Tū Māia 2023 - Te Whanganui-ā-Tara Journey

Te Whanganui-ā-Tara celebrated their graduation from Tū Māia with a great whakanuia at Te Wānanga o Raukawa campus in Ōtaki on Thursday 28th September. It was a special honour for tauira that many senior leaders were present to show their support.

After receiving their certificates representative speakers from each of the four classes thanked Te Hāpai Ō for the opportunity to participate in this eye-opening learning for many and acknowledged the ART confederation and Te Wānanga o Raukawa for the hospitality and generosity of sharing their wisdom and experiences. Tauira focused in their speeches on kaupapa tuku iho and how that will influence their mahi going forward. A very special wāhine “Aunty Mā” was mentioned on multiple occasions, in particular her encouragement to disrupt the status quo which made a deep impression on our kaimahi. 

Te Riu were addressed in the room requesting their support for Tū Māia to continue. It was great to see present members agreeing by nodding their heads. This is the encouragement from leadership our kaimahi appreciate and it prompted one speaker to invite Te Riu to participate in the next Tū Māia cohort, which was met by roaring applause!

It would not be a whakanuia without a hākari and Te Wānanga o Raukawa did not disappoint. A feast was laid out for tauira and their whānau to conclude the day. It was encouraging to see tauira uphold tikanga and hear and read about the impact Tū Māia has made on their thinking, seeing and experiencing a Te Ao Māori worldview. 

Watch the journey of our kaimahi below.