Wānanga opens new South Auckland campus

Wānanga opens new South Auckland campus

Friday, 11 December 2015

More than 150 dignitaries, staff and well-wishers are expected to attend the opening of a new Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi campus in Manukau today.

Awanuiārangi Acting Chief Executive, Professor Wiremu Doherty said he was pleased to announce the new campus which would see the Whakatāne based education provider expand its offerings in the country’s largest market - a move expected to result in 1000 full-time equivalents studying at the campus within five years.”

“We are focused on doing what we can to support the drive for improved education outcomes in South Auckland.

“Awanuiārangi would look to develop targeted programmes in partnership with South Auckland communities and to work with a number of existing education providers to help ensure the delivery of programme options that met the needs of the region’s learners.”

The Lambie Drive campus will open for students in 2016 delivering programmes including the Bachelor of Education, Bachelor of Humanities, Bachelor of Māori Performing Arts, Te Reo me ōna Tikanga, Tourism and Masters of Māori Studies and Masters of Indigenous Studies, Masters of Māori Studies and Doctor of Philosophy.

Awanuiārangi is also partnering with Te Waka Kai Ora (New Zealand Māori Organics Authority) to develop a new qualification in Kai Oranga and food sustainability.

Professor Doherty said the Auckland expansion capped off a year of refinement and improvement for the tertiary institution as it moved to strengthen its systems and processes and to expand its presence.

He also acknowledged the skill in the institution’s senior leadership team, especially from Awanuiārangi Acting Deputy Chief Executive Evie O’Brien, who were instrumental in identifying the right location and in ensuring the Auckland expansion achieved its milestones.

“Evie has excellent Auckland relationships and networks combined with many years of on-the-ground experience in leadership and management positions within the Auckland tertiary education landscape, most recently as the Tāmaki regional manager for Te Wānanga o Aotearoa. Her knowledge and experience of this market has been invaluable in this development” Ms O’Brien said the Manukau campus was a positive development for the region and a clear demonstration of a commitment by Awanuiārangi to bring a wider range of educational opportunities to Auckland’s diverse communities, including its vibrant Māori and Pasifika populations.

“The need in Tāmaki is significant especially in undergraduate and post-graduate degree study that is informed by āhuatanga and tikanga Māori. Awanuiārangi has a critical part to play through the right location, mix of programmes and meaningful relationships with other providers.

“We will not replicate past models, but will implement a model based on our understanding and learning of what does and what does not work well in Tāmaki for the communities we serve.”

She said Awanuiārangi would collaborate with other tertiary education institutions to provide stair-casing to further study and pathways to employment for students.

“We have an opportunity to co-construct unique Wānanga qualifications with employers in Tāmaki that focus equally on cultural citizenship knowledge and skills, and employment knowledge and skills.”

Ms O’Brien said aligning tertiary education provision with need would meet priorities identified by both the Tertiary Education Commission and Auckland Council’s Southern Initiative.

ENDS

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