Mai i te kuinga

The rangahau (research project) Mai i te kuinga: Reifying Māori Success at the Source, set out to explore the correlation of institutional perceptions of success in the lives of tauira (students) and their whānau.  

The research interviews conducted by the ākonga with their kuia (elderly grandmothers), and the subsequently written stories revealed that the Toi Ohomai values of:

Whanaungatanga – building and nurturing relationships and connections;

Toitūtanga – being courageous and humble in pursuit of excellence;

Kotahitanga – being united towards a common or shared purpose; and 

Manaakitanga – upholding and strengthening the mana of others and our communities wove naturally and pragmatically through the lives of the kuia. 

Their kōrero (shared reflections) candidly yet astutely inferred that remaining resourceful and adaptable in the ever changing, and ever evolving ‘modern’ world, is to be ‘successful’, and that success is not something that needs to be analysed, it simply was, and is, and is easily recognised as such.  

A collaborative project and research capacity building opportunity, the project generated staff research activity in the institution, and created a space for Toi Ohomai ākonga Māori as kairangahau teina to engage in and develop research skills. The team encourages more published research projects like this.

Published book:

Emery, T., Emery, W., Waaka, TA., Moses, I., Guy, D., Richards, R., Lyford, S., & Narbey, T. (2024). Mai i te Kuinga: Reifying Māori success at the source. Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology.