Awanuiārangi invites community to tour new campus

21 January 2013

Awanuiārangi invites community to tour new campus

Prospective students and members of the public will have the chance to view the fantastic new tertiary education facilities in Whakatāne when Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi: indigenous-university opens its doors to the community on Friday, February 1.

The Open Day from 9am to 3pm will provide the first community opportunity to see what the new campus has to offer. The new buildings were opened officially in December last year during a full day of ceremony attended by hundreds of invited guests from around New Zealand and overseas. Four days after the opening, nearly 100 Eastern Bay of Plenty business and community leaders were shown around the complex by executives and staff.

Now the wider community is being invited to take an extensive guided tour of the state-of-the-art facilities at 13 Domain Road, to meet staff, find out more about Awanuiārangi programmes, and get expert advice on study options.

Guided tours of the campus will run at 10.30am, 11.40am and 1.45pm. Each of the institution’s three schools will run a series of programme workshops throughout the day, focusing on undergraduate degrees and certificates, indigenous graduate studies (Masters and PhD programmes), and services to marae, hapū and iwi.

The campus development features the magnificent Sir Hirini Moko Mead Library, which includes a number of special collections; modern student commons; and a high-tech media centre, teaching suites, lecture theatres and study rooms that will allow national and international interaction between Awanuiārangi students and their peers worldwide. It also houses an executive suite, boardroom, offices and a Noho Centre, which supports the Awanuiārangi noho wānanga immersion learning approach.

Whakatāne is the headquarters for Awanuiārangi educational activities throughout New Zealand and internationally. With statistics showing the Eastern Bay as one of the most socio-economically deprived areas of Māori, the institution’s focus is on intervening in the continuing high levels of Māori educational underdevelopment. Awanuiārangi also provides a platform for engagement with other institutions nationally and internationally.

Innovative elements incorporated into the new buildings will serve to further expand wānanga outreach. Awanuiārangi is already one of the most technologically connected institutions in the country, with advanced connectivity that allows it to explore new ways of engagement in higher education. This includes MOOCS, or Massive Open Online Courses – a recent development in distance and online learning.

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