Tuākana Learning Communities Awards

There are three awards per programme, selected by the Tuākana leadership teams within Faculties and Te Tumu Herena | Library and Learning Services. Eligible awardees are current students who are employed as Tuākana. 

• Leadership Award: recognising a Tuākana who has consistently shown leadership and initiative in their programme.
• Tuākana to Watch Award: recognising Tuākana in their first year who has shown potential to elevate the success of our tauira.
• Wairua Award: recognising someone who is the embodiment of the kaupapa and values of the Tuākana programme.

This award recognises students from the Tuākana Learning Community for services to Māori and Pacific communities and is selected by the offices of the Pro-Vice Chancellor Māori and the Pro-Vice Chancellor Pacific from nominations submitted by Faculty Tuākana teams.  

This award recognises someone who acknowledges, maintains, and develops the deep, abiding relationships between tangata whenua and our Pacific whanaunga as embodied in Tāne-nui-a-rangi, our wharenui, and known through our mātauranga and known through our mātauranga.  

2023 Awardees 

There were 32 students awarded at the 2023 Hākari with Michaela Topia from Tuākana Arts and Pelimani Fisi’iahi from Pasifika Success named as the awardees of the Waipapa Tātai Hono Award.  

Michaela has been described as a force of nature with an unrelenting passion for education. Her nurturing presence is overwhelmingly felt by everyone who enters the whare—a reflection of her innate ability to manaaki and her commitment to helping our tauira and the kaupapa of Tuākana. The Faculty of Arts have commented that Michaela’s strong Māori identity, generosity and willingness to share her knowledge of tikanga and Mātauranga Māori is done for the benefit of all — Māori mai, Tangata Moana, Tauiwi mai; her nurturing demeanour uplifts their whole team and all wider community. 

Pelimani is an expert in developing rapport with our students and is a pillar amongst Pacific male students dedicating time and effort to sit down with each and every one of them facilitating talanoa, providing pastoral care in a way that students are able to retain their mana and dignity. He has been described as developing, nurturing, and maintaining relationships with our students regardless of age, gender or ethnic background and works closely with the Māori Support Advisor to coordinate academic, pastoral and social events. Pasifika Success have highlighted how Pelimani encapsulates Waipapa Tātai Hono, continuously going over and beyond for our tauira to succeed. 

2024 Awards 

The 2024 Tuākana Learning Communities Hākari is expected to be held on Monday 7 October.