NGAHURU Autumn 2010
KA MÍHARO
SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY EDITION
HUMBLE ORIGINS A passion for te reo
Lifelong learners
Pursuing excellence
New guardians
Our degree tauira take pride of place “I’m a mother of two, and had never planned on studying toward a degree programme. But when I completed my certificate course it really boosted my confidence - I thought this is massive, I’m going to carry on to the degree programme.
“My dad is really proud of me for going up a step, because I’m the only one in my family that’s studying for a degree. I say my journey is for him. I want this to benefit my wha-nau, and when I go back home and take that knowledge with me I can teach them.
“It is a change studying toward a degree from a certificate, but the certificate course is bridging you toward the degree. It’s like a tease, it’s giving you a taste.
“When I graduate I’m hoping to carry on with a Masters in Civil Engineering, because I’m looking at my future generation and I want my children to grow up knowing kaupapa Ma-ori. I want my family to benefit from what I’m doing now. And I want my kids to grow up knowing where they come from, and to treasure all that is Ma-ori, the land manawhenua, tangata whenua, everything like that.
“I could have studied for my degree somewhere else, but at Te Wa-nanga o Aotearoa it’s more wha-nau orientated, and the kaiako treat you like you’re part of the team. That’s really cool and that’s the kind of feeling it is, all that whakawhanaungatanga, all that tiaki ta-ngata. It enhances your self esteem and builds your confidence. They also help me out heaps, especially with my children. They understand and that’s really cool.
“Anybody can do this degree, it’s an awesome programme to do - it’s just getting off your butt and doing it!” Delise Puhi, currently studying toward a Bachelor of Iwi Environmental Management
www.twoa.ac.nz | 0800 355 553
TÁ TE POUHERE Nó Ihowa te kóroia o te rangi me te whenua kia whakapaingia tóna ingoa tapu i ngá wá katoa.
It is a pleasure to introduce this special edition of KA MÏHARO – dedicated, for the most part, to the anniversary of the opening of O-Täwhao Marae.
E mihi ana ki a Kíngi Tuheitia e noho ana i te taumata o óna túpuna, o tóna whaea. Pai márire.
This occasion marks a milestone for our institution, a time of celebration, but also a time to reflect on the contributions of those visionaries who are no longer with us to mark this event.
Ko te haku o te ngákau mó te iwi koua riro ki tawhiti e kore e mutu – haere, haere, whakangaro atu rá. Ko rátou ki a rátou, tátou ki a tátou, tihewá he mauri ora! E mihi ana i te rá whakanui i te rua tekau má rima o ngá tau o O-Táwhao. Ka tika, kua noho ko ia hei whakamihatanga má tátou óna rau iwi e marau ana ki te iwi ná rátou ó rátou ngákau i titi kaha ki tóna papa, ki óna pou, ki óna heke, kia tú mai ia hei whakaruruhau mó te tini, á, haere ake nei. Nó reira, kia kaua rawa e wareware i a tátou tó tátou whare, nóna ngá túmanako ó rátou má i hihiri i kikipa – anei te whakatínanatanga ko Te Wánanga o Aoteroa e tú nei.
It has been 25 years since O-Täwhao Marae was opened - a quarter of a century since a hardy few, Rongo Wetere, Marie Panapa (Aunty Ma), Mac Bell, Barry Hopkins, the late Boy (Kohuru Rokapa) Mangu and Rewi Panapa, set about putting substance to a vision that would impact the lives of the many hundreds of thousands of tauira who have re-engaged and changed their lives for the better through education. The passage of time has shown the objections of those in the community who opposed this project to be unfounded. Time has also allowed us to follow the progress of the once-troubled youths who rose to the challenge of constructing this marae. They are now adult members of communities throughout the motu. Time has provided substance to those visionaries’ dreams of a solution to stem the stream of young people falling through cracks in the mainstream education system.
The construction of O-Täwhao Marae required passion, commitment, tenacity and mana. And it required the dedication and single-mindedness of those hardy few who never lost sight of their goal. This edition of KA MÏHARO is dedicated to those staunch champions who wanted to change the lives of our young people, and who went on to spawn the revolution in education that is Te Wänanga o Aotearoa. I tautoko you all, and I thank you for your essential mahi. Thank you to all who played their part in the development of O-Täwhao Marae, and to those who have helped ensure this 25th anniversary is one to remember. Thank you also to those who have shaped the stories in this edition of KA MÏHARO that is dedicated to this momentous event. “He rau ringa i oti ai e – Through many hands the goal was achieved.” Kia tau te mauri.
Bentham Ohia Te Pouhere, Te Wänanga o Aotearoa.
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HE KUPU RUARUA A quiet revolution Nä Tui Barton
Prime Minister John Key backs the Village Sports Academy (VSA).
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ollowing the success of a pilot programme last year, VSA held its official launch at Ken Maunder Park in New Lynn on March 4.
The opening was attended by Prime Minister John Key, Mäori Party Co-leader Tariana Turia, Youth Affairs Minister Paula Bennett and Pacific Affairs Minister Georgina Te Heuheu, as well as community leaders, excited rangatahi and whänau.
Tämaki Makaurau/Tai Tokerau Regional Manager Evie O’Brien flanked by the Prime Minister and Chairperson of the Village Sports Academy, Michael Jones.
The academy (which featured in the last issue of KA MÏHARO) was set up in association with Te Wänanga o Aotearoa to provide foundation-level education and training for youth in West and Central Auckland who have left secondary school without a qualification. Regional Manager for Tämaki Makaurau/Tai Tokerau Yvonne O’Brien said at the launch that “nothing short of a quiet revolution was required to lift Pacific and Mäori achievement, with half of all Pasifika males in Waitakere currently leaving school with no formal qualifications”. As a symbol of the partnership between VSA and Te Wänanga o Aotearoa, Yvonne presented Academy Chair Michael Jones with a stone sculpture and welcomed the VSA under the umbrella of Te Wänanga o Aotearoa. One hundred and twenty tauira gathered in the clubrooms where they received their VSA sportswear and had a rare opportunity to talk with the Prime Minister in person. Kaimahi from Te Wänanga o Aotearoa did an awesome job of helping out behind the scenes. Ka mau te wehi!
Youth Affairs Minister Paula Bennett with VSA Trustee Inga Tuigamala. 2
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We look forward to seeing how the first official intake of VSA tauira progress during the year. We wish them all the best.
KA MÍHARO NGAHURU Autumn 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 Tui Barton Bruce Mercer Wananga Beach Ray Miller Heemi Boyd Te Awamutu College Jillian Churchill Turi Ngatai Leah Fitzpatrick Tuihana Ohia Monique Ford Marie Panapa Vonny Fowler Mihaka Panapa Parone Gloyne John Peters Danny Hona Rachel Porou Dana Kinita Warner Rahurahu Hira Nathan Shaarne Rarere Yvonne O’Brien Sam Roa Damian McGregor Te Kuiti Stewart Kim Marsh Alice Te Puni DESIGN Kaaterina Kerekere, kedesign PRINTING GEON Print and Communications Solutions PUBLISHER Te Wänanga o Aotearoa PO Box 151 Te Awamutu 3800 CONTRIBUTIONS If you are interested in contributing to KA MÏHARO, or have any feedback, contact us via email at: kamiharo@twoa.ac.nz 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. 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. ISSN 1176-4333
HE KAUPAPA KÖRERO FEATURES Marae love story
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The 25th anniversary of the opening of O-Täwhao Marae marks the genesis of Te Wänanga o Aotearoa. In this issue, we celebrate the visionaries who built the marae, the legacy of O-Täwhao and its role in the community today.
Pursuing excellence
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Before his death, master carver Paki Harrison had the satisfaction of knowing that expert carvers could gain a degree in whakairo from Te Wänanga o Aotearoa. KA MÏHARO catches up with some of this year’s graduates who are destined to become professional artists.
Crossing the cultural divide
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Teaching adults te reo Mäori is challenging, but ensuring every tauira in your class stays from the start to the finish of the course is a significant achievement. Kaiako Leah Fitzpatrick shares her insights.
The chosen ones
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Fifteen Mäori DoC cadets are learning to look after Te Ao Türoa, from tikanga to driving all-terrain vehicles. They’re benefiting from a pilot programme established by Te Wänanga o Aotearoa, the Department of Conservation and the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology.
Lifelong learners
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An 83-year-old kaumatua and computer graduate is proof that the world of IT isn’t just the preserve of rangatahi. Irwin Rutene is sharing his vast knowledge of te reo Mäori, tikanga and history with the help of his newfound skills.
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REGULARS HE KUPU RUARUA A quiet revolution Ö TÁTOU WÁNANGA Apakura & Te Puna Mátauranga MAI I NGÁ ROHE News from the regions KIA HOUHERE Staff news HE MARAMATAKA Events TE PAPA KUPU Máori language glossary Cover photo: Master carver Sam Roa outside O-Täwhao Marae. Photo by Bruce Mercer.
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Marae love story
Nä Jillian Churchill
How a burning passion changed lives, united a community and set the foundations for Te Wánanga o Aotearoa.
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here is love in the walls of O-Täwhao Marae. It oozes from the tukutuku panels and the stunning carvings to mix with the passion of a group of people who 25 years ago changed a community.
Nä Bruce Mercer ngä whakaahua.
A silver anniversary is a time to celebrate - and there will plenty of that. But it is also a time to reflect and remember how this humble building at Te Awamutu College became the first marae in the country to be built in the grounds of a school and how it helped shape the development of Te Wänanga o Aotearoa.
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Master carver Sam Roa.
In the late summer sun of 2010, Sam Roa, carver, strokes the amo by the paepae of the marae and shakes his head. He and a team of workers have just finished restoring the carvings on the outside of the marae. To the untrained eye, their work is seamless. What 25 years of weather has taken away, Sam and his men have put back. Large sections of the carvings have been removed and replaced and it is virtually impossible to see the joins. But not for Sam. “I’m never happy with the finished product,” he says. “I can always see what could have been done better.” But Sam wouldn’t have turned this job down for the world. He’s a local boy who learnt his artistry at Te Wänanga o Aotearoa in its early days and acknowledges that if he hadn’t been asked to help with the restoration work, he would have been very upset. This has been his chance to honour the training he received at an institution that set the carving benchmark. All roads to O-Täwhao Marae lead back to Rongo Wetere, founder of Te Wänanga o Aotearoa. The marae was his idea, born of his despair at seeing so many young Mäori expelled from the college in Te Awamutu to drift aimlessly.
It was his conviction that if they could reconnect with their culture they could easily make a meaningful contribution to their community. Rongo, now living in Canada, was an influential figure in Te Awamutu, but more than that he believed in the idea and that it could be achieved in the face of some staunch opposition. Marie Panapa and Mac Bell were with Rongo from the beginning. Marie, known to all as Aunty Ma, says the project needed one person to be “strong and powerful”. “Someone who could turn on the tail light if it got foggy and say, ‘Just follow the beam’,” she says. “There were many foggy nights.” Mac well remembers the opposition to the project. “At meetings we were howled down, shouted at, accused of racism. It pitched Mäori against Mäori, Mäori against Päkehä. I remember at one meeting in Kihikihi the whole town turned up to boot us out.” The problem was one of politics and fear of the unknown. But Aunty Ma and Mac were so committed to the new idea that they were part of a small group who took out second mortgages on their homes to help get the project started.
“We weren’t stuck on ‘what ifs’,” says Aunty Ma. “We knew what had to be done.” Rongo was a member of the board of governors of Te Awamutu College. He, together with Boy Mangu (one of the school’s teachers who shared his vision), managed to gain the backing of the college which set aside some land for the project.
TÁWHAO TE TUPUNA The name of the marae, O-Táwhao, pays tribute to both the name of an old pá site in Te Awamutu and a prominent ancestor from Tainui whakapapa. Táwhao fathered Whatihua and Túrongo, who established many iwi which come under the Tainui waka. HEI TUATAHITANGA
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I saw these kids that had been called dumb and useless given the opportunity to learn again in a typical Mäori way... They had fashioned a life for themselves in the wider community and proved they could learn new skills and achieve wonderful things if they set their minds to it.
Paki Harrison was also crucial to the O-Täwhao Marae dream. The master carver would train students in traditional Mäori carving techniques. Along the way, they would learn their whakapapa and the story of their culture. “Rongo kept everyone going. Once the school backed him, Paki came up with the format for the marae and away we went,” says Mac. Gradually, with Rongo leading the charge to inspire people about the importance of tackling the project together, the community began to overcome its opposition. Timber companies donated materials, the dairy factory set aside a small building for carving (until it had to be demolished), sponsorship kicked in and slowly it became a reality.
Top photo: Marie Panapa with tauira. Centre photo: Mac Bell at his home in Pirongia. Bottom photo: O-Täwhao Marae.
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for the tukutuku panels from Paki’s wife Hinemoa and others. “It was far more than a halfway house for people who couldn’t get jobs,” says Mac. “We stuck together as a group for 18 months. “I was the hirer and firer. I embraced the philosophy that was put forward. Lives were changed and it was one of the most satisfying things I’ve ever done. Until then I was just a farmer.” But money was always an issue. “We kept running out of money,” recalls Mac. “So we decided to build other marae around the region to get enough money to build ours. We ended up doing 14 – there was no time for a cup of tea!” Opening day for O-Täwhao Marae in April 1985 was a proud one for Aunty Ma.
To recruit the tauira required a cunning plan. Aunty Ma and Rongo knew that while many had dropped out of school, they were still involved in sport. So the two would turn up at rugby games with oranges and start praising the boys for their good play and then talk to them about learning to carve under the guidance of a master.
“I saw these kids who had been called dumb and useless given the opportunity to learn again in a typical Mäori way. Learning about their whakapapa, their culture had forged a new understanding of who they were and where they were heading in the future,” she says.
Mac formed a close relationship with the Labour Department, getting to know the kids who could most benefit. Carver Vince Leonard shared his expertise with the boys, while the girls learnt weaving techniques
“They stood proud that day. They had fashioned a life for themselves in the wider community and proved they could learn new skills and achieve wonderful things if they set their mind to it.”
A year later, Rongo established the Waipä Kökiri Arts Centre offering Mäori arts courses and trade training programmes, and from there it was another few steps to the formation of Te Wänanga o Aotearoa itself. Aunty Ma remains the only member of the original group to still be employed at the Wänanga. Paki Harrison, Boy Mangu and her late husband Rewi Panapa, who was the Chair of the Waipä Kökiri Art Centre, Aotearoa Institute and the Tertiary Council for Te Wänanga o Aotearoa, have since passed away and she says it is now up to her to ensure the original vision is allowed to flourish. “It was a wonderful initiative Rongo came up with. And I am absolutely confident because of it the Wänanga can continue to be a leader in tertiary education,” she says. But there is also another, more personal reason for Aunty Ma’s proud attachment to O-Täwhao Marae. On opening day, her youngest daughter Jonna, then a schoolgirl, took the ceremonial role of stepping into the marae to remove the tapu. In February this year, Jonna passed away and her tangihanga was held at O-Täwhao Marae.
KEEPING O-TÁWHAO WARM
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he silver anniversary of O-Täwhao Marae won’t just be celebrated by Te Wänanga o Aotearoa. For Te Awamutu College, it’s also an important milestone. Principal Tony Membery says the school regards the marae on its grounds as a taonga and as an extremely important part of the lives of its students. Year 9 entrants are welcomed to the school at O-Täwhao and from then on may find themselves back there for any number of activities. Art teachers take pupils there to sketch the carvings, the marae is used as the venue for oratory competitions and social studies students research its panels. Marae protocol is taught and observed at O-Täwhao, kapa haka performances take place there and school house meetings are convened under its roof. In fact, the people the four school houses are named after are represented in whakairo on the whare, enabling students to make a connection with college history.
“It enveloped her; it was a safe haven. And it is a very significant place for me,” says Aunty Ma.
“We do regard it is as something special and we make sure it’s used,” says Tony.
Today, O-Täwhao Marae still embodies the same vision of a small group of people who recognised its potential.
But he also insists that O-Täwhao is as much a community facility as it is a school venue, which means it is used for hui or as accommodation for visiting sports teams.
“It is a place for all, to be safe, to have fun. It’s for everyone. Building it was an empowering project that transformed the lives of so many people,” says Aunty Ma.
A recent tangi at O-Täwhao reminded Te Awamutu College students of its importance. Tony said pupils understood
Photos: Te Awamutu College students use the marae as a learning centre.
that a former student was coming back to be farewelled and ensured they respected what was taking place. Bentham Ohia says Te Wänanga o Aotearoa maintains a close connection with O-Täwhao, which is seen as the birthplace of the organisation. Te Wänanga o Aotearoa staff serve on the marae committee and use the facility for significant events and hui. “There is a powerful spiritual link between O-Täwhao and Te Wänanga o Aotearoa. It will always be a very special place for us,” he said.
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HE KANOHI TOI Pursuing excellence
Nä Jillian Churchill
As tauira whakairo graduate, their proud kaiako remembers the acclaimed master carver who inspired him.
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pril is an auspicious month for Te Kuiti Stewart. It’s when the kaiako whakairo stands proudly watching his tauira graduate from Te Wänanga o Aotearoa before heading back to class to pass on his knowledge to a new intake.
For graduating tauira, like Rakei Kingi, it’s stressful. He’s got three carving projects that have to be finished and he’s not confident of making the deadline. “I think I’m going to have to ask for an extension. They’re nowhere near finished.” Te Kuiti isn’t worried. “I said to the students at the beginning, ‘I’ll take you to graduation kicking and screaming – you’re going to make it regardless.’ My reward will be to see all nine of them graduate. Then I’ll be happy.”
Nä Naomi Williams ngä whakaahua.
These images were all taken during the interim assessment for the Te Maunga Kura Toi Bachelor of Mäori Visual Art in Whakairo. Tauira were presenting their yet to be completed pieces to the assessment panel and engaging in critique to further develop their work towards their final assessment and course completion.
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Left photo: Albert Te Pou (Ngäi Tühoe). Right photo: Artwork by Albert Te Pou.
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What we’ve done with the course is taken carvers and given them an authoritative bench to sit on.
Te Wänanga o Aotearoa is the only institution offering a degree course in whakairo, so there is much at stake. That the course exists at all is a testament to the vision and input of internationally acclaimed master carver Paki Harrison, who passed away in December 2008. Twenty-five years ago, Paki taught the first Wänanga tauira, guiding them as they created the carvings for O-Täwhao Marae, the genesis for Te Wänanga o Aotearoa. He then went on to become the architect of the degree course and teacher of it. Top photo: Artwork by Albert Te Pou. Bottom photo: Artwork by Rakei Kingi (Ngäti Turumakina, Ngäti Pukaki).
Te Kuiti was in the first group of tauira to enrol. From Paki he learnt the concepts and philosophy of whakairo. “Many of us looked at him as a scary person because of his knowledge in the subject. We were hesitant to contribute to the discussion because of his vast knowledge, but he was incredible. “The debt owed to him and others is monumental,” says Te Kuiti, and Paki remains very much on his mind as he guides his own students. Tauira whakairo must come to the whakairo degree with years of carving experience behind them. What they lack is the research and report writing skills required for academic achievement. “What we’ve done with the course is taken carvers and given them an authoritative bench to sit on,” says Te Kuiti.
but he says at the beginning he didn’t have any aspirations for where it might take him. “It’s been quite challenging doing the report writing and accumulating information, but since I’ve been doing it I’ve realised it will help me if I want to teach or apply for a research position,” says Rakei. It’s already helping him with running his Rotorua art company, which specialises in traditional Mäori carvings. That tradition is also evident in his course work. He says he has interpreted his three projects – a doorway, carved figure and vessel – to fit his style. There are plans to exhibit work produced by tauira following graduation – a move course assessor Pakewa Watene says will not only showcase the creativity of tauira, but also show the cultural relevance of what they have achieved. “The essence of whakairo is deeply embedded around the spiritual aspects of Mäori culture. For instance, a particular karakia must be said when a tree is cut down to ensure the right relationship is maintained between the carver and nature,” he says. Pakewa says there are two worlds that tauira whakairo embrace. “There is the academic rigour, but alongside that is the way the tauira approach their discipline; it is a tool to transform and liberate.”
Rakei agrees. The course was recommended to him by two former tauira, HE KANOHI TOI
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TOITÜ TE AKO Crossing the cultural divide
A kaiako reo, of Irish ancestry, is determined that her tauira will succeed.
Nä Dana Kinita
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eah Fitzpatrick isn’t your average kaiako reo.
Her name rings loudly of her Irish ancestry, she often teaches people older than herself and most notably... she’s not Mäori. Yet Leah’s pursuit and passion is helping many tauira discover te reo. Last year, in the Bay of Plenty town of Kawerau, the 37-year-old held a 100 per cent retention rate for tauira on the Te Tohu Mätauranga diploma course – a feat rarely heard of in tertiary education. “For me it’s about relationships, getting to know my tauira – seeing what ways I can help teach a person and spotting barriers that may come up along the way,” Leah says. “Last year, we had a few that nearly fell out of the waka, but I was ringing them asking what’s going on, tracking them all around the country. I told them, ‘I’m not going to let you fall out now’.” Her dedication to seeing her tauira succeed stems from her own journey of learning te reo Mäori. “Having grown up in Kawerau, I was always around Mäori in some form or another. It’s always been in my consciousness I suppose.” Leah joined the first bilingual class being offered at her college before deciding to take her studies further. “After five years of learning Mäori in school, I still couldn’t hold a conversation. I was able to read and write, but didn’t have the confidence to speak it,” she says. “I like to finish anything I start, so I wanted to at least be able to have a conversation.” In 1991, she joined the first intake of immersion Bachelor of Arts in Te Reo Mäori (Te Tohu Paetahi) at Waikato University.
“I was the only Päkehä in a class of 25, but the only people who ever challenged my learning te reo were non-Mäori. “They’d say, ‘What a waste of time! Why are you doing that?’ I just told them you’re entitled to your opinion, but this is something I want to do. “Most Mäori were like, ‘Choice, you’re on the kaupapa’.” With no English allowed during the three years at university, Leah learnt quickly by listening to conversations around her. “The understanding of the language came faster than learning to speak it. It was frustrating when there was a debate going on and I couldn’t contribute. It was huge learning for me.
Leah Fitzgerald credits the family environment of Te Wänanga o Aotearoa for a large part of her success in teaching.
“But I never studied to be a tutor of te reo. For me it was a personal thing, to do this for myself. If by chance I had Mäori children, I wanted to be able to speak it to them.”
It’s part of what we do here. It’s about building relationships and caring enough to pick up the phone if they’re not in class.
Leah has two Mäori sons to her husband, Te Wänanga o Aotearoa Waiariki Regional Manager Neville King. She first started dating the Ngäti Pikao descendant, who was also brought up in Kawerau, at university. She continued studying and later became a social worker with Child Youth and Family Services. It was when her husband started teaching the Te Ara Reo Mäori programme for Te Wänanga o Aotearoa in Rotorua that she took on the role of kaiäwhina due to a staff shortage. “I had quite a crisis of confidence around teaching. I was a Päkehä teaching reo. I thought, ‘Who is going to take me seriously?’ I didn’t want to cause offence,” Leah says. “I loved the programme and started to imagine hypothetically how I might teach the class.”
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She soon found out when she and her family moved to Christchurch to help establish the programme in the South Island. A programme high in demand and a lack of kaiako made Leah step, once again, into a teaching role. “Moving to the South Island helped. I thought, ‘I don’t know anyone here so I can’t offend anyone.’ I don’t think I’d have had the courage if we had remained in Rotorua.” Leah says what also helped her to overcome her self-doubt was being challenged by a friend who labelled the “I have no right to teach te reo” argument as a “cop-out”. “He strongly suggested that I actually had an obligation to teach what I know and to be an active
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participant in the te reo revolution,” she says. “I remember one student said to me, ‘When I first came to your class I thought here we go, another Päkehä telling us how to do things!’, and went home moaning to my husband. “But she ended staying with us for years and said, ‘If a Päkehä can speak Mäori, I can learn too’.” She has also looked to people such as author, educationalist and Päkehä John C Moorfield of Te Whanake textbooks as role models to help her on her path as a kaiako. Leah’s skill as a teacher is reflected in the achievement of having the entire Kawerau class complete the Te Tohu Mätauranga diploma last year. She was recently awarded the Mauri Tü, Mauri Ora Award – a Te Wänanga o Aotearoa accolade which acknowledges the high graduation rates. “It is given to those who exemplify the values of Te Wänanga o Aotearoa, which are aroha, whakapono, kotahitanga and ngä ture,” Leah says. Graduate Laurie Meredith says it was Leah’s enthusiasm and persistence that inspired them all to finish the course. “We had extra tutorials and waiata nights and she was responsible for a lot of those things,” he says. “She inspired us to learn and when we made a mistake she didn’t put us down, but told us to carry on. No belittling or whakaiti.”
Leah Fitzgerald shares a laugh with some of her successful Te Tohu Mätaranga diploma graduates (from left) Shandi Williams, kaiäwhina Peter Tarei, Laurie Meredith and Huia Meredith.
Having been taught by Leah last year, Peter Tarei is now helping her classes as a kaiäwhina.
Leah also credits the team environment of Te Wänanga o Aotearoa as contributing to the success of her tauira.
“I don’t think a lot of us would have passed without her going the extra mile. She’s always been approachable and she inspires me to be a good protégé for her.”
“It’s part of what we do here. It’s about building relationships and caring enough to pick up the phone if they’re not in class.
As their kaiako, Leah says she knows how difficult it is at times to juggle study with work and family obligations. She’s built a personal relationship with her class and is proud of each one of their te reo achievements. “I went to Laurie’s 50th birthday last year and he did his speech in te reo,” Leah says.
Fellow graduate Huia Meredith agrees. “Leah was proactive and flexible, she wasn’t old school. She’s a ‘people person’.”
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“I was looking at his family and friends in the room and they were and saying, ‘I didn’t know Laurie could speak Mäori’. Now I have some of them in my class this year.”
“I’ve studied at three other tertiary institutions and no one has ever rung me if I was away to ask, ‘Are you okay?’. “The Wänanga is such an inclusive environment. It’s very family friendly and I can’t ever imagine working anywhere else,” she says. “Obviously I do not know everything about te reo and I will be learning for a lifetime, but what I do know is I am now comfortable and confident to humbly share in the classroom, in my community, in my family and with our boys.”
TE TATANGI O TE KÍ O-Táwhao e Koro Nä Paraone Gloyne
This waiata-a-ringa was composed for Te Puna Mátauranga kaimahi to perform at Te Mata Wánanga 2009 in Porirua. Aunty Ma was the impetus for this waiata, as she is always willing to share our story and preserve our kórero, and she reminds us to hold fast to our heritage. O-Täwhao e koro tü mai rä Whakairo, tukutuku, raranga Te maru o te tïmatanga He rau ringa i oti ai e Apakura e kui ka mihi Rüruhi whare nö te mano tini Auë auë auë te aroha I roto i ahau Whäia te Kotahitanga, Whakapono Ngä ture Engari ko te mea nui Ko te Aroha Rongo Wetere te tangata I kökiri mai i te mätauranga E kore e wareware e Kia ora rä Hikitia te tauira ki runga Hapainga mai öna wawata Hei oranga mö ngä iwi e Puta noa te motu
The first verse pays homage to the whare tupuna, O-Täwhao, which stands at Te Awamutu College. This verse speaks of whakairo, tukutuku and raranga, the traditional Mäori arts that were taught during the building of O-Täwhao. The verse finishes with the whakataukï, “he rau ringa i oti ai – through many hands the goal was achieved”. This proverb reflects the contributions and hard work of Mäori and Päkehä, young and old, to fulfil their aspiration to build a wharenui. The second verse tells of Apakura Campus (originally the Waipä Kökiri Arts Centre), which is, in essence, te mauri o Te Wänanga o Aotearoa. We refer to her as rüruhi whare nö te mano tini – ol’ home sweet home of the myriads. She holds our history, and is a constant reminder that we should hold fast to our vision for the future, but also remember the past and our humble beginnings. The chorus sings of Ngä Uara (our values): Kotahitanga, Whakapono, Ngä Ture and Aroha. These ground us in our everyday work, not just at
Te Wänanga o Aotearoa, but in all facets of our lives. The third verse salutes Rongo Wetere for his dedication, inspiration and vision for education. We will never forget him as a founding father of Te Wänanga o Aotearoa, nor the commitment and allegiance of those pioneers who shared his vision and brought the kaupapa to life. The last verse is the most important as, like Te Wänanga o Aotearoa, it is dedicated to our tauira. This final verse implores, “hikitia te tauira ki runga, hapainga mai öna wawata, hei oranga mö ngä iwi e puta noa te motu – encourage and uplift our students to achieve the pinnacle of their aspirations for the well-being of all”. Many kaiako and tauira may have heard this waiata sung at Te Wänanga o Aotearoa. I encourage you all to learn the waiata and sing it among yourselves. When you do, you are doing your part to retell our story, ensuring it lives on in all of us.
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He hokinga mahara He hokinga mahara
Rongo Wetere with the late Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu.
1983 The rubbish tip prior to our occupation. s okiri Art a K1985 Waip f. f ta rust – S Centre T
Te Puawaitanga Apakura.
2004 Glenview Site Opening.
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u,
Awamut 005, Te March 2 rotest. Tauira P
Te Wananga o Aotearoa Protest prep at Porirua.
at the Rangi Tutua Te Hau o te whakairo opening and Glenview site ion. degree graduat
arae ana M 2006. o m a, pu at A toru eam n Ro i t i a g u Ä nan Tain ata W Te M
Regional Manager Raylee Price and kaimahi at the opening celebrations for the Otautahi campus, 2004
Rongo Wet ere, Tumu aki of Te Wan - anga o Aotearo a, 1983-200 5.
.
velled a site le
Apakur
1995 Apakura St aff & Tauira.
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March 2004 Opening of Otautahi site, Rehua Marae.
.
Maniapot
nce s entra
o campu s buildin g.
Campu Porirua
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TÖ TÄTOU HAPORI Nä Iain Rayner ngä whakaahua.
Nä Heemi Boyd
The chosen ones
A
select group of young Mäori environmentalists is blazing a trail which could open the door for others wanting to pursue a path in conservation or help manage iwi resources.
The programme is also helping to cement relationships between iwi and the Department of Conservation (DoC). The Tauira Kaitiaki Taiao programme combines practical skills, that the 15 cadets are learning on the job with DoC, and academic courses held every six weeks at marae around the North Island. The 21-month pilot programme, running in collaboration with Te Wänanga o Aotearoa, the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT) and DoC, has given the budding conservationists the opportunity to learn new skills in an area where Mäori are under-represented. DoC course co-ordinator Iain Rayner says the programme funded by DoC, Te Puni Kökiri and Ngä Whenua Rähui is aimed at iwi that have responsibility for large areas of conservation land. He said a lot of people came to DoC through the National Certificate in Conservation, but many Mäori chose not to. “It became painfully obvious that we weren’t attracting young Mäori – which was a big part of the idea of the National Certificate in Conservation in the first place,” says Iain.
Top photo: The 15 tauira in the programme at Te Uri O Hina Marae, Pukepoto, Northland. Bottom photo: Tauira learning about the history of Te Tii marae, Waitangi.
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“A lot of Mäori would start with us only to pull out of the programme because they missed their whänau.” DoC found a solution to the problem by offering paid employment to prospective cadets as rangers in its Northland, Bay of Plenty and Tongariro/Taupö conservancies as part of the pilot scheme.
Tauira watching trout monitoring, Tongariro area. Left to right: Whakarae Henare, Aleesha Bennett, Kylie McDowell, Matiu Mataira (partially obscured), Jade Connelly and Henare Winterburn-Chapman at the official launch of the pilot in February 2009.
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Tauira doing chainsaw theory at Murumurunga, Te Whäiti.
We see this particular programme as building the capacities of our people and bringing awareness about the importance of our mana whenua, our forests in terms of conservation.
NMIT and Te Wänanga o Aotearoa provide the programme’s academic muscle. Cadets undertake unit standards equivalent to the Level 3 National Certificate in Conservation and the Level 3 Certificate in Tikanga Mäori at five-day noho marae held throughout the North Island. “It appears to be working very, very well so far,” says Iain. “We’ve had cadets going to work on offshore islands, others chasing kiwi around, some building tracks or trapping pests... all sorts of exciting and worthwhile things.” Asked if the programme could help ease tensions between iwi, who make up just 198 or about 10 percent of DoC’s total staff, and the department which co-manages large tracts of Mäori land, Iain was positive. “The Department already has some really good relationships with iwi and we are developing them with others, so we are well down the track to having all iwi engaged.”
Demand for the programme was high ahead of its launch last February. This is partly because many iwi are now working with their whenua at a statutory level and more iwi are pursuing Treaty of Waitangi settlements. NMIT programme course co-ordinator Calvin Tuck said competition was tight among the 95 candidates nominated by iwi throughout Te Tai Tokerau, Waiariki and Tongariro/Taupö with only 15 places available. “The interview process was stringent because we had to be sure they had the ability to complete the programme,” says Calvin. He said the strength of the programme was the wide range of skills cadets learnt. These included the correct use of chainsaws, fencing, computer skills, basic construction and building skills, machinery operation, administration and public relations.
”
navigation skills and how to drive an all-terrain vehicle among many other requirements on the job. “It really is quite diverse,” says Calvin. “The good thing is local councils are also getting on board. They will ring up and ask, ‘What is the fella like?’, and they know they are getting the full package. “We have got trainees who are out there and ready for the workforce.” Te Wänanga o Aotearoa Kaihautü of Delivery Turi Ngatai said the project was an exciting part of its Mäori youth development strategy and provides a chance to collaborate with another educational institution. He said talks had started with participating parties to ensure the programme continues.
continued on pg 18...
Cadets are also at the coalface learning fire-fighting skills, safe use of chemicals, TÓ TÁTOU HAPORI
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continued from pg 17....
“We see this particular programme as building the capacities of our people and bringing awareness about the importance of our mana whenua, our forests in terms of conservation. “We want to take it a step further whereby more students are able to participate and are determined to see it continue.” Iain hopes cadets will go on to permanent positions with DoC or return to their iwi with their skills. “It is hoped that we will have both scenarios occurring, with some staying with the department and some working within their iwi,” he says. “We would also like to see other agencies, like regional councils, providing employment in the future.” The first cadets graduate in October.
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The sweetest job
Nä Mihaka Panapa
M
atiu Mataira counts himself a lucky man. He’s one of the five Tai Tokerau cadets to be chosen from 95 applicants for the pilot conservation programme.
Nä Mihaka Panapa te whakaahua nei.
“It really does combine the best of both Mäori and Päkehä worlds and I know the students are absolutely blown away by it,” says Turi.
Of strong physical build and with a sharp mind, Matiu (Ngäpuhi, Ngäti Kahungunu) exudes enthusiasm for the programme and a determination to succeed. He describes the experience of being on the Tauira Kaitiaki Taiao programme as “the sweetest job that any person could have”. He’s monitored fish stocks at Poor Knights Islands Marine Reserve and he’s worked closely with local hapü and iwi on conservation issues. The 28-year-old has spent most of his life in Northland. He was raised in Nukutawhiti and grew up on his parents’ dairy farm in Mangakähia. After attending Northland College, Matiu worked in Wellington as a landscape supervisor before returning home to Whangarei with his partner and child. He believes Tauira Kaitiaki Taiao will eventually have big benefits for local hapü and iwi. “It’s about building the capacity of Mäori to ensure that they have the capability to manage their own conservation lands in the future,” says Matiu.
Matiu Mataira.
Like the other Te Tai Tokerau cadets, he’s based at a local Department of Conservation (DoC) office that works in partnership with the local Te Wänanga o Aotearoa site. Three others are based in Kaitäia and one is on the Kauri Coast (Kaipara). Cadets complete the academic component of the course at noho marae, which take place across the motu. Matiu enjoys this part of the programme as he gets to learn the local history of the places he visits, as well as learning te reo and tikanga Mäori. Passionate about the opportunities the cadetship brings, Matiu hopes to secure full-time employment with DoC once he graduates. He’s already mapped out a five-year goal – he’d like to strengthen relationships been Tai Tokerau iwi and DoC.
“I can use the knowledge and skills I have gained to pass on to my own iwi and hapü.”
Ten years from now, he’s got his eye on a management position and, before he turns 50, he’d like to be the first Mäori Director General of DoC.
Matiu has always enjoyed the outdoors and feels lucky to be learning a variety of technical and practical skills that will prepare him for a career in conservation.
The programme is certainly creating new possibilities for its tauira.
HE PAETAHI Lifelong learners
Nä Alice Te Puni
Nä Alice Te Puni ngä whakaahua.
IT savvy kaumätua: Jim Terekia, Charlotte Davoren and Rutene Irwin.
K
aumatua Rutene Irwin, who’s 83 years old, is proof that higher learning at any age can build skills and knowledge that can be passed down the generations.
Rutene reckons school is more fun the second time around. He has successfully completed Te Wänanga o Aotearoa computing courses from Level 1 to 4. And he says it’s nothing like his early experiences of education as a boy. Born at Törere, near Öpötiki, and raised among Ngäi Tai, Rutene attended school at a time when the Native Schools Act 1867 forbade the use of the Mäori language in school, a law that was enforced vigorously. “I didn’t know how to speak English. I didn’t know anything but Mäori when I was a child,” says Rutene. “I started understanding English when I was about nine years old.”
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“Everything that was spoken inside the school gate had to be English, and outside the gate Mäori. I couldn’t speak English at all and I either got a whip around the legs or my ears twisted.
Allan Haronga, Charlie Pera, Jim Terekia and Buddy Smith.
Jim was the one doing all the work,” Rutene says. The pair signed up for the computer course in 2008 and now hold Level 1 to 4 certificates.
“I found it difficult at times, especially when I was sitting in class and wanted to go to the toilet, because I didn’t know the English words to ask to go.”
The old guard started in the Mangatü office in 1992. They moved to the former Post Office and became part of Te Wänanga o Aotearoa when it was based there. During that time, they researched a wide range of tribal history, including whakapapa, pä sites, tüpuna, urupä and battles fought in the area.
Comparing school then and the learning environment at Te Wänanga o Aotearoa, which offers encouragement and guidance, is like comparing “chalk and cheese”, he says.
They also completed 26 marae profiles for Te Aitanga a Mähaki and have ventured out to study other marae which still have connections with the iwi.
Rutene is now a member of Te Aitanga a Mähaki research team based at Whirikökä campus in Gisborne. Laughter can be heard coming from the research team’s office near the main reception area. It’s a hive of activity with people popping in and out of the room to visit the hub of mätauranga.
“When we moved to the Post Office, we only had one computer, which we purchased with money from our own pockets,” says Rutene.
Te Aitanga a Mähaki has hosted Te Wänanga o Aotearoa since its humble beginnings at Mangatü Marae in 1999. Rutene has been part of the Mähaki research team since 1992 with the late Kiki Smiler, Peter Gordon, Nona Haronga, Michael Haapu Brown and current members
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“When Jim (Terekia) joined us in 1999 he was the only one who knew how to turn the computer on. We didn’t know the first thing about it. So Jim did all the computer work for us, which included typing, registrations, stories and whakapapa – in fact, the whole lot.” Rutene and Buddy Smith decided they needed to catch up with the new technology. “I thought we had better join the Wänanga and learn how to use a computer, because
Their first tutor Wananga Beach (Ngäti Porou) said the men were great to teach and that learning in the classroom went both ways. “They taught me so much during our time together. It was an experience I will always cherish,” he says. “Within the computer course is a tikanga component, and who better to show our tauira, myself included, what tikanga means than our mörehu (survivors). “They got a real kick out of learning new things. Before I knew it, they were typing up minutes and their research material, publishing pänui and brochures and even emailing. “The funniest thing though was when they discovered the internet and Google. It was a new puna mätauranga (pool of knowledge) that they just loved swimming in.
“They are such an interesting bunch of characters of great mana. They showed us all that age is no barrier.”
Computer courses full
Rutene thought he was “over the hill” and would never “get the gist” of working the computer.
C
“We weren’t too sure we would be accepted, because we were in our 70s. But we found out there was no age limit,” he says. “Isn’t it great that, no matter how old you are, the Wänanga will take you? Another great feature is that the course was free.” Rutene says he finds it much easier to work with the computer than handwriting all his mahi. “The magic of the computer is, if you make a mistake, you can go back and correct it.” And the speedy two-fingered typist says, “I wish we had it when we were kids. I have a laptop at home, but when my mokopuna are there I can’t get anywhere near it.” The research team is grateful to Te Wänanga o Aotearoa for providing computers, desks, power and a space to keep their research safe. Rutene would like to see more kaumätua research facilities. “We receive wonderful awhi from the Wänanga. We are very lucky and appreciative.” The research members are sending out a “nau mai - haere mai” call for new blood who might like to join their team. Their research material, which makes up a healthy chunk of the Treaty claims for the tribes of Türanganui-a-Kiwa, is available to students who need information for school or university projects.
omputing programmes offered at Te Wänanga o Aotearoa are structured for tauira who have not benefited from mainstream education and want a second chance at a formal education in a Mäori learning environment. Level 2, 3 and 4 programmes, offered at sites nationwide, are free and cater for tauira aged 16 to 90. The popularity of the programmes and capping of each class at 20 tauira mean many campuses have waiting lists. The next intakes for this year’s programmes are in July. “If you want to learn basic and intermediate computing skills, and you need to organise your study around work or home life, Level 2, 3 and 4 computing programmes are for you,” said Whirikökä Campus tutor Wananga Beach. Classes are held during the day or in the evenings, depending on location. At some campuses, classes are held at weekends. Tauira need to attend classes for tutorials and assessments for a recommended minimum of three hours per week. Other than that, tauira can study whenever and wherever they like for at least an additional 14 hours per week. Computers in classrooms are provided for the duration of the course, along with access to the internet and a freephone help desk. The programmes also include kaupapa Mäori activities, such as a class trip to a marae-based event, and tauira are encouraged to practise karakia, waiata,
pöwhiri, whakawhanaungatanga and te reo Mäori in the classroom. Computer skills taught include computer maintenance, how to send, receive and store emails, an understanding of computer networks and systems, how to solve problems, how to use information technology, word processing and website design. The Certificate in Computing Level 4 further develops skills in the information and communication technology industry. Tauira gain an understanding of project management, data communications, computing systems, multimedia websites, online help systems and software programming, all in a whänau learning environment. The Level 4 course also extends the kaupapa Mäori component. Qualifications gained can be used to enter careers in the IT industry.
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Ó TÁTOU WÁNANGA
Nä Hira Nathan
Nau mai, haere mai ki Te Wánanga o Aotearoa ki Apakura!
A
pakura campus in Te Awamutu stands as a testament to the rich history of Te Wänanga o Aotearoa.
When the carvers and weavers working on O-Täwhao Marae in the early 1980s needed another work space, the marae committee applied to the local council to build the Waipä Kökiri Arts Centre on a site opposite Te Awamutu College. Built on an old rubbish tip, the Centre faced strong opposition from locals, with many arguing that a disused rubbish tip would serve the community better. The original building, which used to be a dairy factory, still forms a part of the Apakura campus. As the original campus of Te Wänanga o Aotearoa, Apakura holds a special place in the hearts of those who have lived through the struggles and triumphs of establishing one of New Zealand’s largest tertiary institutions.
Nä Bruce Mercer ngä whakaahua. Photo: Te Puna Mätauranga is located on the left-hand side adjacent to Apakura campus, which is on the same site as the old Waipä Kökiri Arts Centre.
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Ö TÁTOU WÁNANGA
An exhibition displaying taonga that illustrate the highs and lows of Te Wänanga o Aotearoa now occupies a big part of the building. Apakura also houses stunning artwork, including an intricately carved pätaka standing one-and a-half metres high and about five metres long. The pätaka was built by Year 4 tauira whakairo in 2002. While this first campus continues to offer training in computing, te reo Mäori, visual arts and whakairo, many of the programmes it used to offer are now available at other nearby campuses. As Te Wänanga o Aotearoa grew, a new whare was built alongside Apakura as the home of Te Puna Mätauranga, the hub of the entire organisation. Te Puna Mätauranga houses about 300 staff, including Te Pouhere, finance, corporate services, strategic services and curriculum managers. Council meetings are held here and it’s where many decisions affecting all kaimahi and programmes are made. Although Te Wänanga o Aotearoa has expanded to more than 183 sites throughout Aotearoa, it has never considered moving its base from Te Awamutu. Te Pouhere Bentham Ohia says, “If we pull away from Te Awamutu, it’s like pulling a tree away from its roots. It’s important to stay connected to the roots and values that founded this institute. “If we move, we run the risk of becoming more commercially and fiscally orientated rather than focusing on education – we’ll lose our unique character.” A stand-out feature of Te Puna Mätauranga is the artwork on display throughout the building. From the stained glass windows at the front entrance to the whakairo inside, visitors are treated to an impressive array of traditional and contemporary Mäori artwork. It’s fitting that two masterpieces by Dr Buck Nin dominate the gallery of Te Puna Mätauranga and the corridor that joins it with Apakura campus. Buck was a strong supporter of Te Wänanga o Aotearoa from its inception and a hugely respected former kaiako toi. Bentham says Rongo Wetere’s original vision for O-Täwhao Marae and, later, Te Wänanga o Aotearoa remain. “His core objectives and the kaupapa are still the essence of what this wänanga is about. We’ve maintained that, enhanced it and advanced it.”
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If we pull away from Te Awamutu, it’s like pulling a tree away from its roots.
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MAI I NGÁ ROHE TÁMAKI MAKAURAU/TAI TOKERAU Starting afresh in 2010 More than 700 new tauira were welcomed on to Manukau campus on March 15. It was wonderful to see so many tauira participate in this ceremony, even though we ran out of car parking space on the day. There are more than 3500 tauira enrolled on programmes at Manukau alone, and the campus is now abuzz with the familiar sound of äkonga and kaimahi working, discussing issues and enjoying each other’s company. E te iti me te rahi kua tae mai ki tö tätou wänanga, nau mai, whakatau mai. Whaia te pae tata kia maua, whaia te pae tawhiti kia tata!
Police programme expands Manukau campus and members of the New Zealand Police welcomed the new intake of 42 tauira who have been accepted on to the Certificate in Vocational Preparation (Police) programme with a moving pöwhiri in March. The programme prepares people for the rigorous training at the New Zealand Police College. The success of the pilot run in Manukau last year ensured that the police programme is now being offered at Te Wänanga o Aotearoa campuses in Rotorua and Gisborne.
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Star tauira Eddie Mulipola, a tauira from the pilot course last year, started his training at the New Zealand Police College in March. We wish him all the best and look forward to seeing him become a sworn police officer.
Fighting fit A big mihi to all our kaimahi and whänau from Tämaki Makaurau who took part in the Round the Bays event in mid-March (and who don’t mind being photographed looking sweaty!). This was our first milestone for the year-long wellness programme we’ve created called Hua Tau. Nei rä te mihi maioha ki a koutou, e ngä tängata toa. Hua Tau is broken into 12-week blocks and incorporates a range of physical activities, including Zumba, kick boxing, walks up local maunga and whakatau tinana (stretches during karakia). Our 80 kaimahi on Hua Tau are also signed up to the Te Wänanga o Aotearoa wellness programme Tau Ora, so we’re looking forward to the TOA challenge and the year head.
WAIARIKI Tauranga Moana to deliver social service degree The Social Services Team at the Tauranga Moana site has won the right to deliver the social work degree programme in its entirety. It’s a significant achievement for Social Services Team members, who have worked hard to be able to offer the Bachelor of Social Work – Biculturalism in Practice programme. There are only two other campuses accredited to deliver the course: Manukau and Porirua. Waiariki kaiako Danny Hona said the launch of the programme was held during the first weekend wänanga for third-year students and spoke of the significance of it being offered to tauira in Tauranga Moana. Danny said that in March, Tauranga social work graduates, tutors, iwi from Te Tai Räwhiti, Mataatua, Te Arawa and Tauranga Moana, government agencies and Te Wänanga o Aotearoa staff celebrated the “homecoming” of Te Tohu Paetahi Ngä Poutoko Whakarara Oranga (Bachelor of Social Work – Biculturalism in Practice).
“The venue for the event, Pou Tü Te Rangi, was deeply significant,” said Danny. “It was here that the Mäori Advisory Committee, appointed by the old Social Welfare Department, first heard the voices of Tauranga’s tangata whenua, voices that called for radical change to government legislation and statutory social work practice in child safety and protection.” Danny said some of the committee’s recommendations were adopted in the Children, Young Persons and their Families Act (1989). That law acknowledged that whänau, hapü and iwi held the primary responsibility for the wellbeing of their children and that the child welfare service had an obligation to provide culturally appropriate social work practices. The committee also recommended a review of tertiary social work courses to assess whether they met the cultural needs of Mäori. “Twenty five years on, that recommendation is now realised for Tauranga by the Bachelor of Social Work – Biculturalism in Practice at
Te Wänanga o Aotearoa’s Tauranga campus,” said Danny. Taina Pohatu, who shaped standards to be attained in the course, also spoke at the launch. Fifty tauira are undertaking the third year of the degree in Tauranga this year, including 15 tauira from Gisborne. Although it’s a four-hour trip for the Whirikökä tauira, it’s still a lot closer than travelling to Auckland or Wellington to attend regular wänanga.
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KIA HOUHERE Building support
A
n alumni association called Käpuia has been established this year in response to demand from former kaimahi and tauira who want to maintain contact with Te Wänanga o Aotearoa. “The experience many of them had at Te Wänanga o Aotearoa remains special to them,” says Associate Kaihautü Ray Miller. “In many cases, individuals have expressed interest in retaining a relationship with the institution and being able to give something back to it.” The name of the alumni association, Käpuia, is derived from a tongi by the second Mäori King Kïngi Täwhiao which featured in KA MÏHARO (Köanga issue 2009): “Ki te kotahi te käkaho ka whati, ki te käpuia, e kore e whati.” “When reeds stand alone they are vulnerable, but bound together they are unbreakable.”
Awhimai Huka.
“
I can see value in the kaupapa and it’s a privilege to be in this position. There are a lot of opportunities available for our graduates.
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KIA HOUHERE
Ray hopes Käpuia will bind past tauira and kaimahi in support of Te Wänanga o Aotearoa and provide a social network for members. Hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders have either studied or worked at Te Wänanga o Aotearoa, so the potential for Käpuia is huge.
In April, she’ll present her business strategy for Käpuia to the regions. “I’m keen that the national plan is flexible enough to recognise the distinctiveness of each rohe whilst maintaining a united front under the umbrella of Te Wänanga o Aotearoa.”
Awhimai Huka Awhimai brings a variety of educational, work and life experiences to her new role.
Before taking up her role as the National Coordinator for Käpuia, Awhimai worked as the Mäori Student Recruitment Adviser for the University of Waikato. She lives in Hamilton with her täne Sam and their two daughters: Awhimai Puarere (18 months old) and Mariana Puarere (three and a half years old). If tauira or kaimahi have any queries or comments about Käpuia, contact Awhimai via email on awhimai.huka@twoa.ac.nz
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Ideas that have surfaced include mentoring, recognising outstanding contributions that tauira have made to their community, conferences, guest speakers, publications and scholarships.
“I really enjoyed the negotiation, mediation and advocacy aspects of law and I feel that these skills are a good foundation for relationship building, communication and problem solving which the mahi in Käpuia will no doubt involve in some form or another,” she says. She was admitted to the Bar in 2004.
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Her job will include consultation with current kaimahi and tauira to consider how Käpuia can further support tauira once they graduate.
Awhimai discovered a passion for mooting (mock court trials). She participated in competitions in Australia and Papua New Guinea, and helped host the Pan Pacific Mooting Competitions at Waikato University in 2003.
4E -ATA 7ÉNANGA
“I can see value in the kaupapa and it’s a privilege to be in this position. There are a lot of opportunities available for our graduates and I’m excited to be a part of this journey,” says Awhimai.
In 2000, she decided to return to Waikato University but instead of continuing with Education, she pursued a degree in Law.
4HE MANY FACES OF 4E 7ÉNANGA O !OTEAROA
Awhimai Huka (Waikato, Ngäti Kahungunu) began her role as National Coordinator in January. She welcomes her new post with open arms and is looking forward to both the celebrations and challenges that the role will present.
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The first step in the project has been the appointment of a National Käpuia Coordinator.
She was raised in Türangi and went straight from Tongariro High School to the University of Waikato in Hamilton. She started studying for a double degree in Education and Arts (majoring in Te Reo Mäori and English), but left two years later to take up a job with a pharmaceuticals company supplying products to medical services.
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New National Coordinator
TE PAPA KUPU Glossary of Mäori words amo upright supports on the front gable of a wharenui awhi to support, embrace hapü sub-tribe, to be pregnant houhere industrious iwi tribe kaiako tutor/teacher kaiäwhina helper kaimahi staff member, workers karakia prayer kaumatua elder kaupapa issue, subject körero to speak, history kupu word mahi work, to work marae meeting place marautanga curriculum mätauranga knowledge, education mauri life-force, spirit mokopuna grandchild motu island nä by, from pä fortified village paepae threshold of a wharenui paetahi graduate pätaka storehouse rangatahi young person rangatira chief, leader raranga weaving, to weave reo language rohe region tangata whenua indigenous people, people of the land tangihanga funeral taonga treasure tapu prohibition, sacred tauira student, an example tikanga customs tipuna/tupuna ancestor toi art, knowledge tukutuku woven panel(s) tumuaki principal urupä cemetery waiata song waka canoe, canoes wero challenge whakaahua image, photo whakairo carving whakaiti to demean whakataukï proverb whänau family, to give birth whakapapa genealogy wharenui meeting house whenua land, afterbirth Glossary of Mäori placenames Heretaunga Hastings Ötautahi Christchurch Papaiöea Palmerston North Tämaki Makaurau Auckland Te Tai Tokerau Northland Waiariki Central northern region Whirikökä 28 KA MÍHARO NGAHURU Autumn Gisborne and East Coast region
HE MARAMATAKA Paenga-wháwhá/April 28-30
Graduations – Papaiöea Taranaki (28th) Palmerston North (29th) Whanganui (30th)
Haratua/May 4
10-12 Graduations – Te Tai Tokerau Katäia site (10th), Kaikohe site (11th), Whangarei site (12th)
15 Aotearoa Film Festival Venue to be confirmed, Gisborne
Careers Expo Masterton
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Toi Exhibition Whirikökä Campus, Gisborne
Graduation – Papaiöea Toimairangi Campus, Hastings
26 Pipiri - 26 Hóngongoi
10-17 Careers Expo – Te Tai Räwhiti Campion College (10th), Ngata Memorial College (11th), Gisborne Boys’ High (12th), Gisborne Girls’ High (13th), Lytton High School (17th)
16 Waiöua Fun Run and Walk (for Tau Ora) Te Tai Tokerau
31 Te Rä Auahi Kore o Te Ao (World Smokefree Day) Worldwide www.auahikore.org.nz
Matariki Nationwide www.matarikievents.co.nz
28-30 Careers Expo – Te Tai Tokerau Taipa Area School (28th), Kaitäia College (29th), Ökaihau College (30th)
Hóngongoi/July 1-2 Careers Expo – Tai Tokerau Bay of Islands College (1st), Kerikeri High School (2nd)
26-1 o Here-turi-kóká Te Wiki o Te Reo Mäori www.koreromaori.co.nz
Pipiri/June 4-7 Wairoa Mäori Film Festival Taihoa Marae, Wairoa www.manawairoa.com
6-9 Indigenous Traditional Knowledge Conference Auckland University www.traditionalknowledge2010.ac.nz Kaihautü of Delivery Turi Ngatai entertaining the crowd at Waitangi on Waitangi Day.
Papa Ako
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Get ready for the next level of learning! Papa Ako is a fee free, 9 month home based learning to learn programme. It is for students who are considering tertiary study for the first time or those who have not studied in a while.
decide on your hours of study, so it fits into any lifestyle. With fantastic learning materials you can read, watch and listen at your place, at your own pace.
Papa Ako will provide you with information on learning styles, ways to improve your study techniques and research skills, confidence and a readiness for the next level of learning.
Throughout the 9 months 3 kete (kits) full of learning resources will be sent to your home. Papa Ako is part time (10 - 12 hours per week) and you
You will be supported in your learning by a kaitiaki (support person) who will meet at your convenience to assist and motivate you through the programme.
Papa Ako is a level 1 programme and is available to all New Zealand citizens and permanent residents aged 18 years and over.
www.openwananga.ac.nz
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Call free 0800 37 37 37 NGAHURU Autumn
KA MÍHARO
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Our degree tauira take pride of place “I was a truck driver for six years before deciding it was time for a change. Back in the day I had a dream to be a Social Worker, but I had got sidetracked, and then family and commitments came along. I said to my family that I wanted to go back and study toward my dream, and so that’s what happened. “At first my family were concerned about who was going to be the income earner, and that we would have to change our life. I said to them yes we would, but let’s think of it as it’s not just me - think of it as we’re all doing this. In Ma-ori there’s a saying, that you never stand alone, you stand with everyone else with you. So I’ve got the mentality that when I’m at Te Wa-nanga o Aotearoa I’m studying with my family.
“The best thing about studying for my degree at Te Wa-nanga o Aotearoa is the camaraderie, but we’ve also got people here with doctorates and masters, all walking around with knowledge. You can almost hear it echoing down the hallways. But they never push it in your face, you always feel that you’re just as important as them, and they instill us with confidence. “If you’re on a foundation course and have had a taste of what you want, have a look inside at yourself and say hey, I really want to do this degree programme. Then, get your wha-nau and friends to back you - they don’t have to understand it, they just have to listen. You just need a support group there for you.” Morewa Wilson, currently studying toward a Bachelor of Social Work
www.twoa.ac.nz | 0800 355 553