more than 80kg in weight.

”

Bernard became so fit that he not only lost a staggering 19kg, but he also aced the police entry fitness test, which means he can tick off the hardest part of the recruitment process.

“But today it’s important to get Mäori to look at the police as a viable career. I’m certain the collaboration between Te Wänanga o Aotearoa and New Zealand Police will help break down those barriers.”

“I’ve now got two feet inside the door, which is much better than having two feet outside it,” he laughs.

For 39-year-old Jason Young (of Ngäpuhi descent), the course helped him realise that, as a Mäori, he could make a difference.

“When it comes to Mäori and the law, there are many negative stereotypes that people cling on to and I wanted to help change that,” Jason says.

Kaiako Tuteri Rangihaeata says it makes him happy to witness the personal growth that his tauira have gone through during their training.

But what’s more rewarding is how the course is helping strengthen ties between Mäori and the police, who historically have had a rocky relationship.

“Pacific Islanders view being a police officer as a high honour. But it’s the opposite for Mäori.

It’s not something to celebrate because our history tells us that, especially when you consider the historical role the police played at places like Parihaka,” Tuteri says.

“At 39, I didn’t see my age as a barrier. With help from the Wänanga, I now have the confidence to be a cop, become a positive role model and bring some pride to my whänau.”

Of the 28 tauira who enrolled, 18 are fully prepared to enter the first stages of the police requirement process and eight have passed the physical and academic tests needed to get into the training college.

Tuteri says, at the beginning it wasn’t all plain sailing for the tauira, who ranged from ages 18 to 49 years.

“As an immigrant to this country, there isn’t anything readily available that teaches you about the Mäori culture,” Bernard says.

“The challenge was to convince them that they were good enough. Some of them couldn’t swim, were unfit and weren’t scholars. So we focused on mentoring them right through and making them realise their full potential.”

“But having a tikanga component attached to the course helped me become more accustomed to Mäori and their culture.”

For 21-year-old Delsa Muaimalae, who was one of only seven women on the course, being a cop was her dream, but she didn’t have the motivation to undergo the training.

It was the Wänanga and its “whänau environment” that gave her the support she needed to succeed.

“The course was hard at times. You certainly weren’t spoon-fed. But having so many people around you that were on the same wavelength helped me immensely,” she says.

“Even if you were feeling low, the group somehow found a way to keep your spirits up and made you feel motivated.”

For Delsa (who is Samoan) and Bernard, their police entry qualifications weren’t the only benefit of attending Te Wänanga o Aotearoa. The pair loved the compulsory tikanga component and the monthly noho, which helped them learn more about tangata whenua.

Police Programme Co-ordinator and Mäori Responsiveness Adviser for Auckland City District Sergeant Glenn McKay says the programme is helping police achieve their goal to become more responsive to the needs of Mäori and to provide an extra 300 officers in the South Auckland area.

“We want that 300 to be reflective of the Mäori and Pacific Island communities that they are going to serve. And the best way to do that is to develop a programme with Te Wänanga o Aotearoa and base it in the heart of South Auckland,” Glenn says.

The course is modelled on a similar programme at Auckland’s Unitec, which has been going for five years.

Glenn says the whänau atmosphere at Te Wänanga o Aotearoa is perfect because it helps Mäori and Pacific Islanders feel more comfortable.

“The test to get into the police is tough in terms of the academic and physical components. What we know is that, as Mäori and Pacific people, we work better in a group and not as individuals,” he says.

“That’s why the course has been successful, because we work in a cultural context with that context being as a whänau, and in a greater sense as hapü and iwi, where we can draw on each other’s strengths and weaknesses to help everybody cross the line.”

The Certificate in Vocational Preparation (Level 3) will return this year to the Mängere campus and new courses will also begin at the campuses in Gisborne and Rotorua.

Tuteri says he’s looking forward to teaching a new bunch of tauira starting in March this year.

“We reached many individual milestones in 2009. Collectively, we knocked off over two hours of the police 2.4km run and we lost more than 80kg in weight.”

He says the outcomes of the course also benefit the local community, whänau and Te Wänanga o Aotearoa.

“From an economic point of view, we’ve put $1.5 million worth of wages back into the community.

“Also, the students’ whänau have seen a huge transformation in how they speak, how they present themselves and how they engage with the community.

“For the Wänanga, we’ve maintained a high level of participation in terms of student engagement, retention and outcome. And that’s extremely rewarding.”

“

”

I’ve always wanted to join the police so I could give back to the community.

Bernard Powell with his whänau.

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HE WHÁRIKI REO E tautoko ana i ngá toa

manaaki

Nä Alice Te Puni

Nä Ngahiwi Apanui i whakamäori ënei tuhinga.

Te Kura Waenganui o Monrad me ngä kaimahi a Te Wänanga o Aotearoa i tä rätau whakataetae ä-motu tuatahi i Türanga-nui-a-Kiwa.

I tipu mai te whanaungatanga motuhake i waenganui i te rópú kapa haka o tétahi kura waenganui o Te Papaióea, te wánanga o Papaióea, á, nó ngá rá tata nei, me te wánanga o Whirikóká i Túranganui-a-Kiwa.

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tü Ngä Itirearea, te akomanga reo rua o te Kura Waenganui o Monrad, ki te whakataetae kapa haka kura tuatahi ä-motu mö te wä tuatahi me te tautoko a Te Wänanga o Aotearoa i te Whiringa-ä-Rangi o tërä tau. Rua tekau mä whitu ërä atu kapa haka i tü ki te whakataetae ki a rätau.

“Ka äta whakauru mätau ki roto i te hapori ki te tuku äwhina i ngä wä me ngä wähi ka taea,” te kï a te Kaiwhakahaere Whakatairanga me te Hokohoko o Papaiöea a Damian McGregor.

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Kotahi poraka noa iho mai i te wänanga o Papaiöea, i whai wähi a Ngä Itirearea i ëtahi o ngä kaupapa whakanui a Te Wänanga o Aotearoa, e whakangahau ana i ngä röpü manuhiri me te tü i ngä kaupapa motuhake.

Hei tä Damian i hoahoa a Ngä Itirearea i te käkahu rite hei mau i ngä haerenga. Kei ngä tïhate me ngä poraka e whakaaturia ana te tohu o Te Wänanga o Aotearoa hei manako i te whanaungatanga i waenganui i a rätau.

Ka whakawhiwhi hoki te röpü ki ngä pätara mau wai, ngä pëke me ngä mihi nui mö tä rätau haere ki te Tairäwhiti.

I mua i te haere ki te whakataetae ä-motu, ka tü Ngä Itirearea i te konohete motuhake ki te whakaatu i tä rätau huinga waiata whakataetae ki te wänanga o Papaiöea.

Ka tuku hoki i te taonga ki te Kaiwhakahaere Mätauranga ä-Rohe, ki a Ripeka Kaipuke.

Nä Whirikökä, e rima rau mita mai i te wähi whakataetae i Türanganui-a-Kiwa i manaaki te röpü, iwa tekau te tokomaha mö ngä rä e ono.

Ahakoa i toa Te Kura Kaupapa Mäori o Räkaumangamanga, ka mahara a Türanganui-a-Kiwa ki Ngä Itirearea mö ä rätau “whanonga pai” – ngä toa manaaki hei tä Jo Pere te Kaiwhakahaere Whakatairanga o te wänanga o Whirikökä.

“He pai te whanonga a ngä tamariki, he ähua mahana, manaaki hoki, ä, he ähuareka te noho ki tö rätau taha.”

“Ka rawe rätau. Tere tonu te whakatikatika whare me te horoi, ngäwari te körero atu. He tauira pai mö ngä taiohi Mäori.”

Ki a Jasmin McNabb (12 tau te pakeke) tëtahi o ngä mema o Ngä Itirearea, he hönore i whiriwhiria a ia kia tü i te röpü whakataetae, he mea whakaharahara o te tau te haerenga ki Türanganui ä-Kiwa.

“Kïkino te haere. I kite mätau i ëtahi mea pai. Pai ki au te haere ki te marae o Whangarä, te wähi i whakaahuatia te pikitia Kaieke Tohorä. Engari ka mutu te pai o te hoki mai ki Whirikökä i te paunga o te rä roa, wera hoki ki te whakangä,” hei täna.

I përä hoki ngä whakaaro o te kaihautü waka, te kaitunu kai, te kaiäwhina türoro me te päpä o Jasmine a Selwyn PongaDavis.

“Ka mau kë te wëhi o tënei haere mö ä mätau rangatahi.

He rawe te ähuarangi, tërä pea nä te kaha o te karakia a Päpä Tei (Te Nohotima), ka rawe hoki te manaakitanga a ö tätau hoa hou o te wänanga o Whirikökä.”

Ko te tümanako a Damian, ko te pütake tënei o te whakawhanaungatanga pümau tonu. “He whanaungatanga tauawhiawhi tö mätau ki a rätau, ä, ka äwhina tonu mätau i ngä tauira ki te whakatutuki ä rätau whäinga mätauranga.”

Kei runga: Ko ngä täpoi harikoa i Türanga-nui-a-Kiwa.

Kei raro: Ngä Itirearea me ö rätau käkahu ätaahua.

He pai te whanonga a ngä tamarik, he ähua mahana, manaaki hoki, ä, he ähuareka te noho ki tö rätau taha.

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Te mana(aki) o te Tonga Nä Puawai Swindells-Wallace

“He koanga ngákau, he honore nui hoki te manaaki i Te Mata Wánanga i te tau 2009”, hei tá Matthew Maynard, Te Kaiwhakahaere á-rohe o Te Tai Tonga.

I whakatüria te kaupapa ä-motu nei mö te tau tuarima i te paunga o Mahuru 2009 i Porirua i te Whare Whakamaumahara ki a Te Rauparaha.

“Waimarie mätau he wähi përä tonu te ätaahua i tö mätau rohe hei whakahaere i te hui whakahirahira nei,” te kï a Matthew.

Mai i ngä töpito katoa o te motu i huihui mai ai ngä kaimahi a Te Wänanga o Aotearoa i runga i te karanga a Te Mata Wänanga. Mö te aha te take? Mö ngä rä e toru, kikï ana i te whakawhanaungatanga me te whakataetae.

Te röpü o Te Tai Tonga e tü ana.

Me mätua whakatika ngä kaimahi mai i ngä rohe e ono he huinga waiata, haka hoki ka whakataetae ai tëtahi rohe ki tëtahi rohe mö te taitara ä-motu.

Hei tä te kaihaka o Te Tai Tonga me te kaiako o Te Ara Reo, a Kararaina Mclean, kaikaha ana ia ki te kapa haka me te tü ki ëtahi kaimahi anö e rite ana te kaingäkau ki ngä mahi ä-rëhia.

Nö muri mai i te toru marama o te mamae me te heke o te werawera, hei tä Karaina “he whai hua” tä rätau wä poto i runga i te atamira.

Nä te kaiako raranga o Porirua a Sarni Scott i whakapaipai te atamira ki te raiti me te raranga. He whakamïharo te ähua, ä, i whakatakoto anö hoki i te taumata hei whai mä ngä kaiwhakahaere

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16 MIHARO KA MÍHARO RAUMATI HE WHÁRIKI REO KA Í KÖANGA Spring Summer KOTAHI RÁ

o Te Mata Wänanga i ngä tau e heke mai nei.

Nä te röpü manaaki, nä Te Tai Tonga te tü whakamutunga. He tü whakamiharo me ëtahi waiata, haka hoki a ngä kaimahi o Te Waipounamu me Te Üpoko o Te Ika. I riro mai i Te Tai Tonga ëtahi taonga e whakaaturia ana i te paepae o tö rätau tari. Ka mutu ko Waiariki te Whakaihuwaka o Te Mata Wänanga.

Kei te pütake o te hui nei te wairua me ngä ähuatanga Mäori. I pöhiritia ngä tauira me ö rätau whänau kia haere mai ki te mätakitaki i ngä röpü. He nui, he reka hoki ngä kai, ä, i rërere anö hoki te körero me te katakata i ngä rä e toru.

I whäki mai a Matthew he wero nui te manaaki i Te Mata Wänanga nä te mea i hora katoa ngä kaimahi a Te Tai Tonga ki ngä moutere e rua.

“Me mihi au ki aku kaimahi katoa i äwhina ki te whakatika i ngä kaitü, ki te manaaki i ä tätau manuhiri, ä, i ü ai he hui whakangahau tënei ki a tätau katoa.”

“Mä whero, mä pango, ka oti pai te mahi.”

Ka tü tërä Te Mata Wänanga ki Whirikökä i Türanganui ä-Kiwa.

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Joining the Village

Nä Heemi Boyd

Jones’ West Auckland youth trust, in association with Te Wänanga o Aotearoa, opened the Village Sports Academy (VSA) in August 2009, offering new pathways to its mainly Pasifika and Mäori tauira.

Nä Amos Chapple ngä whakaahua.

All Black legend and all-round nice guy Michael Jones has high hopes his proteges will not only emulate his success on the rugby field, but also become leaders off it.

The VSA aiga at their training facility in New Lynn.

The 18-week programme is designed to help young people aged 16 to 24 prepare for a career in sports and gives those who have fallen through the cracks at secondary school another shot at higher education.

Widely-regarded as one of the best All Blacks ever, with an athletic style that has set the template for all loose forwards since, the 55-test veteran has long held the idea of giving back to youth in his community through sport.

“There were a few of us who have always thought of using sport as a hook to reconnect our tough kids - some of our kids who love sport but drop out of school without any qualifications,” Michael says.

VSA Chair Michael (Laauli) Jones and kaiako Tony Lafotanoa.

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Michael and VSA tauira.

“Our catchphrase is ‘Maximise your potential’ - we see so much of it in our rangatahi, but some of them haven’t had the opportunities or guidance, or their circumstances have hijacked their journey in life.

“So this is really for those who would otherwise have gone down a road with no education into potentially a dead-end pathway and one where they become exposed to gangs and crime.”

The Trust was never lacking in help from the likes of former All Black Andrew Blowers (now the VSA’s head coach), Va’aiga Tuigamala (who is on the board) and former Manu Samoa head trainer Tony Lafotanoa.

But without an educational component, Jones believed their youth were not progressing as far as they could.

“We realised that, without an education component, we would have done what we have always done.”

That all changed at the February job summit, where business leaders met to brainstorm recession-busting ideas. Michael met up with Te Pouhere o Te Wänanga o Aotearoa

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Tauira (l-r): Gorjah Yates, Keil Sowden, Aaron Hendry.

Bentham Ohia at a session chaired by The Warehouse boss Stephen Tindall.

“The Wänanga has been cutting edge for many years, and they’ve worked on a platform where they ask, “How do we make tertiary education more accessible for Mäori, but also for other groups that might not be able to access good quality education?”, Michael says.

“We realised we could make our concept work by marrying it with the education component, and for us the tikanga and kaupapa of the Wänanga were in line with our way of how we operate too.”

Tony Lafotanoa says the kaupapa of Te Wänanga o Aotearoa aligns seamlessly with the VSA’s philosophy that it takes a village to raise a child.

“We could have aligned ourselves with other universities and polytechnics but the reality is there are philosophical and ideological undercurrents there that would fly in the face of how we would want to see things delivered in the best interests of our people,” he says. “We would have struck far too much resistance.”

The success of how the students respond to us is built on creating a sense of aiga, or whänau, values, and self identity.

Tony says the life experiences of many of the young adults, who come from lower socio-economic backgrounds from throughout West and South Auckland, isn’t so different from that of their tutors, which made it easy to connect with them.

For many, the academy is their only sense of normality.

“So the success of how the students respond to us is built on how we have gone about creating a sense of aiga, or whänau values, and self identity.

“We spent the first six weeks alone focusing on what a whänau should look like, and that has allowed us to this day to enjoy strong relationships with our students over and above what we are doing in our course.”

Ask any one of the 48 tauira on the course and you’ll get the same answer, says 17-year-old Aaron Hendry. “It’s just awesome!” he says.

“You grow up watching guys like Andrew Blowers and Michael Jones on TV and stuff, and then they’re here working with you to help you get to where you want to go.”

Pasifika numbers at Auckland’s Te Wänanga o Aotearoa campuses had more than doubled between 2006 and 2008 making it the institution’s fastest-growing ethnic group.

One of seven siblings, Aaron, who is of Spanish and Italian descent, was homeschooled in Kumeü. This presented some problems for Aaron who wanted to play rugby, but couldn’t because he didn’t go to school.

While this is fantastic news, Evie says the high participation rate was not matched by an overarching Pasifika strategy.

So as a 14-year-old, he ended up playing in the U19 grade for Marist North Harbour.

Next year, he will be 18 and plans on trying out in the front row for his club’s U21 side and North Harbour U18 squad - but he has even bigger plans.

“My aim is the All Blacks and maybe to become a personal trainer. Being here has made me realise it’s a possibility”, says Aaron, who has lost 10kg thanks to a weight training and diet programme the course has put him on since August.

Aaron’s mate and another prop, 22-yearold Alex Hawea, says the programme has helped him become smarter about his training and diet handouts.

Born in Gisborne, he plays reserve grade rugby for Waitakere City, but having already lost 8kg he plans to crack the seniors next year.

“You learn things about eating habits and training smarter rather than harder like I used to do to get the results,” Alex says.

“And it’s not every day you have ex-All Blacks around to talk to. A lot of them have come from not the best backgrounds, but they want us to maximise our potential.”

Regional manager for Tämaki Makaurau/ Tai Tokerau Yvonne (Evie) O’Brien says an extension of its programmes to the Pasifika community made sense.

“It’s really important to note that this is not about taking anything away from Mäori at all.”

“It’s about saying, ‘Here are our priority groups, this is our unique point of difference and there’s a place for tertiary providers like ourselves to step up and help out this part of our community’”.

“Ultimately, what’s good for Pasifika is good for Mäori, and that is good for New Zealand.”

Michael Jones has no doubts some of his tauira will go on to higher honours with the Warriors, the Blues or even to international level.

He says the potential is there for the Pasifika community to form a tertiary institution of their own, but believes this could be “a five to 10 year plan”.

“Te Wänanga o Aotearoa leadership has made it clear they see a similar vaka (vessel) for Pasifika and they are walking with us on that malaga (journey), and I think it’s the aspirations of Pacific leaders that in time it will happen.

“But in the interim, this is definitely what we see as the vaka, a double-hulled vaka of tangata whenua with non-Mäori for now.”

Top photo: VSA tauira (l-r): Vavakiola Fosita, Jean-Pierre Duportal and Gasolo Momotu Gasolo.

Bottom photo: Jacinta Natua-Pelasio, (in front receiving the ball), Thomas Watt and Gasolo Mamotu Gasolo (back).

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Setting a benchmark for early learning Nä Alice Te Puni

“Ko ngá tamariki o énei rá hei rangatira mó ápópó – The children of today are the leaders of tomorrow.”

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ducators say the first three years of a child’s life are critical to a person’s overall development, so it’s appropriate that Te Wänanga o Aotearoa plays a role in educating tamariki.

It hasn’t always been an easy journey and at one stage all köhungahunga (early childhood centres) were under threat of closure. Their redevelopment is a tribute to the commitment and hard work of the kaimahi who work in the centres.

Te Wänanga o Aotearoa now provides quality bilingual and bicultural early childhood education to children of tauira, staff and communities at four of its 10 campuses. A fifth köhungahunga is scheduled to open at Gisborne’s Whirikökä campus soon. The ultimate aim is to have köhungahunga at all campuses.

The Ministry of Education has acknowledged the centres’ “benchmark” commitment to the provision of bilingual and bicultural early learning education and has recognised its progress recently in a positive Education Review Office report.

Early Learning National Manager Elizabeth Pakai says her team is continuing to research initiatives to ensure the centres are on top of their game in the area of financial viability. Work is in progress to strengthen the profile of köhungahunga, both nationally and internationally. Each köhungahunga is licensed to educate 50 children.

Paatoro Mason (Ngäti Awa) is Assistant Centre Manager at the Manukau-based köhungahunga – Ngä Käkano o Te Mänuka.

It’s a job he loves.

“Although there is structure and routine, freedom of work direction is a big part of our profession. There are not many jobs out there as cool as that,” he says.

He believes the ability to build positive relationships with the children is vital.

“This is important because it helps us discover who we are and in turn helps the children discover who they are. This, for me, is the essence of early childhood education,” Paatoro says.

Daily challenges include adapting to the children’s changing moods and interests.

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Nä Jarel Phillips ngä whakaahua.

“You get used to the fact that an experience or activity that is really successful one day may turn out disastrously the next,” Paatoro says.

“As kaiako, we understand that flexibility and adaptation in this environment is essential, and that there is no one answer or solution to any problem or issue that may arise each day.”

Paatoro, the only male kaiako on staff, is pursuing an early childhood education degree.

He says men bring a different dimension to the profession.

“Children warm to and respond to males differently than female educators. Positive male role models definitely help to form the developmental processes of a child’s holistic learning.”

Holli Peters (Ngä Puhi) has enrolled her daughter Harmony, 4, at Ngä Käkano o Te Mänuka. The 27-year-old is on a computer course at the Manukau campus.

“The köhunghunga is right across the road from campus. It works brilliantly for my daughter and me. She goes to school and I go to school.”

“It’s so convenient. I have the option of having lunch with my girl and just checking on her if I

The ultimate aim is to have köhungahunga at all campuses. want to. It beats hands-down having to tipi haere all over town.”

“The kaiako here are awesome. There are always activities and plenty of wellmanaged adventures taking place for the kids.”

“I have definitely noticed a positive difference in my daughter’s overall development. She loves the whänaubased learning environment and is thriving.”

Te Wänanga o Aotearoa early learning centres are a shining example of how difficulties can be overcome with commitment, dedication and hard work.

The köhungahunga, an integral part of Te Wänanga o Aotearoa campuses for 10 years, faced an uncertain future following a review and restructure of the entire organisation between 2005 and 2006.

This included re-setting the budget, increasing fees, processing outstanding fees, stabilising Work and Income funding and extending operating hours.

“Eighty-five per cent of our early learning teachers are qualified and registered to teach Te Whäriki (early childhood education curriculum). All centres are registered with Work and Income, which provides subsidies for whänau who are eligible.”

Elizabeth says a professional approach has produced a high quality of teaching.

The four köhungahunga joined for a cultural day of celebration at Hamilton’s Founders Theatre late last year to acknowledge the progress of early learning centres over the past two-and-ahalf years.

Attending the celebrations were kaiako and köhungahunga from Hamilton, Tokoroa, Te Awamutu and Manukau.

Kaiako Paatoro Mason says the gathering made him proud to be part of Te Wänanga o Aotearoa.

The driving force For Early Learning National Manager Elizabeth Pakai, there is nothing more pleasing to the ear than the sound of children singing, laughing, playing and learning in a safe, well-managed environment.

The matriarch of early childhood learning at Te Wänanga o Aotearoa has dedicated most of her life to developing pre-school education protocols which are practised today.

Of Ngäti Kahungunu and Te Äti Haunui-a-Päpärangi descent, Elizabeth grew up in Ohakune tending her parents’ market gardens beside the majestic snowcapped peaks of Mt Ruapehu. This close relationship with Papatüänuku helped shape the successful woman she is today.

Her education pathway of 42 years includes teaching at kindergartens, secondary schools in New Zealand and Samoa, lecturing, reviewing, and developing and delivering programmes and papers at a national and international level.

As well as being National Manager for Ngä Whare Whäriki Köhungahunga, she works with indigenous groups in British Columbia and is the Te Rünanga Mäori ECE chair. Elizabeth is also an organising committee member of the International Tangata Whenua conference to be held in January 2011 and co-chair of the World Indigenous Nations Higher Education Consortium (ELC section).

The review highlighted curriculum delivery, building compliance and financial issues.

As a result, during the restructuring process in 2006, the Manukau campus centre was closed. It was only reopened at the beginning of 2009.

Ngä Whare Whäriki Köhungahunga National Manager Elizabeth Pakai says major changes were made to ensure the survival and viability of the köhungahunga.

Elizabeth Pakai.

Higher learning achievements include being a PhD candidate, Masters in Education, Bachelor of Vocational Education and Training, Diploma in Adult Teaching, Diploma of Teaching Early Childhood Education and a registered teacher.

The accompanying photos are from the celebrations held at Hamilton’s Founders Theatre in late 2009.

One of her favourite whakatauakï, which encapsulates her beliefs for education and life, is “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” by W B Yeats.

Her approach to early childhood education is driven by the proverb “Ko ngä tamariki o ënei rä hei rangatira mö äpöpö - The children of today are the leaders of tomorrow.”

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Ó TÁTOU WÁNANGA Nau mai, haere mai ki Te Wánanga o Aotearoa ki Kaitáia!

On a typically sweltering Tai Tokerau summer’s day, I am greeted by a boisterous group of staff sharing lunch and conversation in te reo Máori at the northern-most branch in the country.

Nä Mihaka Panapa tënei tuhinga me ngä whakaahua.

Kaitäia whänau of Te Wänanga o Aotearoa outside their wharenui (Wayne Te Tai is on the far right).

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he initial scene depicts a prime example of what the kaiako matua at the Kaitäia offices describes as key to the success and growth of the mätauranga the institute provides throughout Te Tai Tokerau whanaungatanga.

Wayne Te Tai, of Te Rarawa and Ngäti Porou, leads a group of 11 staff at the Kaitäia offices and says he and his hoamahi are guided by the whakatauakï “Ruia, ruia, tahia, tahia”.

“This outlines the importance of kotahitanga and whakapapa, which is the connection that says we are all linked, therefore we should aim to do everything as one people with a common and positive goal,” Wayne says.

The commitment of staff here is obvious as Wayne describes the humble beginnings of the Wänanga and its first programmes in Kaitäia 19 years ago.

Käwai Raupapa is another offering, which focuses on Ngä Mahi ä Rehia and the world of performing arts. In an effort to accommodate kaumätua and kuia and help them share the unique mätauranga they possess, Arataki Manu Körero was established and continues to develop in accordance with the people involved.

While there has always been lot of community demand for the education Te Wänanga o Aotearoa offers, resources and staff used to be extremely limited.

“In the beginning, a lot of the programmes were run from home-based offices. It was a matter of setting aside a desk at your house and that was the makeshift office that the Wänanga ran out of,” Wayne says.

While the beginning was indeed humble, the Kaitäia branch now boasts offices for its kaimahi, as well as a classroom and impressive whare hui soon to be put to use for noho marae and te reo classes.

Mahi Ora, a home-based life-skills programme, was the first kaupapa set up by Te Wänanga o Aotearoa in Kaitäia. Wayne says the staff noticed a serious lack of reo-focused education in the area and also saw a need for more “kanohi ki te kanohi” programmes.

The whare hui, pätaka, tï tree and punga fencing are all taonga inherited from the previous owners who operated a Mäori tourism venture from the site. These structures make the venue a standout feature in the Far North.

“There weren’t really any reo programmes run in Kaitäia,” Wayne says. “There were programmes run by ACE Adult Community Education, but they didn’t really lead to any recognised achievements or NZQA recognised levels of learning.”

The needs of the community are key to the future development of the Wänanga and its programmes. Wayne says consultation is undertaken regularly with local kaumätua and kuia for their input into all programmes and classes.

As a result, the number of programmes offered in Kaitäia has steadily increased with demand from the community.

“Their contribution is invaluable in terms of their mätauranga and moemoeä, which enable the Wänanga to make changes and develop future programmes.”

The outpost now offers a number of programmes that have a strong focus on tikanga Mäori, including Te Ara Reo Mäori starting at Level 2 and advancing up to diploma level.

Wayne says the distances many tauira travel for Te Wänanga o Aotearoa programmes shows their eagerness, dedication and commitment to succeeding.

Top photo: The Kaitäia office block for all kaimahi.

Bottom photo: Kaiako matua of the Kaitäia branch, Wayne Te Tai (Te Rarawa, Ngäti Porou).

Approximately 200 tauira are now enrolled at the Wänanga and travel to Kaitäia for classes from as far as Te Rerenga Wairua, Waihau, Räwene, Ahipara and Taipa.

While the majority of tauira are of Mäori descent, Wayne says he has noticed a large increase in Päkehä tauira from Kerikeri and Kohukohu enrolling, and he is heartened by their interest in developing a better understanding of tikanga and reo Mäori.

Te Wänanga o Aotearoa plans to expand throughout Te Tai Tokerau and Wayne believes following the philosophy of whanaungatanga will ensure it is a fruitful and positive journey. Ö TÁTOU WÁNANGA

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KIA HOUHERE

Tau Ora champions

Losing 15 kg has changed more than Novalee Hamon’s appearance it’s changed her attitude to life.

Nova won last year’s Te Whakaihuwaka o Tau Ora award, and says the staff health programme helped her every step of the way.

Nova, an administrator with the Mahi Ora team in Te Awamutu, won the supreme award, Te Whakaihuwaka o Tau Ora, for being inspirational, dedicated and passionate about the staff wellness programme.

She lost 15 kilograms and dropped two dress sizes last year, mainly from taking part in the Global Corporate Challenge (GCC). The GCC requires people to wear a pedometer that measures their daily steps.

Individuals work in teams that compete against each other on a virtual tour around the globe.

The 45-year-old walked an average of 13,711 steps a day.

“Before I started the GCC, I drove to work, sat at my computer all day, drove home, watched some TV and went to bed,” Novalee says.

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The ‘Kia Tere’ team from Gisborne who took out the team trophy, Te Rangawaewae, with top stepper Gary Beach (second from the far right).

“Since starting GCC, I’d go for a 4km walk with my niece in the morning, eat breakfast and then walk 1.4km to work.

During the day, my team members and I would find every opportunity to move around, sometimes going for a walk during lunchtime, and then I’d walk home again.”

Nova (Ngäti Porou, Rongowhakaata, Tainui, Ngäti Maniapoto) says more importantly the Tau Ora programme has changed her home and work life “for the better”. She’s encouraged three generations of her whänau to become more active.

Computing kaiako Gary Beach, from Whirikökä, also won a major Tau Ora award, Te Manawanui, for clocking up the most steps in GCC. He puts his achievement down to the support of team Kia Tere who won the team trophy, Te Rangawaewae, ahead of 76 others.

A very proud Novalee accepting the Te Whakaihuwaka o Tau Ora award from Te Pouhere Bentham Ohia.

The 50-year-old, from Ngäti Uepöhatu and Te Whänau a Ruataupare, reckons the GCC is “a heck of a good concept”.

The competitive elements of the challenge kept him motivated.

“I’ve always kept myself reasonably active with martial arts, fun runs and touch, but it’s hard to get enough daily exercise when you’re tutoring computers. Tau Ora was a vehicle to get me back to where I should be,” Gary says.

This year, the GCC has been replaced by a new programme created specifically for Te Wänanga o Aotearoa staff. Tau Ora Aotearoa (TOA) is an online pedometer challenge that will take participants on a virtual tour of Aotearoa. Virtual travellers will be given historical information about the places they visit along the way.

Gary and Nova can’t wait to join TOA. Gary thinks it’s great that Te Wänanga o Aotearoa is having its own challenge.

“I think that’s awesome. Maybe that will encourage more staff to take part this year.”

If you want to know more about Tau Ora 2010 and it’s new initiatives, check out the intranet link on Te Kete or contact the Tau Ora team at Te Puna Mátauranga.

Phone 07 872 0315 or email tauora@twoa.ac.nz

STRENGTHENING KAIAKO AND TAUIRA

A research project seeking to identify teaching practices unique to Te Wánanga o Aotearoa should help enhance teaching practices by the end of this year.

M

auri Tü, originally called the Kaiako Capability Improvement project, has been operating to various degrees around the country.

It seeks to define teaching practices underpinned by ähuatanga and tikanga Mäori which are regarded as significant to the sucess of tauira. The purpose of the project is to identify these practices in order to spread these skills and knowledge among other kaiako.

A review of this kaupapa was undertaken in 2009 and changes were made to the project’s scope. These included stronger acknowledgement of kaiako practices outside of teaching, integrating ako (the reciprocal responsibility of both the äkonga and kaiako for learning to occur), and a more holistic view of kaiako wellbeing.

As a result of these changes, this kaupapa has been renamed Mauri Tü. The purpose is to reflect better the importance of kaiako wellbeing with the expectation that strong mauri kaiako will strengthen mauri äkonga and result in successful tauira.

Between March and June this year a number of hui will be held across the motu to discuss and identify kaiako practices that are highly effective. Input will be sought from various sources, including tauira, kaiako, communities and kaumätua.

These practices (if agreed by the contributors) will eventually go on Te Kete. All kaiako will have access to these practices and any resource material that could assist with their implementation.

Mauri Tü aims to frame our own best practices, using our own words to create our own distinctive teaching model.

Supporting this whakaaro is the intention to develop a Te Wänanga o Aotearoa educators’ qualification founded on our own and international indigenous best practice.

The goal is to have Mauri Tü fully operational by the end of 2010. More information and updates on the progress of Mauri Tü can be accessed by staff via the intranet Te Kete. Tauira will receive updates through future issues of KA MÏHARO and regional communications.

If you have any questions or comments, contact the Mauri Tü project team on 0800 782 335.

KIA HOUHERE

RAUMATI Summer

KA MÍHARO

25

MAI I NGÁ ROHE TE TAI TONGA

Our Porirua campus has been abuzz with two new courses that started last year and will be offered again in 2010.

Máori Performing Arts

Tú Taua

Te Wheke Exhibition 2009

The Certificate in Mäori Performing Arts course began in August last year under the direction of kaiako Virginia Maxwell. Ginny brings with her a wealth of knowledge and skills in performing arts that encourage our tauira to explore their creative potential.

Another great addition to our Porirua campus has been the delivery of the Certificate in Tü Taua programme under the guidance of Wiremu Wehi. Wiremu comes from a long line of kapa haka exponents and this is evident in his practice, which is imbued with a deep understanding of tikanga Mäori.

Porirua campus was fortunate to host the annual exhibition of master weaver and kaiako Sarni Scott late last year. The show, called Te Wheke, also celebrated the achievements of tauira who have studied under the direction of Sarni (Te Arawa, Ngäi Tühoe) and Kui Topia (Ngäpuhi, Te Aupöuri, Ngäti Haua, Ngäti Porou).

It’s a joy to walk into the Porirua Campus and be greeted with the singing and laughter that frequently echoes throughout the campus. The vitality and mauri inspires not only the tauira, but also staff and whänau on our campus - it reminds us of what makes our wänanga unique.

Rangatahi, both täne and wähine, gravitate towards this programme. They engage in the physical requirements of the course and bring with them a vitality and confidence that reminds us of the domain of Tümatauenga and the humility of Täne-mahuta.

The opening ceremony on November 22 was a day of celebration for all those involved. Päpä Tipua Reedy, Danny Makamaka and Wally Peita guided whänau through a beautiful blessing. The quality of the work by our tauira is amazing. IT Technican Tom Peita created an awesome ambience with light and sound effects to complement the artwork and the kaupapa.

Anyone interested in enrolling at any of the courses at the Porirua campus is welcome to visit our site at 3-5 Heriot Drive or contact us via phone on 0800 355 553.

Mäori Performing Arts kaiako Ginny Maxwell.

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KA MÍHARO

RAUMATI Summer

MAI I NGÁ ROHE

Some of the first Tü Taua graduates from Porirua (2009).

TAINUI

Tohunga raranga offers courses again in 2010

PAPAIÓEA

Spreading the joy

K

We are extremely lucky to have passionate kaiako like Betty Brown teaching in the rohe of Tainui. She has been teaching raranga for more than 30 years.

aimahi and whänau from throughout Papaiöea got into the true spirit of Christmas last year and shared some Te Wänanga o Aotearoa magic with their local communities.

Here’s her tuhinga on her lifelong love of weaving, and why she enjoys teaching it so much:

Aboard a waka-like float (previously used in the movie The River Queen), our Whanganui whänau, including nannies and mokopuna, grooved along to some funky pumping sounds, bubbles and the hype of the crowds at the Christmas parade.

“Ko Betty Rangirua Brown töku ingoa Ko Maniapoto töku iwi Ko Te Kanawa töku hapü Ko Maungarongo töku maunga Ko Mirumiru töku marae Ko Marokopa töku hau käinga

Kaiako raranga Betty Brown.

“As a child, my grandmother would take me out to the pä harakeke to harvest and gather flax to weave for our whänau and marae.

“Many years later, after having my children, I decided to upskill myself so I could hand this taonga down to my children and mokopuna.

“With my grandmother at my side, I began to teach raranga under the PEP scheme offered by the Ötorohanga Council in 1979. From that time onwards, I’ve never looked back, continuing to teach, learn and acknowledge all the great values and teaching my grandmother gave to me.

“For me it’s about whakawhanaungatanga. It’s about the whänau, because throughout this programme I’ve actually had generations of whänau through here. One year, I had a mother, daughter and granddaughter all in at the same time, so that wealth of knowledge that they gained was ready to be taken back to their whänau and hapü to assist in their learning.

Kaimahi decorated the waka and truck the day before the parade, while tauira and whänau helped put those special finishing touches on the day. Everyone looked fantastic and our beautiful tamariki played out their roles like stars!

A big thanks to Te Ara Reo Kaiako Tina Tapa and her gracious husband Ned, who always supports everything we do in Whanganui and who also helped us out with the Christmas parade in Papaiöea.

It’s good to let our uniqueness shine and for Te Wänanga o Aotearoa to be a visible living and loving part of our wider communities.

Kei runga noa atu koutou!

“So those are the special things for me; it’s about being able to inspire the students to go back to their iwi and hapü and share the knowledge with them.”

Betty Brown will be offering daytime classes at our raranga facilities in Te Rapa starting in March 2010, with a night-time option and the possibility of weekend classes if there’s a demand from tauira.

Betty offers Level 4 (Certificate) and Level 5 & 6 (Diploma) classes catering for 20 tauira. If you’re interested in enrolling, phone 0800 355 553 and ask to speak to Betty or Tracey Brown.

RAUMATISummer Summer KA MÍHARO MAI I NGÁ ROHE RAUMATI

27

HE MARAMATAKA Hui-tanguru/February 2010 2-5 Semester A starts (36 week programmes)

13-14

Takitimu Regional Kapa Haka Festival

17-20

ASB POLYFEST Manukau Sports Bowl, Auckland

4-6

Waitangi Day Festival / Year of the waka Waitangi

22

Otago Anniversary

6

Käwhia Kai Festival Käwhia township

14

Tainui Kapa Haka Regionals Mystery Creek, Hamilton

26-27

Te Ähuareka Ngäti Hine Festival Ötiria Marae

Paengawháwhá/April 2010 1 Term One ends

19

Open Day Te Awamutu Campus, Te Awamutu

2

Good Friday

4

20-21

Waikato Tainui Games Hopuhopu Sports Complex, Ngaruawahia

Daylight savings ends

5

Easter Monday

29

Takapuna Campus Expo Takapuna Campus, Auckland

Poutú-te-rangi/March 2010 6

Te Arawa Regional Kapa Haka Festival

8

Taranaki Anniversary

13

Pasifika Festival Western Springs, Auckland

23-24

The Northland Business Expo Whangarei

TE PAPA KUPU Glossary of Mäori words äkonga student hapori community hapü sub-tribe, to be pregnant hoamahi colleague houhere industrious iwi tribe kaiako teacher kaiako matua head teacher kaimahi staff member, workers kanohi ki te kanohi face-to-face kaumätua elders kaupapa issue, subject köhungahunga young child, early childhood centre kotahitanga unity kuia female elder kupu word mahi work, to work manaaki to take care of, host mätauranga knowledge, education mauri life-force, spirit moemoeä dream motu island nä by, from noho to sit, marae stay pä harakeke flax grove paetahi graduate Papatüänuku Earth Mother pätaka store house rangatahi young person rangatira chief, leader raranga weaving, to weave reo language rohe region tamariki children tangata whenua indigenous people, people of the land taonga treasure täne men Täne-mahuta God of the Forest taua war party tauira student, an example tikanga customs tü to stand tuahine sister tuhinga article Tümatauenga God of War tumuaki principal wähine women waka canoe, canoes whakaahua image whakatauakï proverb whänau family, to give birth whanaungatanga family relationships whare hui meeting room whakapapa genealogy whenua land, afterbirth Glossary of Mäori placenames Papaiöea Palmerston North Tämaki Makaurau Auckland Te Tai Tokerau Northland Te Tai Tonga Southern region Whirikökä Gisborne and East Coast region

28

KA MÍHARO

RAUMATI Summer

HE MARAMATAKA

RAUMATI Summer

KA MÍHARO

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Take pride of place

Shaun Wallis - Daniella’s partner “My partner Daniella has just completed the Te Ara Reo certificate at Te W nanga o Aotearoa . Her confidence has grown since doing the course and she now feels comfortable initiating conversations in Te Reo. Daniella’s the first person in my family that’s been through a tertiary institute and it makes me proud that I’m involved with someone that’s really into learning.”

Call 0800 355 553 or visit www.twoa.ac.nz