Te Kunenga o te Ao Tikanga

Develop your understanding of tikanga protocols and cultural practices.

Traditional knowledge can help us navigate our forever changing world, and tikanga Māori -Māori customs and practices- will provide a solid basis to start learning the legacy of our ancestors.

You’ll begin by reflecting on and evaluating your own practices of tikanga to help you identify your strengths, and how tikanga helps form relationships between others and the world around you.

As well as learning basic te reo Māori structures and how they merge with tikanga practices, you’ll be able to apply what you learn into your everyday life to give you the confidence to contribute within your whānau, hapū and iwi, and the communities you live in.

When you pass this programme, you'll get this qualification:

• Te Pōkaitahi Tikanga (Mātauranga Māori) – New Zealand Certificate in Tikanga (Mātauranga Māori) Level 4

• deeper insights into the thinking behind tikanga
• a more technical ability to apply tikanga
• a developing knowledge of tikanga protocols and cultural practices.

• apply and integrate a broad range of tikanga concepts and practices, as an expression of mana ao tūroa
• use a broad range of reo structures and tikanga practice, to enhance mana reo
• apply theoretical knowledge of tikanga concepts to form and affirm relationships between people and the physical world, as an expression of mana whenua
• reflect on and evaluate own practice of tikanga, to identify and self-manage strengths and weaknesses, as an expression of mana tangata

This qualification is for people who wish to develop a broad range of tikanga within a specialist field, founded on a Māori world view.

Graduates of this qualification will have a broad range of knowledge and skills to support and participate in tikanga practice, under broad guidance. Graduates of this qualification will be able to take responsibility for their own learning and performance, and will be able to apply knowledge fundamental to tikanga practice, within a chosen field of work, or study, and across the community in general.

This is a full-time programme that consists of 120 credits of learning over 40 weeks. You will be required to attend 280 hours (an average of approximately 8 hours per week) that may be made up of:

• noho – usually Friday to Sunday
• 1-day wānanga 
• kura whakaako (tutorial)

You’ll also need to participate in learning activities designed to enhance your learning for approximately:

• 25 hours per week (on average)

Dates of your delivery schedule will be confirmed at enrolment. Some of the learning activities will need to be completed online. You will need to have access to an internet-connected device for this programme. 

To enrol in this programme, a potential student must:

• be at least 16 years of age
• be a New Zealand citizen (or citizen of Australia, Tokelau, Niue, Cook Islands) or permanent resident
• reside in New Zealand
• must attend an interview with a kaiako

I want to keep studying

Advance to our Level 5 programme, Te Hapūtanga o te Ao Tikanga.

I want to use my qualification

You'll be able to begin specialising in tikanga specific to your area of interest.

Mana Tangata | 30 Credits

Reflect on and evaluate your own practice of tikanga to identify and self-manage strengths and weaknesses as an expression of mana tangata.  

Mana Whenua | 30 Credits

Apply theoretical knowledge of tikanga concepts to form and affirm relationships between people and the physical world as an expression of mana whenua. 

Mana Reo | 30 Credits

Use a broad range of reo structures and tikanga practices to enhance mana reo.

Mana Ao Tūroa | 30 Credits

Apply and integrate a broad range of tikanga concepts and practices as an expression of mana ao tūroa.