Massey and Te Wananga agree Maori education path

Posted by Maori Pacific Jobs | 08/05/2012 | News

An agreement between Massey University and Te Wānanga o Aotearoa aimed at providing more integrated tertiary education opportunities for Māori was signed yesterday at the University’s Manawatu campus.

Discussions between the two institutions have been in progress for more than a year. Both have agreed that Māori educational advancement can be accelerated with the creation of pathways that facilitate entry into higher education and lead on to lifelong learning with expanded career options.

The agreement was signed by Te Wānanga o Aotearoa Pouhere (chief executive) Bentham Ohia and Massey Vice-Chancellor Steve Maharey.

It covers all Massey campuses – Albany, Manawatū, Wellington and its internationally recognised distance learning programme – and the more than 11 campuses and 80 delivery sites run throughout New Zealand by Te Wānanga, which is based in Te Awamutu.

Massey Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Assistant Vice-Chancellor (Māori and Pasifika) Professor Sir Mason Durie says the agreement represents a major step towards a collaboration that will benefit students, maximise resources, and share expertise.

“By working together and jointly planning for the future, Te Wānanga o Aotearoa and Massey University intend to transform the tertiary experience so that the best possible educational outcomes are within the reach of more Māori,” Sir Mason says.

Mr Ohia says Te Wānanga o Aotearoa is focused on whānau transformation through education. “Māori have diverse educational requirements, from certificate to master’s and PhD level. The priority for this partnership is to provide pathways for each institution’s respective students to ensure they are able to reach their fullest educational potential.”

He says the priority for Te Wānanga o Aotearoa is to work with a range of quality tertiary providers to help lift the educational performance and opportunity of Māori – an outcome that benefits New Zealand.

Te Wānanga o Aotearoa is one of the country’s largest tertiary institutions, providing education to more than 35,000 students. It is a tertiary education provider for all New Zealanders, driven by Māori principles and values. The institution provides a comprehensive range of programmes from certificate to degree level in study options that includes teaching, social services, computers, te Reo Māori, trade training and small business. More than half of Te Wānanga o Aotearoa students are Māori. The institution works with a low to no-fee model across a range of delivery methods, including classroom-based, noho marae, distance learning, and full and part-time study options.

Speaking at the powhiri prior to the signing of the agreement, Mr Maharey said it was about “two great houses of learning” sharing aspirations. “Both of us want to change the world we live in. We want to change if fundamentally.”

Source.