Te Wānanga O Aotearoa Realigns To Strengthen Education For Future Generations

Ko te pae tawhiti, whakamaua kia tata,

ko te pae tata, whakamaua kia tina!

Seek out distant horizons and cherish those you have reached

Te Wānanga o Aotearoa has begun the next stage of Te Pae Tawhiti 2030 – a future-focused plan to deliver innovative, values-led education for learners of today and for the generations to come. A proposed organisational redesign better aligns our people, structures, and systems with our vision, and responds to the changing needs of our tauira, employers and communities.

Guided by kaupapa Māori values (Te Kaupapa Matua), Te Pae Tawhiti 2030 will expand the reach and relevance of mātauranga Māori and deliver high-quality education that is inclusive, innovative, and transformational.

We have developed a new Target Operating Model and are now moving into implementation, starting with the proposed redesign.

Te Wānanga o Aotearoa was formed more than 40-years ago, to serve tauira whose learning needs were not being met across Aotearoa. From humble beginnings, we have grown through innovation and adaptation, guided by kaupapa shaped by our founders and the leaders that followed. We must be innovative and adapt to ensure we are best placed to meet the needs of those we serve now and in the future. That is at the heart of why we are redesigning how we organise ourselves – to strengthen our ability to deliver on our vision and values into the future.

This proposed redesign will result in the creation of new roles, the disestablishment of some existing roles, and the realignment of responsibilities. The overall outcome of this will be a reduction in around 60 roles – about 4% of our workforce.

Our priority is to retain as many existing kaimahi as possible, supporting as many as we can into new roles. With nearly 1,500 kaimahi across the motu, this requires a careful balance: simplifying and realigning roles and functions to improve efficiency and the quality of our offering, while making targeted investments in new capability to strengthen our future readiness and enhance delivery.

A key focus of this change is leadership. Proposed changes to our management – includes a deliberate flattening of the structure and realignment of leadership roles – to lift visibility, reduce complexity, and strengthen strategic oversight. Our kaiako are central to who we are, and all that we do, and this change is about ensuring they are supported to do their important mahi in the best possible way. There will be no reduction in kaiako roles.

The proposed changes reflect a shift in our approach and focus on to delivery, leadership, partnership, and innovation. Key areas of focus for Te Pae Tawhiti 2030 include:

• Elevating the teaching and learning experience across all aspects of our mahi
• Strengthening strategic partnerships with iwi, industry, and communities
• Increasing leadership and workforce capability at every level
• Enhancing the visibility and impact of mātauranga Māori, locally and globally
• Enabling smarter, more integrated ways of working through system and service improvements.

Where new capabilities are required to deliver on our strategy, we will always look first at how they can be developed from within – through redeployment, upskilling, and leadership development.

Over the coming months, we will engage in consultation with our kaimahi, where there will be opportunities to contribute, ask questions, and help shape what this change will look like.

Te Kaupapa Matua o Te Wānanga o Aotearoa describes the central aim and values that drive everything Te Wānanga o Aotearoa does, from how learning is delivered to how people are treated. This remains our guiding philosophy throughout our change process – to elevate people and communities by making meaningful, culturally grounded education accessible to all.

To our tauira, to our whānau, hapū, iwi and hāpori whānui and partners who continue to place their trust in Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, thank you. The steps we are taking now are about building something strong, sustainable, and enduring, not just for today, but for the generations to come.

© Scoop Media