October 01, 2020
Te Pukenga takes on Maori equity challenge
A senior Māori advisor to the new mega-polytechic says equity for Māori is one of its main goals.
Education Minister Chris Hipkins this week revealed the polytechic’s name, Te Pūkenga, and opened its headquarters on the Wintec campus in Kirikiriroa.
Te Pūkenga was formed through the amalgamation of the nation’s 16 polytechnics and institutes of technology.
Will Workman says in the past the vocational training sector has not delivered the same results for Māori as other learners, and that has to change.
"The main goal is to ensure relevance and access, equity and partnership for Māori. I'm confident Te Pūkenga is one big part of that puzzle. It's not the full solution but it is going to be much better than what we had," he says.
Mr Workman says Te Pūkenga has partnership with Māori built into its charter, so co-design and collaboration will be critical.
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