Te Kunenga o te Ao Tikanga
Tirohanga whānui
Continue your learning in tikanga Māori
Ready to take your knowledge of tikanga Māori further? This programme is for learners who have completed Te Whāinga o te Ao Tikanga (Level 3) or have equivalent experience.
You’ll explore tikanga through leadership, whakapapa, te reo Māori and values, and the wider environment.
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.
This qualification is for people who want to develop a broad understanding of tikanga in a specialist field founded on a Māori worldview.
He aha tāu ka whiwhi?
What you’ll gain from this programme
Completing this programme means you’ll be able to:
Reflect on your own practice of tikanga
Identify your strengths and areas for growth
Apply tikanga knowledge and values to guide decisions
Use reo Māori and tikanga together
Use a broad range of tikanga concepts and practices
Mā te mahi ka ako
Learn by doing
You will get to:
Explore deeper thinking behind tikanga
Practise applying tikanga in more technical ways
Build your knowledge of tikanga protocols and cultural practices
Take part in hui, role plays and guided scenarios
Reflect on how to use tikanga in your whānau, workplace and wider community
Ngā ara e wātea ana
Where will this take me?
Keep studying:
Advance to our Level 5 programme, Te Hapūtanga o te Ao Tikanga. Or, if you're interested in teaching, you can apply to study He Korowai Ākonga - Bachelor of Education (Primary Teaching).
At work:
Apply for entry‑level roles or strengthen your current mahi across tourism, hospitality, retail, education support, horticulture, environmental projects, media, and with marae trusts or organisations. Graduates of this qualification will have a broad range of knowledge and skills to support and participate in the practice of tikanga under limited supervision.
Community involvement:
Support whānau, hapū, iwi and community groups by applying tikanga in events, projects and everyday practice. Graduates of this qualification will be able perform and apply knowledge fundamental to tikanga practices across the community in general.
He meka
Quick facts
- Level 4 (Intermediate)
- 120 Credits
- 40 Weeks
- NZ Certificate in Tikanga (Mātauranga Māori) Level 4
- No fees
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
Attend an interview with a kaiako
Important: This programme is one of four options under the same qualification. This means you can only ever enrol in one of these four options:
While the subject of each programme may seem very different, they still result in the same qualification.
If you have already completed one of the above programmes, you cannot enrol for any more of the programmes listed above. It also means that enrolling in one of these programmes now will exclude you from future enrolment in the other three programmes.
We want to ensure you select the right programme for your learning journey. If you need support to decide which programme is right for you, please call Tatau Pounamu (our Contact Centre).
Te wā
Time commitment
This programme is:
Full-time
120 credits
40 weeks long
Noho learning with workshops and wānanga
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
Pitopito kōrero o te wā
Latest news
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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.
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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.
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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.
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.
Tikanga study boosts whānau presence on marae
Patrick and Donna Tobin (Ngāti Kahu) are a brother-and-sister duo studying tikanga alongside their wider whānau at Te Paatu Marae in Kaitaia, all working towards the betterment of their whānau, iwi, and marae.
A teacher’s path to understanding tikanga
Originally from South Africa, Franda Zondagh has called Aotearoa home since 2003, but it was through studying He Papa Tikanga with Te Wānanga o Aotearoa that she began to feel a deeper connection to the place she lives and people she serves in her mahi.
Leading by example and learning te reo Māori
Liisa Wharepapa’s (Te Whānau ā Apanui) journey with te reo Māori wasn’t something that happened overnight, it was a goal waiting to be pursued until the moment she felt ready to take that step.
Returning home and reclaiming te reo Māori
After many years away building his professional career, Logan Bertram (Whakatōhea), returned home to Ōpōtiki with a clear goal of reconnecting with his whakapapa and creating a better future for his young whānau.
