AUT Launches Te Aronui - Upholding Te Tiriti For The Benefit Of All

A culture that views Te Tiriti o Waitangi as an opportunity to grow and prosper as a university, is the vision behind the newly launched Te Aronui Te Tiriti Framework at Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makau Rau|Auckland University of Technology.

The framework has been developed after more than a year of consultation and co-creation with tangata whenua and tangata Tiriti, and a body of work spanning several years before this. It is intended to provide AUT with guidelines to give life to Tiriti honouring actions.

Vice-Chancellor, Professor Damon Salesa says Te Aronui is a confident response to the University’s commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

“AUT plays a critical role in shaping Aotearoa New Zealand. To ensure a thriving Aotearoa New Zealand for all, we need to work together, acknowledge and redress the enduring harms of colonisation and racism, and all forms of discrimination.

“We will do this by creating an environment in which tangata whenua succeed alongside tangata Tiriti and to ensure that we understand how we work together to achieve that,” said Professor Salesa.

Dr Valance Smith (Ngāpuhi, Waikato) AUT’s Assistant Pro-Vice Chancellor Māori Advancement and Kaihautū Tiriti, led the development of the framework alongside a Steering Group of Māori experts and Reference Group with diverse members from across the organisation.

Dr Smith notes the launch of the framework is a milestone in a journey that will see AUT students, colleagues and partners explore the best ways to implement and bring Te Aronui to life.

“Te Aronui provides guidance for us to navigate our future. It has a bold vision but also provides principles and four strategic goals for the AUT whānau to focus on,” said Dr Smith.

The four strategic goals of Te Aronui:

1. Whakaawe – Enabling Māori Influence
2. Whakaea – Realising Māori Aspirations
3. Whakamana – Equitable Outcomes for All
4. Whakanui – Eliminating Racism and Discrimination

The framework adopts the tāniko (woven) pattern ‘Aronui’ and uses the traditional mode for sharing mātauranga (knowledge) by paring the visual art form with an explanatory narrative.

Professional development of colleagues is an important part of implementing the framework and an initial cohort of 120 managers have embarked on Aronui Ora, a programme to breathe life into the new framework by building capability and understanding.

He taiao e whakaponotia ai Te Tiriti o Waitangi hei ara e whanake ai, e tōnui anō ai hei whare wānanga - koia nei te aronga matawhānui o te anga kātahi anō ka rewa mō Te Tiriti, o Te Aronui, i Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makau Rau.

Kua whanake te anga nei whai muri i tōna kotahi tau neke atu e wānanga ana, e waihanga ngātahi ana anō ki te tangata whenua me te tangata Tiriti, otirā, whai muri i ētahi rau mahi kua hia tau te roa e rere ana i mua atu i tēnei. Ko tōna whāinga, he tuku aratohu ki a AUT kia tutuki ai ētahi mahi whakamānawa i Te Tiriti.

Ko tā te Vice-Chancellor, ko tā Ahorangi Damon Salesa, he urupare māia a Te Aronui ki tā Te Wānanga Aronui ū ki Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

"He tūranga mātāmua tō AUT ki te auahatanga mai o Aotearoa. E tōnui ai a Aotearoa mō te katoa te painga, me mahi tahi tātou, me whakaae, me whakatika hoki ngā pākinotanga e pā tonu nei i te taipūwhenuatanga me te kaikiritanga, otirā, i ngā momo whakahāwea katoa."

"Ka pēnei mātou mā te whakarite mai i tētahi taiao e angitu tahi ai te tangata whenua me te tangata Tiriti, ka mutu, e mātua pēnei ai, e mārama ana mātou me pēhea te mahi tahi e tutuki ai," ko tā Ahorangi Salesa.

Nā te Kaiarataki - Assistant Pro-Vice Chancellor Māori Advancement, nā te Kaihautū Tiriti hoki o AUT, nā Tākuta Valance Smith (Ngāpuhi, Waikato) i ārahi te whanaketanga mai o te anga nei me tētahi Pae Ārahi mātanga Māori, me tētahi Pae Whakaaroaro hoki i tōpū ai ētahi mema kanorau nō ngā pito rau o te whakahaere.

Hei tā Tākuta Smith, he kaupae motuhake te whakarewanga o te anga nei i tētahi huarahi e whakatewhatewha ai ngā ākonga, ngā hoamahi me ngā hoa rangapū o AUT i ngā ara pai katoa e whakaūngia ai, e whakatinanahia anō ai a Te Aronui.

"Kua takoto i a Te Aronui he aratohu e pai ai tā mātou koke ki tua. E māia ana tana aronga matawhānui, heoi, ka takoto hoki i a ia he mātāpono me ētahi whāinga rautaki e whā hei arotahi mā te whānau o AUT," ko tā Tākuta Smith.

Ngā whāinga rautaki e whā o Te Aronui:

1. Whakaawe - E whakamana ana i ngā whakaawenga Māori
2. Whakaea - E whakaea ana i ngā tūmanako Māori
3. Whakamana - Kia tautika ngā hua mō te katoa
4. Whakanui - E whakakore ana i te kaikiri me te whakahāwea.

Kua whai te anga i te tauira tāniko o 'Aronui', otirā, kua whāia te ara tuku iho mō te tuku mātauranga, arā, ko te haere ngātahi o te toi ataata me te kupu whakamārama.

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