At Te Wānanga o Aotearoa,
we believe education is
a universal right and an
essential platform that opens
up access to the full range of
experiences life has to offer.
We aim to eliminate barriers
that prevent or discourage
engagement with tertiary
education, including financial
and geographical barriers, as
well as whānau commitments
and those created by previous
negative experiences with the
education system. We offer
a nurturing, whānau-based
learning environment in which
we support our tauira to achieve
success and realise their dreams.
Although our organisation
is grounded in Māori values,
we offer inclusive learning
environments where all are
welcome. Our aim is to offer as
many programmes as we can in
as many locations as possible.
We also provide as many
study options as possible, with
tauira able to study full-time
or part-time, face-to-face or at
home, during weekdays, in the
Founded in 1983, our
organisation originally provided
local training and education
options as an alternative to
the unresponsive mainstream
education providers of the
time. The Waipā Kōkiri Arts
Centre (as we were then known)
quickly became popular with
young people who recognised
an opportunity to gain the
skills they needed while
learning in a nurturing and
supportive environment.
Throughout the 1980s, the
Centre significantly increased
Māori participation at tertiary
level by taking education to
the people, opening facilities
in rural towns throughout the
Waikato region and South
Auckland. Changing our
name to Aotearoa Institute in
1989, we began applying for
tertiary status as a wānanga.
We received this recognition
in 1993 (after an amendment
was made to the Education Act
1989) and changed our name
to Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.
A brief history
During the early 2000s, we
experienced a period of
explosive growth as tauira
rushed to join our hugely
popular programmes. Key
among these were programmes
that provided stepping
stones into tertiary education,
established literary, numeracy
and basic financial skills,
relinked tauira with their
culture and their whānau,
engaged tauira with technology,
and motivated them towards
employment. Te Wānanga o
Aotearoa quickly became the
largest tertiary institution in
the country, growing from
1,008 tauira in 1999 to 66,756
in 2004. However, this rapid
expansion came at a price – our
systems and processes were
unable to keep pace with the
extreme demand. In 2005, the
Government appointed a team
of Crown managers to work
with kaimahi to consolidate the
organisation and this work was
completed in 2008.
Te Wānanga o Aotearoa
continues to explore what it
means to be a 21
st
Century,
values-driven, Māori
organisation operating within
predominantly non-Māori
systems. We seek to revisit
‘traditional ways of being and
doing’ in search of effective
strategies that more genuinely
reflect the heart of this
organisation and its stated
commitment to Māori and to all
New Zealanders.
With sites at more than 120 locations in 80 towns and cities throughout
Aotearoa New Zealand, we ensure our education is accessible, affordable,
relevant, inclusive, and connected with the communities within which we
operate. Our success comes from the achievements of our tauira as we work
together to make our world a better place.
Our philosophy
Te pŪrongo 2012
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