Te Wānanga o Aotearoa moves into the new Church Street building

When it comes to revitalising Ōpōtiki’s CBD, having a stronger focus on providing services to our community is crucial.

Part of the revitalisation plan was the construction of the new building at 103 Church Street.

Ōpōtiki District Council’s CEO, Stace Lewer, says he is excited to announce Te Wānanga o Aotearoa as the key tenant for the new Church Street building.

“The work that Te Wānanga o Aotearoa does supports our community to grow and thrive. I know they will play a key role in revitalising our CBD.

“Having Te Wānanga o Aotearoa alongside the banking hub in this space really fits the bill.”

Te Wānanga o Aotearoa is a well-respected and uniquely Māori tertiary education organisation, offering a wide range of educational programmes to students across Aotearoa.

One of its main objectives is to promote and preserve the Māori language and culture, something they have been doing for almost 40 years.

Te Wānanga o Aotearoa first began offering reo Māori programmes in Ōpōtiki in 2002, and by 2004 they were running eight programmes, all related to Mātauranga Māori, raranga and toi.

Kaiwhakahaere Ako, Roger Rakuraku, says there are now six programmes running from the Ōpōtiki campus and the community support is incredible.

“We are really looking forward to moving into the new building and we encourage whānau to come and talk to us about aspirations for their education because we believe in our vision — Whānau transformation through education”, says Rakuraku.

Lewer says that none of this would have been possible without the funding they received.

“A huge thank you needs to go to Kānoa, who significantly funded this project and many others through the Provincial Growth Fund.

“It’s great to see so many projects completed and being enjoyed by our community.”