Turning challenges into change

A chance encounter at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa came at exactly the right time for Ian Rauwhero (Tainui, Waiohua, Ngāti Pikiao).

Following successfully navigating family court and sharing his experience on social media, he’d begun to realise the value of supporting others through hard times.

“Friends and family I hadn’t spoken to for a while started reaching out. I helped a few of them navigate their own family court journeys from my lived experience, which turned out to be quite successful.”

A spark was lit, and he began looking at ways to formalise what he’d learned.

He happened to drive past an open day at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa one day, shortly after gaining custody of his children and stopped in.

“The first person I met was Matua Pete… I sat with him and spoke to him about the tikanga course he was running while the children painted. The way he spoke and made me feel is the reason why I chose to study at the Wānanga.”

Ian enrolled in and completed Manaaki Tāngata - Certificate in Bicultural Social Services in 2023 and then He Puāwai - Certificate in Adult & Tertiary Teaching in 2024. It was his first time back in a classroom since high school.

He learned valuable lessons while studying, including believing in himself.

“I would overthink simple questions and tasks which would create doubt. Once I started believing that what I was putting on paper was good enough, things flowed more freely and I started to enjoy studying.”

A standout moment during his studies was organising a whānau day for those in emergency housing.

“It instilled in me a desire to help more whānau within our community as well as my whānau, iwi, hapū.”

Ian says studying didn’t just support the goals he already had. It helped refine and solidify them and make them seem more achievable.

“My goal before studying was to create a programme aimed at helping men navigate family court. I have made many friendships and have networked with a lot of important people. I am more confident and more determined than ever, to achieve what I had set out to achieve.”

He’s now been offered work in social services and gained a new perspective on life.

“I look deeper… I’m more open to new experiences and more interested in learning new things.”

Ian’s advice to others thinking about studying is simple.

“Believe in yourself and give everything a go. A lot of activities require you to be put in uncomfortable positions. For me, that was where a lot of my growth came from.”

 Learn more about our programmes of study.