Waipapa Herenga Waka: Waipapa the Mooring Post
As waka journey to their many destinations, they carry their diverse purposes and names and precious cargo. Here they know of a space where they can find safety, replenishment and encounter and share and create knowledge with others on their journey.

Waipapa Taumata Rau values genuine and enduring relationships with local, regional and international students, communities, schools, alumni and partners. These relationships are guided by a unique narrative identity shaped by our relationships with Ngāti Whātua and iwi, hapū and hapori Māori, and focused on indigeneity, excellence and impact.

Taumata Teitei priorities:
- Strengthen and deepen our relationship with tangata whenua.
- An ambitious and relevant partner that is globally networked.
- Deep engagement with diverse Aotearoa and Asia-Pacific communities.
- Enduring relationships with prospective students, alumni and donors.
- Diverse student body reflecting our communities.
- Recognised and valued by our communities for the contributions we make towards a more sustainable future.
Indigenising initiatives
- Develop high-level principles for engagement with iwi, hapū and hapori Māori.
- Develop an engagement plan to operationalise Te Kōtuitanga Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei.
- Lead the development of a Tai Tokerau strategy and engagement plan.
- Play a leading role in developing the Association of Pacific Rim Universities’ (APRU) Indigenous knowledge network.
- Ensure that the evolution of the University’s visual identity and institutional narrative is grounded upon iwi narratives and relationship to place.
- Develop a repository of resources reflecting the Māori spatial, visual,
historical, and material narratives of Waipapa Taumata Rau. - Develop the Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity (AFSE) network and foster ongoing impact initiatives.
- Strengthen Māori alumni engagement with the University.
- Collaborate on how to indigenise equity-related policies, procedures, and other initiatives kia whakamana i ngā tāngata.
Measuring our achievement
Five-year performance measures | Partners |
---|---|
Principles for engagement with iwi, hapū and hapori in place. | PVC Māori |
Te Kōtuitanga Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei engagement plan progressing to the satisfaction of Ngāti Whātua. | DVC Strategic Engagement and PVC Māori |
Tai Tokerau engagement plan developed and implementation underway. | DVC Strategic Engagement and PVC Māori |
Waipapa Taumata Rau is a leader in APRU Indigenous knowledge network. | DVC Strategic Engagement and PVC Māori |
The University’s visual narrative is grounded upon iwi narratives and relationship to place. |
PVC Māori |
Repository of Waipapa Taumata Rau narratives established. |
PVC Māori |
AFSE Senior Fellows network impact initiatives are reported annually. | PVC Māori |
Increased number of engagement events with Māori alumni and increased attendance. | DVC Strategic Engagement and PVC Māori |
Key equity policies, procedures and other initiatives are developed with Māori, and reflect Indigenous perspectives. | PVC Equity and PVC Māori |
Increased recognition as a leading Indigenous institution. | DVC Strategic Engagement and PVC Māori |