Congratulations to Jonique Oli, founder of Waiapu Road, for winning the 2024 Māori Businesswomen’s Employment & Growth award, sponsored by us! Her dedication and hard mahi have paid off, and we're proud to support her along her journey to success.

Husband and wife duo, Drs. Tim and Joni Angeli-Gordon are excited to take their research project to the next level after being awarded a significant grant from the Health Research Council of New Zealand (HRC).

The journey into primary teaching began unexpectedly for Princess Hirovanna while she was assisting at Māngere Bridge School as a volunteer.

To get to her reo Māori class, Jude Thompson travels an hour and a half by car and ferry each way, but she’s adamant that it’s all worth it.

Since 2021, Emma Ralston-Wyllie has been a kaiako of first He Pī Ka Pao and then He Pī Ka Rere at the Waitākere campus of Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.

In early August, Te Wānanga o Aotearoa tauira, Annetia Tautuku was privileged to travel with an ope from New Plymouth to attend Toitū te Reo in Heretaunga (Hastings).

English kaiako Cathy Purdie began her reo Māori journey in 1997, intending to uncover more about her cultural identity.

Former toi tauira, Ana Hislop and Emily Clemett, celebrated their first public gallery exhibition in Ōtepoti, launching their art careers in the south where their tīpuna are from.

Sue Tipene (Ngai Tahu, Ngai Tūahuriri) has had a few career changes, but a passion for education has been at the core of each and every one.

Lynette Ngaheu gave up a life of leisure in Ireland to return to Kawerau and says it was the best move she ever made.

As teams gear up for the International Va’a Federation (IVF) World Sprints, Elite J19 Men coach Patrick (Paddy) Harding-Rimene reflects on the invaluable support from Te Wānanga o Aotearoa which paved the route for his rangatahi squad.

Learning the art of raranga may not seem like a life-changing activity, but for recent graduates Toni Kakau and Zelda Te Pairi, this practice has been exactly that.

Tongan-born Tangi Katoa grew up watching her mum, Lineni Paea, teach, instilling in her a love of education and a passion for teaching.

Tereinamu Hakopa has a thirst for knowledge and is dedicated to sharing the knowledge she gains with those around her.

By learning te reo Māori, 22-year-old Sophie Doyle hopes to be an example to her whānau and generations to come, embodying the vision of Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, whānau transformation through education.

In a creative field largely dominated by non-Māori artists, ceramicist Tracy Keith (Ngāpuhi) is always happy to educate others about how Māori view and use uku (clay).

Truedy Taia is all about empowering women to achieve in a male-dominated industry. Truedy leads the first all-women crew for Rotorua-based forestry organisation, Mahi Rākau after being invited to start one a few years ago.

Around 40 Māori curators from museums, galleries, archives and museums gathered at O-Tāwhao Marae in Te Awamutu over the weekend for their annual hui aimed at networking, sharing knowledge and discussing how to grow Māori capacity in the sector.

Falling pregnant at 15 was a big surprise for Paeroa teen Ella-Grace Tissingh, but with the support of the Youth Services programme at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, she’s managed to gain NCEA level 2, get her full license, and start up a successful business.

Descended from a long line of undertakers, it’s no surprise that it was tangi that brought Delano Murray (Ngāti Kurī) to Heretaunga, where he’s a funeral director for Simplicity Funerals and studying Toi Paematua Level 5 in raranga with Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.

As a young girl, Barbara Wheto always had a fascination with harakeke and the art of weaving. But growing up in an era where being Māori and Māori culture were scorned upon, she was never encouraged to explore the art form.

The 2023 Dr. Buck Nin Memorial Scholarship recipient for Māori contemporary art was 23-year-old Antonia van Sitter, who put the funds towards completing her Master of Architecture thesis.

Mahia te mahi hei oranga whakatipu, hei oranga tuku iho mō te iwi, ahakoa ngā piere nuku o te wā. Ko Rodney Whanga o Tainui waka, nō ngā iwi o Ngāti Maniapoto me Waikato te whakatinanatanga o te kōrero nei.

Sondra Bacharach is no stranger to education. She currently teaches a university philosophy programme in Aotearoa and has experienced classroom environments as a student within the American, French and German education systems.

In Porirua, Deaf tauira Tania Ali (Ngāti Tūwharetoa), recently walked the graduation stage to receive her Certificate in Small Business and Project Management.

Almost 3 months ago, Tara McAllister made the transition from mainstream academia to Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, where she has taken on the role of Kairangahau Matua within the newly established Rangahau Centre, Te Manawahoukura.

From someone with no te reo Māori knowledge to now being able to speak te reo Māori all day, every day if he chose, Ruebin Reti has evolved into a beacon of inspiration.

Joy Gilgen had always thought that raranga was a practice reserved for older generations, but after having her first pēpē in 2022, she had the urge to do something holistic and reground herself in te ao Māori.

Te Wānanga o Aotearoa relaunched their scholarships in 2023, and in 2024 are proud to announce the introduction of three new scholarships, two of which honour a couple of the institute’s founding members.

Former All Black, Kees Meeuws has always had a passion for toi, so much so, that in his earlier years he studied at Elam School of Fine Arts, completing a foundation year and first year sculpture.

Like many parents during the pandemic, Tamara Grace-Tonga had to become her daughter’s core teacher. Quite unexpectedly, this sparked her wanting to change her legacy.

Pare Edmonds and Jonathon Glanville may come from differing backgrounds and lead distinct personal lives, but one thing they do have in common is their love for te reo Māori and their dedication to master the language.

Like many Māori tāne, Lebon Wilson struggled with mainstream schooling and left at 14. It’s taken him a long time to realise the benefits of being able to channel his learning and effort into something that he’s passionate about. That was by discovering whakairo.

Kylie Holmes and her partner, Harlem Ferrall, had never heard of Te Wānanga o Aotearoa until 2022 when they attended a mau rākau event at the Tauranga campus.