I whakaputahia tuatahia tēnei atikara e RNZ
Hundreds of Māori tertiary students have descended on Tāmaki Makaurau for Te Huinga Tauira, a national hui centred on culture, connection and the voices of tauira Māori.
The annual conference brings together students from tertiary institutions across Aotearoa for a week of kapa haka, hākinakina, wānanga, Manu Kōrero (speech competition), careers events and discussions on issues affecting them.
This year’s kaupapa is being hosted by Tītahi ki Tua, the Māori students’ association at AUT, Ngā Haumi ki te Ao at Massey University, and Te Mana Ākonga, the National Māori Tertiary Students’ Association.
The opening pōwhiri was held at Massey University’s North Shore campus, with the theme threaded throughout the week: Te Herenga Waka, Te Herenga Tauira.
Te Mana Ākonga pou tumuaki Te Tuhi Whakaura o te Rangi Wallace-Ihakara told RNZ that kōrero reflects the kaupapa of connecting tauira from across Aotearoa.
“How we can tuitui our rangatahi together, how we can be one even though we’re all tauira, how we can expand just from a thread to an entire rope that can transcend motu and regions across all of Aotearoa, let alone the world.”
Wallace-Ihakara said the strength of Te Huinga Tauira comes from bringing together students whose lives and experiences may be vastly different, but who share a common identity.
“A lot of our tauira, whether rural, whether urban, whether fluent, whether not, they all have different pathways in life,” she said.
“But one thing that connects all of us is that we are Māori.”
Te Huinga Tauira is the largest Māori student event of its kind, providing opportunities for tauira to build relationships across universities and regions and access networks and opportunities beyond Te Whare Wānanga.
Te Mana Ākonga pou tumuaki Kimberley Peacock said the hui provided something many Māori students did not always have at their tertiary institutions.
“It’s really important that for tauira Māori who are majority studying at Pākehā institutions, that they have a space where they can come and be themselves, a safe space where they can celebrate their culture and be exactly who they are without anybody’s eyes.”
She said having a space where they could embrace their Māori identity, the Māori world and tikanga Māori was increasingly important.
“It’s more important now than ever that we have this space. For them to take up space, that’s the most important thing, to have our voices heard, to provide a platform where they can really bring their whakaaro to the surface and have their say.”
That hononga is reflected across the week, with kaupapa ranging from kapa haka and Manu Kōrero to sport, careers and the Te Mana Ākonga annual general meeting.
New kaupapa this year also includes kura reo workshops and a dedicated rā wairua (spirit day) focused on whakawhanaungatanga.
Ngā Haumi ki te Ao tumuaki takirua Peyton Joe said the atmosphere of the hui was defined by that ability to be Māori without reservation.
“The wairua is definitely high and just being in the space of pure Māoritanga and just being tikanga bound and unapologetically Māori, it’s a beautiful space to be in and for all of us to come together and just be able to be ourselves,” she said.
Tumuaki takirua Mathew Tyler-Rope said connection was fundamental to Māori wellbeing.
“I think as Māori we crave connection and so much of our hauora is formulated about the relationship, about relationships,” he said.
The opportunity to meet tauira from different rohe also allowed students to encounter different perspectives, he said.
“It’s an amazing opportunity to both see the same viewpoint that you see but see it from a different angle. And I think that helps everyone grow,” Tyler-Rope said.
Te Huinga Tauira also provides a space for tauira to question the issues shaping their lives and futures.
Wallace-Ihakara said discussions throughout the week would touch on student and tertiary issues, the impact of artificial intelligence, wellbeing, and how Māori can succeed while remaining connected to their communities.
“How can we as rangatahi progress and become more of ourselves? How can we be Māori in a tertiary institution? How can we be progressive enough to go home and give back to our own people?”
The hui will run until Sunday.
Nā Layla Bailey-McDowell nō RNZ
