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Te Wānanga o Aotearoa kaiako attending 2023 Toi Kiri Festival in Tauranga
28 September 2023Te Wānanga o Aotearoa will attend the prestigious Toi Kiri World Indigenous Arts Festival in Mt Maunganui for the first time this year. Eight kaiako (teachers) will participate in the festival, which gathers indigenous artists from around the world to showcase their art.
Tūwhitia Symposium drives student success for underserved learners
25 September 2023This week Te Wānanga o Aotearoa will host organisations from across the tertiary sector as they come together for the second annual Tūwhitia Symposium, where they will discuss and explore ways that work towards the continued drive of positive outcomes for underserved learners in Aotearoa.
Oranga Tamariki continues to improve Māori cultural capability with support from Te Wānanga o Aotearoa
25 September 2023With the support of Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, Oranga Tamariki is making a continuous and conscious effort to strengthen the knowledge and respect for Māori culture amongst their kaimahi, as well as a commitment to better fulfil their Tiriti o Waitangi obligations.
Normalise speaking te reo Māori and register for the Mahuru Māori challenge
1 September 2023Mahuru Māori is a challenge open to everyone no matter their current level of reo Māori.
Holistic healing and self discovery found in rongoā programme
22 August 2023Although rongoā has always been part of Te Aroha Ngatai’s life, she once believed that she needed a qualification from a western institute to practice rongoā.
Great-grandfather, student and now award recipient at 82
11 Aug 2023Not many people would think of taking up tertiary education in their 80’s, but that’s not the case for Rangi Hinga. The much-loved kaumātua is now in his fourth year of study at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.
A life of struggles to career success
31 July 2023Rosemarie Eketone-Williamson has had her fair share of challenges in life, from relationship breakdowns, exposure to family harm and violence, depression, to a battle with drug addiction and giving up care of her two eldest children.
Māori lens influences the switch from nursing to social work
21 July 2023Palmerston North local, Nicole Tipene, was working towards her nursing degree before making the switch to study a Bachelor of Bicultural Social Work at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.
Reconnecting roots: Mereana's journey of learning and growth
20 July 2023When Mereana Gell returned to Aotearoa after many years overseas, she felt out of touch with te ao Māori.
Uku artist and mau rākau warrior: Embracing tradition, discipline, and growth
18 July 2023Learning and practicing weaponry skills is vastly different to manipulating uku (clay) into cups and bowls, but both require confidence and discipline, and a respect for tradition.
Weaving programme provides sense of whānau for retiree
29 June 2023With all her tamariki (children) having grown up and made the move across the ditch, it’s left just Rena Mclean living here in Aotearoa.
Kiingi Tuheitia Portraiture Award honour roll
26 June 2023At Te Wānanga o Aotearoa we’re lucky to have a talented bunch of kaimahi who dedicate themselves to their mahi, each and every day.
Mokopuna motivate te reo Māori journey
22 June 2023Mokopuna were the motivator for education consultant Lara Meyer to begin her journey towards revitalising te reo Māori in her whānau.
Porirua mum overcomes doubts to graduate in rongoā Māori
21 June 2023Two years ago, if you told Kaya Grace that she would be a graduate of Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, she might not have believed you.
Christchurch mum helps bring te reo Māori back to her whānau
19 June 2023Ever since she was a young girl, Alicia Ward had a deep desire to connect with her whakapapa (genealogy) and immerse herself in te ao Māori (the Māori world).
Studying reo Māori gives Hastings dad new lease on life
13 June 2023Studying at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa has given Hastings dad, Tipuna Edward Smith, a new lease on life after many years of battling with his mental health.
Getting into the forest right choice for rangatahi
08 June 2023Rheeco admits he would be up to ‘nothing good’ if he wasn’t where he is now. Currently he’s deep in the Kaingaroa forest, using a chainsaw to cut down trees with a thinning crew.
Wānanga Team Leadership programme uplifts Christchurch local
06 June 2023Christchurch local, Sai Vaega has always aspired to make a positive impact in his community and the well-being of those around him.
Dyslexia was no barrier for wānanga student
23 May 2023Small business owner, Kawhena Rangihaeata Puha, overcame her struggles with dyslexia to complete the Level 4 Certificate in Small Business last year at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.
Multiple sclerosis diagnosis leads to rongoā Māori studies
17 May 2023After being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at 19, Arron Learmond began a journey of learning, researching and experimenting with herbal medicine and rongoā Māori.
Representing tāne in the weaving classroom
16 May 2023Weku Kereopa may have been the only tāne (male) in his raranga (weaving) class but that didn’t deter him from completing the Diploma in Māori and Indigenous Art.
Wānanga programme helps young mum gain employment
15 May 2023After completing the Certificate in Tākaro, Sport and Exercise at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, Ellerose Vanderaa secured a job as assistant manager at Jetts Fitness in Whakatāne.
A love for weaving leads to Māori art degree
11 May 2023Loren Riddall began her raranga (weaving) journey in 2019 and this year she will graduate from Maunga Kura Toi, Bachelor of Māori Art, Raranga.
A journey to reconnect with Māori heritage through language learning
08 May 2023Liz's commitment to learning te reo Maori has led to positive language outcomes for her community. She is now a Maori language teacher, revitalizing the language at a mainstream school and inspiring others to reconnect with their heritage.
Wānanga educations helps young whānau secure their financial future
05 May 2023Completing the Money Management programme at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa in 2018 was the kickstart Sam and Courtney Manu needed to take control of their financial future.
Working towards a greater Aotearoa by learning reo Māori
03 May 2023Mum of two, Kimberley Cleland is taking what she has learnt from her reo Māori studies through Te Wānanga o Aotearoa and passing it on to her young tamariki (children).
Wānanga learning guides Japanese student to bookkeeping success
02 May 2023Asami’s children and the desire to provide more income to support her family drove her toward a career change. Now an award-winning bookkeeper, Asami runs her own business and credits much of her success to her studies through Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.
Wānanga enrolment numbers on the rise
28 April 2023Tauira (students) at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa have embraced the opportunity to focus on personal and professional growth during the uncertain times brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Learning tikanga in the hopes of giving back to iwi
27 April 2023Through learning tikanga at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, Walter Herewini hopes to give back to his marae and keep te ao Māori (the Māori worldview) alive and thriving.
Ōpōtiki teacher learns reo Māori from former pupil
26 April 2023As an older student, learning reo Māori was slightly daunting for Ōpōtiki College teacher, Deborah Mckillop. But after learning she would be taught by one of her former student’s, things became more relaxed.
Overcoming Pain to Build a Thriving Business: The Journey of Steven Allan
25 April 2023Four years ago, Steven Allan’s life took a significant pivot. He injured his back and unable to work as a concrete pumper, enrolled in a business course at Te Wananga o Aotearoa with a friend.
Weaving eases wānanga student’s arthritis struggles
18 April 2023After pushing past his doubts and giving the raranga programme a good go, Kohatu not only completed the programme but it helped strengthen the mobility and use of his fingers.
Wānanga vision comes to life for Hamilton whānau
17 April 2023The vision of Te Wānanga o Aotearoa is, whānau transformation through education, and that has been the case for one Hamilton family.
Learning reo Māori alongside tamariki
06 April 2023Tā moko artist and mum of two, Mikayla (Meke) Nikora was brought up speaking reo Māori but slowly lost the language after leaving kura kaupapa Māori and moving to Pākehā schooling.
Sister duo keep Māoritanga alive through education
03 April 2023Gisborne sisters, Mererangi and Hoana Kaa believe that education is a key pathway to keeping Māoritanga (culture) thriving in all parts of Aotearoa and empowers Māori to step into leadership.
Press Release on behalf of Te Wānanga o Aotearoa and Te Wānanga o Raukawa, Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi
29 March 2023The first reading of the Education and Training Bill (No.3) in the House of Representatives today signals an historic shift in the relationship between the Crown and the Wānanga sector, namely Te Wānanga o Aotearoa and Te Wānanga o Raukawa, Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi.
Studying business was the road to success for Tāmaki couple
21 March 2023For husband and wife Daniel and Charmaine Ngawharau, studying with Te Wānanga o Aotearoa and using the knowledge learned to start a business has been the best decision they’ve ever made.
Embracing te reo Māori the key for Taranaki grandmother to help understand her identity
14 February 2023A lightbulb moment about identifying as a “New Zealander” led to grandmother and radio station manager Anne Dawson enrolling in Te Reo Māori studies at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa in 2021.
From Kenya to Aotearoa - Toi and its many connections
24 January 2023Jennifer Dickerson, a self-proclaimed "Third Culture Kid" due to her unique upbringing around the world, has discovered who she is through art.
‘Rererangi ki te Ao’ Opens doors at Kirikiriroa Airport
15 December 2022Te Wānanga o Aotearoa Kairuruku and Pouwhenua Whakairo (master carver), Professor Kereti G. Rautangata, (nō Ngāti Mahanga, Ngāti Koroki Kahukura) and his team of carvers have left their mark on a significant piece of the Waikato landscape.
Wāhine Toi Māori ki Ōtepoti – Marewa Severne and Heramaahina Eketone
13 December 2022Marewa Severne embodies the very essence of what it means to be wāhine Māori. She brings this integrity and strength to her teaching, with a ready smile, positivity, and a willingness to elevate mātauranga Māori in her life and her work.
Exhibition on marae first for East Coast raranga tauira
06 December 2022A desire to share knowledge on marae up the coast resulted in the first exhibition at Rāhui Marae for Talei Teariki’s Level 4 and 5 Raranga tauira recently. Titled ‘Waiapu’, the exhibition featured weavers from Rangitukia, Ruatōrea, Waipiro, Tikitiki, Te Araroa, Hicks Bay and Te Karaka.
Kahu Collective
05 December 2022The seed of Kahu Collective was planted back in 2013, when Lisa Harding, Cathy Payne and Corabelle Summerton crossed paths with Te Wānanga o Aotearoa’s stall at the Womens Expo, showcasing our Toi programmes.
Grandmother relearning the language she was once punished for speaking
10 November 2022Papamoa local, Maggie Hautonga Currie has spent much of her adult life living in Perth but after 37 years she was missing her home, her people, her culture and her reo.
Wānanga teacher makes good out of a childhood spent in foster care
31 October 2022Pirini Edwards was a state ward going through boys’ homes and foster homes throughout his childhood. But it was these childhood experiences and life lessons that led him to his current mahi, teaching the Certificate in Bicultural Social Services at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.
Sharing knowledge integral part of being Māori
26 October 2022Teaching and sharing knowledge is a natural and integral part of being Māori for Te Wānanga o Aotearoa kaiako (teacher), Rauangi Ohia.
Toi Class Encourages Self-Discovery
22 August 2022Karen Nel ventured onto the Toi Maruata course in Porirua to explore indigenous arts in this part of the world and found out more about herself in the process.
Wendy-Lee pursues her passion
25 July 2022Wendy-Lee McKee-Warner’s love for art started at high school, where she spent all her time hanging out in the art room.
Filling the toi kete
14 July 2022Innovative and motivating are just some of many words that describe the well-known toi guests who have been inspiring our tauira this semester.
Connecting to tūpuna through raranga
13 July 2022When Raranga kaiako Laurette Madden-Morehu recieved a kete as a seven-year old at a whānau reunion, it ignited a lifelong curiosity of mahi raranga.