Fale Tumanu - Advisor Tauira Recruitment with Te Tumuratonga Keri Milne-Ihimaera, National Manager Recruitment Strategy Aisha Ross, Te Taiurungi Jim Mather and Shanan Halbert Head - Recruitment & Relationships.
Te Wananga o Aotearoa upped the ante at this year’s 41st ASB Polyfest thanks to a custom-designed Waharoa described by many rangatahi as ‘the flashest selfie-booth ever’.
In total there were 4450 TWoA-branded photos taken with just under half uploaded onto Facebook.
The activation space complemented the kaimahi well in their objective to connect with festival goers, managing to attract not only rangatahi, but whānau members and other stall holders.
Tauira recruitment advisor Fale Tumanu was one of the kaimahi throughout the four-day event in what she calls her most extensive engagement experience to date.
“The highlight for me was talking to everyone. All the kids were so amazed by our set up which was a good lead up to who we are as a wānanga. We support our tauira to upskill and that’s what sets us a part from other training providers.”
During her time there Fale says they received lots of expressions of interest and that is was important to remain respectful of the opportunity.
“The rangatahi were there for the purpose of performing, competing and showcasing their cultural pride. I was conscious of being in their space."
Vivienne Merito, National Manager – Brand, says the highlight for her was the huge levels of engagement.
“We definitely created some new perceptions as being relevant in Tāmaki and amongst rangatahi and their influencers – some of whom were previously unaware of who we were or what we did.”
As the largest event of its kind in the world – providing opportunities for more than 9000 students, attending 60 different secondary schools in Auckland, the Manukau Sports Bowl venue has held the festival for the last 21 years.
This is the first year of a three-year TWoA strategy being rolled out to appeal to all the youth attending.
