24 May, 2016

Mixing materials and motherhood

Nadia Poole is making a name for herself by mixing her love of material with motherhood.

Top award at the 2016 Distance Education Association of New Zealand Awards

Te Wānanga o Aotearoa Kaitiaki Taonga Donna Dyet and graphic designer Hika Taewa last year designed and developed a mobile app with the support of He Ātea Taonga (the resource development team) to support learners in the level 4 carpentry course. The course is part of the Certificate in Applied Technology offered by Te Wānanga o Aotearoa. The app provided breakthroughs for tauira including easier access to relevant programme content, better learner engagement and an increased likelihood of educational success for tauira. The judges said the project identified and addressed a learning need, developed a flexible and distance learning response that was effectively implemented. They also commended the project for demonstrating good practice in the area of culturally responsive pedagogy. Donna said it was great for Te Wānanga o Aotearoa to be recognised nationally in the field of innovative e-learning. She said feedback from kaiako and tauira about the use and impact of the resource had been encouraging. There was also interest from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, who will be discussing the app’s possibilities for the industry with Donna. “We were contacted by Jeremy Sole (Regional Knowledge Broker, Northern, Building System and Performance MBIE) who had heard about the app and wanted to have a look at possibilities for applying the concept to compliance apps in the industry,” she said. The DEANZ Award is designed to promote and reward excellence in e-learning, distance, open and flexible learning. Awards are made biennially for projects that advance understanding of best practice in e-learning, distance, open and flexible learning in New Zealand; are original or innovative in concept or application; and are relevant to and whose outcomes are useful to the e-learning, distance, open and flexible-learning community. The awards evening is part of the DEANZ conference that hosted around 200 delegates at the University of Waikato from 17-20 April.

Tamariki and passion for te reo brings Waikato couple home

For more than 20 years Kumeroa and Jubilee Poutapu carved out careers across the ditch in Sydney, but it was their tamariki and passion for te reo Māori that brought them home.

Amiria inspired by the wānanga on the Waikato River

Kaiarahi Mātauranga Māori Amiria O'Malley says taking part in the tirahoe from Hamilton to Huntly on the Waikato River was a ‘wānanga’ in itself.

Te Mana Ao Tūroa degree broadens horizons

Te Mana Ao Tūroa graduate Taroi Rawiri says the Bachelor of Māori Advancement degree he studied at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa has broadened his horizons.

Ngā puna o Te Wānanga o Aotearoa : It’s about the whanau

An ERO review of Te Wānanga o Aotearoa early learning centres has praised the five puna for the positive outcomes they promote for tamariki and their whānau.

Ria takes her passion for music and te reo to a wider audience

Marae DIY presenter and artist Ria Hall is delighted that the favourite marae makeover show will be broadcast to a wider audience on TV3 in June.

Inez offers a helping hand to get a foot on the property ladder

Inez White was valuing a Rotorua property when a horrible realisation dawned on her.

He Waka Hiringa spreads wings to Auckland

Following on from the success of He Waka Hiringa – the Master of Applied Indigenous knowledge degree in Hamilton, the only master’s programme taught by the wānanga has spread its wings to Tāmaki Makaurau.

Art + Activism + Aroha = The River Talks

Art + Activism + Aroha = The River Talks, an environmental symposium which will see Te Wānanga o Aotearoa tauira representing all three elements at Ruapotaka Marae, Glen Innes next Monday.

Weavers' solution for insatiable demand for wahakura

Te Wānanga o Aotearoa weavers inundated with requests for wahakura have found a solution that may help to satisfy the overwhelming demand for the traditional bassinets.

Olympia stage beckons after mum time with the tamariki

After a gruelling gym and training regime and a constant diet of chicken, fish and broccoli, champion bodybuilder Janna O’Malley could have been forgiven if she wanted to chill out and binge on Netflix with a burger, fries and a coke.