Te Wānanga Aotearoa is honouring two of its founding members by naming scholarships after them.
The scholarships, to help tauira with the financial challenges of study, pay tribute to the wānanga’s former tumuaki Rongo Wetere and Māori studies teacher Te Iwi Kohuru (Boy) Mangu.
In 1983, concerned about the number of particularly Māori students being expelled from Te Awamutu College, the two men resolved to build a wharenui on the college grounds and involve the expelled students in its construction.
“By providing these rangatahi an outlet for creativity and the opportunity to learn in a te ao Māori context, they hoped to make a difference in their futures, ultimately leading to the current vision: Whānau transformation through education,” the wānanga says.
Te Tumuaki Rongo H Wetere Scholarship recognises a tauira Māori who is the first in their whānau to study at a tertiary level.
“Naming this scholarship for the first and only Tumuaki of Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, recognises the important role he played for many tauira Māori, to get them back on the path of education.”
Tauira Māori studying any programme are eligible for the Rongo Wetere scholarship.
The Boy Mangu Mātauranga Māori Waharoa Scholarship recognises a tauira who demonstrates their commitment to the advancement of mātauranga Māori by studying a mātauranga programme.
“As a teacher, Boy Mangu spent much of his career encouraging tauira to learn about the importance of te ao Māori, and deeply valued the importance of mātauranga Māori for everyone in Aotearoa, especially those who were disengaged from mainstream education.”
Both scholarships have been endorsed by their respective whānau.
Te Wānanga Aotearoa has also introduced a third new scholarship.
The Te Pou Postgraduate Diploma Kaitiakitanga L8 Scholarship is awarded to a registered health professional who is enrolled in the Postgraduate Diploma in Kaitiakitanga L8 programme.
Scholarship applications are open from Monday, 1 April to Sunday, 30 June.