Tikanga gets Auckland Transport moving
Including Māori values in their organisational structure is just one of the ways Auckland Transport is building its knowledge base around te Ao Māori and mātauranga Māori.
Māori Responsiveness Programme Manager Lillian Tahuri says when the values were re-written earlier this year, there was support from across the organisation for more Māori input.
“As a consequence we now have Māori values in Auckland Transport,” she says.
Those values – Auahatanga, Whanaungatanga, Tiakitanga and Manaakitanga – guide the organisation and Lillian says there is a strong desire among Auckland Transport staff to learn more about te Ao Māori.
Last year Lillian was part of the first cohort from Auckland Transport to complete the Level 3 Te Whāinga o te Ao Tikanga programme at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa and she says the course helped staff immensely.
Auckland Transport works with 19 different tribal organisations, meaning there’s a genuine need – and desire - for staff to have an understanding of tikanga, she says.
“They understand that we are building relationships and these have to be enduring, not just from one project to the next.”
“Everyone wanted more knowledge and understanding,” she says.
“They want to know what’s going on when they go to a marae, not just sit there wondering what’s going on. It makes them more aware of their own personal behaviour in that space.”
Lillian enrolled in the course to support her colleagues but also “because I just wanted a more in-depth knowledge around tikanga at a personal level”.
While Auckland Transport runs internal tikanga, te reo Māori pronunciation and Treaty of Waitangi workshops, Lillian says the Te Wānanga o Aotearoa course provides more depth to their learning.
She hopes more staff will be able to study tikanga with Te Wānanga o Aotearoa and says it has produced real benefits for the organisation.
“At Auckland Transport there are Māori-focused programmes on road safety, infrastructure engagement and the implementation of te reo Māori across the transport network.”
Pūrongo whakahirahira
Featured stories
Te Wānanga o Aotearoa launches new reo Māori programmes to help te reo thrive for generations to come
For over four decades, Te Wānanga o Aotearoa has created pathways for generations of tauira to learn, speak, teach and live te reo Māori. That legacy has supported the return of te reo Māori to everyday life, from whānau learning their first kupu, to tauira carrying reo onto marae, and into workplaces, classrooms and homes.
Turning a passion for rongoā into community healing
Rongoā Māori has always been part of Patricia Tangira-Falwasser's life, but it was her studies at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa that deepened her knowledge and inspired her to start a business that now serves her wider community.
Te Wānanga o Aotearoa kaimahi claims gold at Waka Ama World Championship
Ken Henry (Te Whakatōhea, Waikato-Tainui) is a Tauira Support Advisor at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa Whakatāne campus who took home gold at the Waka Ama World Championships in Singapore in August.
A passion for taonga Māori takes Chanel to Oxford
What started as a desire to strengthen her reo Māori has taken Chanel Coromandel (Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Apakura, Ngāti Whanaunga) on an unexpected path, leading to an opportunity to contribute to the care and preservation of taonga Māori at the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, England.
Reconnecting to te ao Māori through raranga
Haylee Roussel (Ngāti Rārua, Rangitāne, Ngāti Maniapoto) was searching for a way to reconnect with te ao Māori when she enrolled in the Certificate in Māori and Indigenous Art, Raranga, at the Waiwhero campus of Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.
A journey shaped by whānau and a love of tamariki
Members of Tayla-Marie Takawe’s (Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Maniapoto) whānau were among the first tauira to graduate from the Bachelor of Education (Primary Teaching) at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.
Finding a deeper sense of self through te ao Māori
Moving to Aotearoa from rural Australia as a teenager, Lily Warring found herself wanting to learn more about the culture and language of the place she now called home.
Creating the spark for business success
With plenty of experience as an electrician, Josh Verstraten was ready to branch out from employee to business owner, but he knew running a successful business would require a new set of skills.
From financial stress to financial freedom for Auckland whānau
For Augustine Kopa, studying the Certificate in Money Management at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa was about creating a better future for her whānau.
Two generations, one reo Māori journey
When Melody Francis (Ngāti Kahungunu) saw the positive impact that studying te reo Māori had on her mum, she decided to jump on the waka and begin the journey alongside her.
