Adjunct faculty to enhance students’ learning at Waiariki

16 January 2012

Adjunct faculty created to make students’ learning more authentic at Waiariki

Providing students with access to some of the leading movers and shakers in Māori and iwi development has driven the establishment of an adjunct faculty with Te Wānanga a Ihenga at Waiariki Institute of Technology.

Deputy Chief Executive Māori, Keith Ikin, says a number of people have already agreed to be part of the faculty, including Te Pumautanga o Te Arawa Trust’s Rawiri Te Whare and Roger Pikia.

A first for the institute, the faculty is made up of a group of keynote speakers who will discuss Māori development topics with students. The key issues, challenges and opportunities facing Māori development will be presented, and debate and interactions between students and faculty encouraged.

The staff of Te Wānanga a Ihenga are excited about the opportunity for students in the Diploma in Te Reo Māori and the Bachelor of Māori Development to be up to date with the latest issues in Māori development.

“We want the degree to be real,” says Waiariki Deputy Chief Executive Māori Keith Ikin. “The opportunity for our students to learn from the experiences of Māori leaders is immeasurable and a real privilege.

“It will bring people with a lot of knowledge and expertise working in [Māori development] bringing real-time case studies to the learning. We see a lot of benefits.”

The faculty will also have the opportunity to build relationships with the students and vice versa.

Mr Ikin says it’s pointless producing graduates without a sense of the real world. They need to be able to cut it in the boardroom as well as on the marae.

“They need to be comfortable in a broad range of settings,” Mr Ikin says.

The opportunities for the graduates are many and broad with many iwi organisations now managing a lot of assets and looking for the likes of chief executives to lead them.

“They are looking for people with skills in business, resource management and finances as well as the cultural knowledge. Tertiary education in general in New Zealand is not really providing graduates with that balance of skills and Waiariki can provide that.

“Iwi are clear they want the best people for the job. Long term they want to position their own people to be the best for the job and we are hoping iwi will help us to do that.”

To that end, Waiariki has been working with iwi to develop a scholarship programme for the Bachelor of Māori Development to provide a pathway for future leaders in Māori/iwi development.

“We are working with several iwi to provide scholarships in 2012 for their descendants to come into the programme.”

It’s envisaged the scholarships will cover the cost of fees for the first year of the degree, subject to successful completion.

ENDS

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