Terry Smith and Dale Harding have joined Te Wānanga o Aotearoa as Northland’s new Kaiwhakahaere Ako.
 
As managers of educational delivery, the pair have been busy adjusting to the new demands of the role as part of Te Ihu Takiwā.
 
Ko te mihi na Dale; “No Waima ahau, Ko Whakatere tōku maunga, Ko Te Mahurehure tōku hapu, Ko Waima tōku awa, Ko Otatara tōku marae, Ko Ngāpuhi toku iwi.”
 
Whāngarei-based Dale, whose past experience as an education manager helped her gain an in-depth knowledge of quality teaching practice while strengthening her passion to help students and staff strive for the best.
 
“I want to create programmes and pathways in education that are tailored to the personal journey of the student and their creative endeavours. I would like to make education be all that it can be for our students and their successes in life.”
 
Dale says she’s excited to be in an organisation that values innovative leaders and looks forward to building positive relationships with both internal and external stakeholders.

Terry, who is based at Kaikohe, lives in Whaingaroa on ancestral land and comes to the wānanga with a well-respected public sector and private consultancy background in resource management, housing and education.
 
For the past 10 years he’s been active in the education sector. He tutored the Bachelor of Iwi Environmental Management and Trusteeship degree that was previously delivered nationally through TWoA.

He plans to enrol in Te Waka Hiringa, the Masters of Applied Indigenous knowledge.

With his strong Te Taitokerau networks, Terry says being able to work in an organisation with strong Māori values and connecting with people on the ground to meet their educational aspirations is a unique opportunity.
 
“The wānanga has made a big difference in the community. I totally aligned with the vision ‘Whanau Transformation Through Education’ – when I saw that I thought ‘yeah, that’s right’.”