In its simplest sense Open Wānanga can be described as the part of Te Wānanga o Aotearoa that delivers home based and English Language programmes.
Since its inception Te Wānanga o Aotearoa has had the clear view that in main stream education there are too many barriers for those wanting to access education. Te Wānanga o Aotearoa exists to provide pathways to education that are as open as possible for those comfortable to learn within a Māori cultural environment. Open Wānanga is guided by the same Māori principles and values and takes great pride in this nurturing and inclusive learning environment.
Open Wānanga was founded in 2000 with the launch of the highly successful Mahi Ora programme. Developed by three women - Susan Wetere, Debbie Chase and Jude Roberts - who were all inspired to create an initiative to help Māori advance in education, employment and community engagement. They believed the starting point for people was in recognising their own knowledge, skills and abilities, and from there building a future vision of where they wanted to be and what they wanted to achieve. This approach struck a chord with many students and Mahi Ora has gone on to help over 55,000 people throughout the last decade.
In 2005 the equally successful Mauri Ora programme was launched and Open Wānanga also took over the provision of English Language programmes for Te Wānanga o Aotearoa. English Language has developed into seven programmes and engages more than 3000 tauira annually.
Open Wānanga’s most recent programme is Papa Ako – Learning to Learn, a nine month foundation level bridging to tertiary program for those who have decided to study but want to improve their learning abilities and study skills so they are ready for further tertiary education. Launched in September 2009, Papa Ako has quickly established itself as a popular foundation level programme.
The future for Open Wānanga is to build more learning options for students and to grow and nurture its provider network so that the quality of delivery is second to none. New programmes under development in 2010 complement current programmes and will continue to build the strength of the Open Wānanga portfolio.
