A South Auckland tertiary institution is reaffirming it's commitment to Māori to mark the 20th anniversary of the opening of its marae, Ngā Kete Wānanga, in Otara. Deputy CE - Māori at the Manukau Institute of Technology, Dr Robert Sullivan says while there are significant successes to be celebrated, there is still much to be done.
The Coat of Arms of the King Movement is hoisted as dawn broke over the Manukau Institute of Technology to honour the 20th anniversary of the opening of the institute's marae, Ngā Kete Wānanga.
MP for Tāmaki Makaurau, Peeni Henare says this marae isn't just for MIT but for the local community and the wider community of Auckland.
"We need to celebrate that and to present some goals for the next 20yrs," he says.
It's a significant day for those who helped carve the marae under the guidance of Master Carver, Dr Pākāriki Harrison. His son, Fred Harrison restored one of the central pillars in time for the anniversary.
He says "it's a dream to see how pristine and how wonderful this place is being looked after over the 20 years. Not only that but the mātauranga (knowledge) that came with the house.
To mark the occasion, the institute has released a new Māori education strategy detailing the institute's commitment to Māori.
Rachael Tuwhangai from the Council of MIT says "through that strategy, our Māori department has been re-established, our Māori programmes and reo māori programmes have also been re-developed.
Completion by Māori at levels 1-4 have increased by 23% and retention rates also greatly improved by 26% across the 11 programmes involved.
Deputy CE, Dr Robert Sullivan says it is very pleasing to see these statistics.
"In 2014 the gap in completion between Māori and non-Māori was about 6%. Still not satisfactory but we've closed that gap by 3% in terms of success comparisons between Māori others,” says Dr Sullivan.
The strategy also aims to address some of the challenges they face.
Tūwhangai says one of the difficulties for is trying to see how the public view the institute and how the institute can engage more with the community.
"There is still a disconnection there and so the goal is to close that gap, to work collaboratively and for the community to thrive," she says.