Support for ākonga Māori
Ma te huruhuru te manu ka rere. It takes many feathers to make a bird fly.
Te Punaka Ōwheo - Māori Student Success
Te Punaka Ōwheo (TPO) works to ensure ākonga Māori get the academic, cultural and social support you need to succeed in your educational journey.
The TPO team - who we are
Our Māori chaplain, Shari Roy, is like an aunty that can help you make sense of your spiritual health. She does this through whakawhanaungatanga, basic cultural support, pastoral support and karakia, all through a Māori lens.
Contact Shari Roys
Maori.Chaplain@op.ac.nz
Our services at Te Punaka Ōwheo
| Ākonga and whānau events/whānaukataka | Connecting to Iwi |
| Financial and StudyLink support | General advice, support, guidance and referrals |
| Karakia and waiata | Māori chaplains |
| Māori Scholarships and scholarship advice | Poho — our ākonga Māori common room. |
| Study support | Tuakana/Teina peer mentoring |
| Wāhi Māori |
Poho - Māori common room
The name Poho was gifted to the Māori common room. This is the name of a local ancestor who used to live in the suburb known as Opoho. Poho is a space for you to meet other ākonga Māori, study, eat and relax.
Poho is located on the Dunedin campus, B Block.
Events
Events are held during the year for ākonga Māori, including the pre-graduation ceremony. To find out what is coming up, keep an eye on our Facebook and Instagram pages.
For an idea of how the study year is laid out, the Study Timeline outlines the major events and the terms and semesters.
Social media links
Up coming events will be posted on our Facebook and Instagram pages.
Te Rau o Tītapu - Māori pre-graduation
Te Rau o Tītapu is the name given for Otago Polytechnic - Te Pūkenga’s Māori pre-graduation ceremonies for ākonga Māori.
A kōrero between Megan Pōtiki and Frank Edwards inspired this name while meeting in the Hub. Megan looked towards the wings of the Toroa in the atrium and uttered the kupu – ‘Te Rau o Tītapu’, which pays tribute to the mana of someone.
Bright white feathers of the Tītapu were worn by rangatira. It signifies beauty dignity and peace. In some areas, the Tītapu is referred to as the bellbird or huia.
In our kōrero, the Tītapu refers to the Toroa, a taonga in this rohe and a fitting tribute to honour our graduating ākonga Māori.
Cultural support
Here are some useful cultural support links and resources:
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Find your Whakapapa and iwi connections
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Find your whakapapa on Instagram
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Te reo resources - Te Aka Māori Dictionary
Support with learning
Find a wealth of information to support your writing, assignments and research in the Learning support section.
The Robertson Library catalogue and databases can be accessed online.
You can also find out to use the library and learn what resources are available in your area in the Subject guides.
The Otago Polytech Student Association (OPSA) is a one stop shop for all ākonga. From student IDs, to advocating, to help with general guidance regarding flatting issues and much more.
Find out more about OPSA at OP or visit their website
Student Success offers a broad range of support services that are here to help you through any issues that might arise, and make sure your time studying is rewarding and fun. They offer academic learning support, career support, accessibility support and more.
