Te Wānanga o Aotearoa_Te Tirohanga Māori. Māori carving on wood.

Te Whānautanga o te Ao Tikanga

No fees
Bilingual
Immersive
Te Wānanga o Aotearoa_Te Tirohanga Maori_Te Whānautanga o te Ao Tikanga. Young man preparing to blow into a conch shell.

Tirohanga whānui

Elevate your practice of tikanga Māori

Build advanced capability in tikanga Māori for contemporary contexts. You’ll extend your:

  • Reo capability

  • Leadership skills

  • Cultural knowledge

  • Using tikanga in decision-making

  • Ability to problem-solve with a kaupapa Māori lens

The programme challenges you to use tikanga practices in new and complex situations, preparing you to make a meaningful contribution in your work and whānau.

This qualification is for people who wish to develop an extensive knowledge of tikanga practices within a specialised field founded on a Māori worldview. 

He aha tāu ka whiwhi?

Skills you'll leave with

Completing this programme means you’ll be able to:

  • Apply your own leadership principles and attributes 

  • Use in-depth knowledge of tikanga concepts and values

  • Communicate confidently in te reo Māori about tikanga practices and concepts

  • Use tikanga to create solutions for complex challenges

Mā te mahi ka ako

Learn by doing

You will get to:

  • Lead tikanga-based change projects

  • Design and test strategic plans or frameworks that are grounded in tikanga

  • Critically analyse and apply tikanga in a wide range of real-world contexts

  • Use comprehensive knowledge of tikanga protocols and cultural practices to guide decision-making

  • Mentor potential leaders

Ngā ara e wātea ana

Where will this take me?

Keep studying:
Progress to Te Aupikitanga ki te Reo Kairangi Level 6 or degree-level study in Māori business, te reo Māori, Māori development, social science, human resources and education.

Use at work:
Apply tikanga Māori in your current role, or step into leadership and specialist roles in tourism, hospitality, retail, education, horticulture, environment, media and marae trusts. Graduates of this qualification will have comprehensive knowledge and skills to manage and lead the practice of tikanga in dynamic contexts.

Community involvement:
Share and apply your knowledge with whānau, hapū, iwi and community groups to grow kaupapa Māori values and practices. You'll have the skills and confidence to self-manage and make decisions for your own learning and performance to apply to tikanga practice within a chosen field of work, or study, and across the community in general.

He meka

Quick facts

  • Level 6 (Intermediate)
  • 120 Credits
  • 40 Weeks
  • NZ Diploma in Tikanga (Mātauranga Māori) Level 6

Paearu whakauru

Entry criteria

You can enrol if you: 

  • Are 16 years or older 

  • Are a NZ citizen or resident (includes Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau) or Australian citizen/permanent resident 

  • Currently reside in New Zealand

  • Have completed Te Hapūtanga o te Ao Tikanga (Level 5) or show equivalent knowledge and skills

  • Attend an information sharing hui with the kaiako

Te wā

Time commitment

This programme is:  

  • Full-time  

  • 120 credits  

  • 40 weeks long (includes holiday breaks) 

  • Noho-based, with workshops and tutorials  

Kōnae ako

Learning modules

Ki hea, mō āhea hoki au ako ai?

Where and when can I learn?

No classes are currently open for application.

Kaupapa anamata

Upcoming Events

Te Ao Māori Foundation Workshop

Te Tirohanga Māori

442 Moray Place, Dunedin Central, Dunedin
Free
Kōwhaiwhai & Paint

Toi Ataata

705 Heretaunga Street West, St Leonards, Hastings
Free
Matariki ki Māngere

Māngere Campus

15 Canning Crescent, Māngere, Auckland
Free
WTR26-105_-_TI_-_MATARIKI - KŌRERO KŌTUITUI

Whangārei Campus

12 Murdoch Crescent, Raumanga, Whangārei
Free
Toi Exhibition

Māori & Indigenous Art

442 Moray Place, Dunedin Central, Dunedin
Free
Te Haa o Ako – The breath of Living, Learning & Teaching

Book Launch

510 Te Rapa Road, Te Rapa, Hamilton
Free
Whiria Te Tangata, Whiria Ngā Whetū, Whiria Ngā Pou

Toi Exhibition

5 Heriot Drive, Elsdon, Porirua
Free
Mānawatia a Matariki ki Waitākere

Waitākere Campus

207 Lincoln Road, Henderson, Auckland
Free
A woman in graduation robes and a man hongi outside the wharenui

He Puāwaitanga Waihōpai 2026

Graduation Ceremony, Invercargill

Southern Institute of Technology - 133 Tay Street, Invercargill 9810
Free

Pitopito kōrero o te wā

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