Waipapa Manawa Whenua: Waipapa the Heartbeat

The heart is the source of courage, inspiration and identity. Pulsing throughout the body to its many parts, the heart sends out life and purpose. And always the heart is grounded, finding ongoing nourishment from the land. Our students are the heart of Waipapa Taumata Rau.

Icon with three parts, a small circle symbolising the sun in the top left hand corner, a curved, stepped ascending form going from left to right in the top half of the space symbolising a headland, and a curved line that starts narrow at the base of the headland, and widens as it reaches the bottom of the space symbolising the edge of the water as it meets the shore. Background is an ascending diagonal two-tone zig-zag or poutama step pattern.

Waipapa Taumata Rau provides a distinctive learner experience. This experience is rich, relevant and researchinformed. It is highly connected to knowledges of place, to mātauranga Māori and to Te Tiriti. It encourages a deep awareness of learner cultural identities and active civic/community responsibility. Waipapa Taumata Rau is a place where tauira Māori belong and their identities are valued and enhanced.

Mostly in the dark, a receeding row of tauira Māori stand in profile, looking beyond the photo bounds to the viewer’s right, with just their faces and hands reflecting the light ahead of them. In the background, the branches of a tree glow from a streetlight.
Ngā Tauira Māori gather at dawn to celebrate the new whakairo at Waipapa Marae, 2024.

Taumata Teitei priorities: Education and student experience

  1. Accessible, equitable lifelong higher education opportunities.
  2. Student-centric learning, co-curricular and extra-curricular cultures.
  3. Education that is research-informed, transdisciplinary, relevant and with impact for the world.
  4. Graduates who make the world better tomorrow than it is today.

Indigenising initiatives

  • Oversee the implementation of the Curriculum Framework (CF), undergraduate Waipapa Taumata Rau course, and Pūtoi Ako initiatives including Mātauranga Māori Pathways, Te Reo Māori Pronunciation Assessment and Support Resources, Staff standards and support.
  • Continue to strengthen all learner success programmes and initiatives including the Tuākana learning community in relation to Māori student experience and success.
  • Develop a cohesive Māori student success strategy across the Māori cohorts including pre university, undergraduate, postgraduate and postuniversity student journey: student experience, transitions, engagement, retention, and success.

Measuring our achievement

Partners

DVC Operations, PVC Education PVC Māori (all measures)

Five-year performance measures

  • CF Pūtoi Ako and Waipapa Taumata Rau initiatives are embedded in business as usual.
  • Tuākana learning community enhancements implemented.
  • Māori student success strategy established.
  • Māori overall pass rates for undergraduate programmes achieve parity within three years for Māori students.
  • Retention to postgraduate segments at the same rate as all other ethnicities within six years.
  • Commencing-student retention achieving parity over five years for Māori students.
  • Increase in international participation by Māori students.

Waipapa Taumata Rau

Kawea Ake sections