Ngā Whiri Kawe

Abstract

Tuākana enhances the learning environment for Maori and Pasifika students at the University of Auckland, through a mix of tutoring and mentoring. Each Tuākana-affiliated program has been contextualised to meet the needs of the individual faculties and departments. The role of Tuākana is to complement the university environment for Māori and Pacific students. Ako (reciprocity) is one of the key values underlying Tuākana and is essentially about an older more experienced student (tuākana) assisting a younger less experienced student (teina) to enhance their academic success at the UoA. Both the tuākana and teina gain from the experience. With regard to the theme of this conference, mokomokorea, the reciprocal nature of Tuākana sees tutors and mentors leaving a mark on their teina thus better preparing teina to leave their mark on the world. This paper will discuss how Tuākana has been effective for Māori and Pasifika students, discuss the values underlying Tuākana and identify how Tuākana contributes to Māori and Pasifika students enjoying success as Māori and Pasifika students. A case study of Tuākana in Biological Sciences will also be presented.