Our team of senior mana moana students (tuākana) are dedicated to supporting you (teina) to enhance success during your studies. 

We organise academic drop-in sessions with kai, regular workshops within your discipline and across the Faculty, and assignment / examination wānanga to aid you in your studies. We have shared kai and kōrero throughout the year to foster whakawhanaungatanga within the Faculty.

“Kia ora and talofa lava! My name is Jasmine Tuiā, and I am your Creative Arts Tuākana Coordinator for 2022. My role as a Tuākana coordinator involves talanoa or kōrero with student and staff bodies to ensure the Tuākana programme across Creative Arts and Industries is well supported and connected academically, culturally, and professionally. I am here to help connect you to faculty and wider University services and facilitate faculty-level student needs.

A bit about myself, I am a Siapo or bark-cloth maker based in Tāmaki Makaurau. I am from the villages of Matautu Lefaga, Malifa Apia and Falefa Anoama’a. My artistic practice examines Samoan storytelling concepts with bark-cloth practices and community talanoa. Influenced by talanoa of places, people, and waters of Matautu Lefaga Samoa and here in Tāmaki Makaurau where I work and reside, my practice explores the re-representation and reclamation of Pacific identities with siapo, reinforcing the importance of collective making and Moana voices within Pacific textile spaces.”

Tuākana Manaakitanga provides financial assistance for our students who are facing hardship or need support, and can help link to the broader University community.

We hold a range of events for Māori and Pacific students throughout the year, from noho marae to wānanga to cultural celebrations. 

If you have questions about the Tuākana Programme, then please feel free to get in touch with our Student Support and Engagement Team.

Email: cai-sce@auckland.ac.nz