Following the demise of the super polytech, Te Pūkenga, the Manukau Institute of Technology celebrated the relaunch of its Bachelor of Nursing-Māori at Ngā Kete Wānanga Marae in Ōtara.

The initiative answers a challenge first issued in 1983 by Matiu Rata, Professor Ranginui Walker, and Atareta Poananga, who called on Auckland health authorities to train more Māori nurses to address disparities in healthcare.

“Ko Waikato-Tainui i haramai ki a [MIT] me te kī, pīrangi mātau he tohu mō ngā nēhi Māori,” says Dr Wiremu Manaia, MIT’s Director of Māori Education.

“Ko a rātau tūmanako kia whakapiri [i] tēnei kaupapa ki Te Puea Herangi me ōna tūmanako, me ōna whakaaro ki te whakapakari i te iwi Māori.”

Te Tohu Paetahi Tikanga Rangatira ā-Tapuhi (TTPTRT), developed in partnership with Waikato-Tainui, was first launched in 2020 and continues to offer a unique pathway into nursing.

Open to students from all backgrounds, the programme prepares graduates to become registered nurses while embedding indigenous tikanga, te reo, and kaupapa into their healthcare practice.

Kua whakaarahia ake i ngā pungarehu o Te Pūkenga

In 2020, the New Zealand government undertook a major overhaul of the vocational education sector, consolidating the country’s 16 Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics (ITPs) into a single nationwide entity, Te Pūkenga – New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology.

The goal was to create a cohesive, regionally accessible system for vocational training.

However, in December 2023, the government announced plans to dismantle Te Pūkenga and reinstate independent polytechnics.

This move marks a return to regional governance, aiming to better address the distinct needs of communities across the country.

Ngā ōhākī a Te Puea Herangi

Ka mutu, ka noho mai ko Te Puea Herangi me ōna tini akoranga hei tāhuhu mō tēnei kaupapa.

Ko te waiata rongonui o Waikato, ko ‘Timatangia Te Puea’ tērā i ārahi i ngā marautanga o tēnei tohu tapuhi.

E ai ki a MIT, “The late Kiingi Tuheitia gave us his blessing to use the waiata poi in the programme. The waiata was composed by Mere Morgan, Ngatono Muru, Tangiwai Te Koi, Harata Tupaea, and Te Paea Matatahi between 1935 and 1937.”

“It’s underpinned by the legacy and values of our beautiful Princess Te Puea Herangi and her commitment to advancing health outcomes for Māori. Te Puea embodied resilience, [strength] and determination,” te kī a Charlene Vave, tētahi o ngā ākonga ō mua.

Ko Tash Williams (Ngāpuhi) te ākonga pakeke rawa i tana akomanga - e 49 tau te pakeke. Ā, kua 20 tau ia e mahi ana ki ngā whare hauora o tana hapori, i mua i ana mahi whakangungu hei tapuhi.

“We’re naturally caregivers, Māori people. So I think there’s nothing better than being cared for by your own.”

Hei tā Williams, ehara ia i te waewae tapu ki ngā hohipera, nā te māuiui o tana māmā i roto i ngā tau.

“She hated hospitals. [But] one time she was cared for by a Māori male nurse and I saw what an impact it had on her,”

“I wanna be that nurse for our Māori whānau when they’re māuiui.”

Te tokoiti o ngā nēhi Māori i Aotearoa

Though about 17 percent of Aotearoa’s population is Māori, NZNO Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku told Radio New Zealand in February that just seven percent of the nursing workforce was Māori.

“The less Māori we have to support Māori patients, let’s be real they’re more vulnerable and more likely to turn up with comorbidity... not having Māori nurses there to provide culturally safe support for them it kind of does impact on the level of care they can receive,” she says.

Enrolments for TTPTRT were paused as MIT worked on developing unified qualifications within the Te Pūkenga network.

This initiative aimed to establish a single Bachelor of Nursing – Māori program to be offered across Aotearoa.

However, with the recent shift back towards regionally-based providers of vocational education and training, MIT School of Nursing has reopened the qualification for enrolments.

Currently, TTPTRT has 32 students enrolled this year, with 65 graduates since its inception in 2020.

“We’ve had a 100% success rate so all of those ākonga that have come through have passed the programme and are out there working as RNs in the communities, public hospitals, and private sectors.”

The project has the goal to support an additional 500 Māori and Pasifika school leavers into health careers.

Dr Manaia hopes to expand the programme’s horizons to other whare takiura across the motu.