It’s not just tauira that Kaleb Cave thinks about when he’s busy enrolling students for Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.

He’s also thinking about the hardworking kaiako (tutors), who are regularly highlighted as one of the key reasons people choose to study with the organisation.

“Knowing how passionate our kaiako are, I find it really satisfying to help fill their classes,” he says.

Kaleb has been a recruitment adviser at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa for two years but says he’s been part of the organisation for much longer, as his wife Lisa teaches performing arts at the Māngere campus.

He’s been a passionate advocate for his community for many years and particularly enjoys working with young people.

“A lot of young people struggle with something to do, so I show them what we have to offer,” he says.

“For me, in the role I’m doing, I’m always passionate about working for our community and young people.”

He particularly enjoys watching tauira progress through their courses and finding some direction in their lives.

“Seeing the journey they come through at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa is amazing,” he says.

Kaleb’s equally passionate about spreading the word about the sorts of programmes Te Wānanga o Aotearoa has to offer and says more people are beginning to realise how it can help them.

“When I started, people were like ‘who’. But there’s been a massive shift in the last couple of years. Hand on heart, there are a lot of awesome courses at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa but a big part of it is getting the word of mouth out there. I MC a lot of community events and use those to get the word out.”

But he wouldn’t be putting the word out there if he didn’t have faith in the organisation and its programmes.

“I wouldn’t be able to do this work if I didn’t believe in it.”