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National | Racism

Te Pūkenga vocation educator launches - 'a place where you can come and be yourself'

Reciting karakia and ancient rituals to lift the tapu, Mataia Keepa, Te Pūkenga Pou Tikanga and local kaumātua Tame Pokaia from Ngāti Mahuta ki Taupiri set the tone for the new-age vocational education merger of 16 institutes and polytechs today.

“This is the first day on which we have ushered in akonga and kaimahi to be the front runners in this unified national network,” Te Pūkenga council deputy chair Kim Ngarimu says.

The organisation caters to 24,000 students nationwide and its leaders want to reassure them that tertiary education can be a positive experience.

Te Pūkenga, which represents the country's 16 Institutes of technology and polytechnics, says it will stamp out systemic racism and discrimination.

“They [sub-committees] have been through a very disciplined and self-reflective process on equality and Te Tiriti o Waitangi considerations and they have built action plans that are improving all of those results,” Ngarimu says.

The organisation caters for 24,000 students nationwide and wants to reassure them that tertiary education can be a positive experience.

When you are looking at a big organisation like Te Pūkenga, you don’t get an end outcome when it comes to systemic racism. You work in it and on it and every time.

“We are realists, we know in big organisations there are always corners that need tidying up.”

Finding your identity

Te Pūkenga Senior Māori Advisor Layrin Stewart has embraced his identity, wearing his mataora proudly.  Stewart, who is from Te Tairāwhiti, says his upbringing by his paternal grandparents helped form his foundation in Te Ao Māori.

“To see many of our whanaunga carry this tāonga [moko] and tā moko te ao was a thing and if Māori want to, then they have the right to.”

“It was a natural progression. My older cousin Raymond Hohepa is a kaitā [moko artist]. In 2017 both my wahine and I took the big step to get our face moko done on the anniversary of our wedding.”

His advice to new learners in tertiary education is to "be you and be proud to be Māori".

“You don’t need to conform to fit into a place. Te Pūkenga is a place where you can come and be yourself and advise on how you would like to be taught.”

Who is Te Pūkenga?

Toi Ohomai and Wintec made the first transition to Te Pūkenga. Whakanuia celebration events were held at all eight Toi Ohomai and Wintec campuses around Waikato and Bay of Plenty to acknowledge this exciting milestone.

Te Pūkenga Chief Executive Stephen Town said the events focused on acknowledging the strengths of the two Institutes of technology, their people, learners and communities as they move into Te Pūkenga.

Toi Ohomai chief executive Dr Leon Fourie will take on the role as Wintec and Toi Ohomai transitional executive lead and Wintec chief executive Dave Christiansen will be Te Pūkenga ITP transition lead. Both will report to Te Pūkenga. There are no other changes to roles as part of this transition.

Te Pūkenga, the New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology, was established in 2020 as one of seven key changes in the reform of vocational education. Te Pūkenga is bringing together a national network of integrated learning that supports learners, employers and communities to gain the skills, knowledge, and capabilities Aotearoa needs now and in the future.

Te Pūkenga will focus on ending discrimination and creating a better understanding of Te Tiriti Partnership.  The aim is to provide vocation education capacity to wharekura graduates and high school students.

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Racism