Tono Mai

Tono Mai

Expressions of Interest for our 2025 enrolments have now closed.

If you would like to be considered for our 2026 cohort, please sign up to our social accounts and our online newsletter for news and updates. Please note, our enrolment process for 2026 classes will likely run between May-August 2025.

We aim to be as transparent as possible about our application process, here is a document that outlines the various criteria we have when considering potential candidates. To strengthen your chances of entry into our programmes, here are some things you can do before the application process:

  • Learn as much te reo Māori as possible (completing L1-4 minimum)
  • Participating in Te Wānanga Ihorangi community events
  • Preparing your world to engage in study (what is your plan to pay the bills?)

During the 2025 recruitment drive, there were three formal applicants for every seat in class. Considering this reality, we encourage potential applicants to apply for positions in other institutes as well as a backup for 2026.

Kāore ōku toto Māori, ka taea tonu au te tuku tono?
Āe marika. Hiamo katoa ana mātou ki tētahi anamata e kitea ai te arohatia, te kōrerotia me te ngākau manawareka o ngā hapori whānui ki te reo Māori. Kei te mārama hoki te wāhi ki ngā whānau Pākehā hei tautoko mai i te ora o te reo Māori i ngā kāinga. Heoi, kia mōhio mai koe, ko te whakamatuatanga o ā mātou hōtaka he tautoko i ngā tāngata whenua ki te whakaora anō i te reo Māori. Mā ngā akoranga me ngā tikanga ako e ruku ai tātou ki ngā mātauranga me ngā tirohanga Māori.
He kaupapa Karaitiana tēnei?
Ka noho tō mātou whakapono hei tūāpapa mō ngā āhuatanga katoa o Te Wānanga Ihorangi. He rite ki ngā marae e hono ana ki te hāhi Mihinare, ki te Katorika, ki te Ringatū rānei; he mea whawhao tēnei mea te whakapono ki ō mātou wairua me ā mātou mahi. Heoi anō, he tohu reo Māori tonu ā mātou hōtaka, me te aha, e tuwhera ana ki te hunga pīkoko ki te kairangi o te reo. Mēnā he pātai āu, tēnā, whakapā mai.
Nā te aha koe i tūhono mai ai ki Te Wānanga Amorangi (Laidlaw College)?
I ngā wā hiahia ai he wāhi mahi hou ki te kōkiri i ētahi hōtaka kua whakamanatia e Te Mana Tohu Mātauranga, me tū rawa hei wānanga tūmataiti i te tuatahi. He tukanga roa, he ahunga roa tēnei huarahi, me te aha, he kawenga whakapau wā, rauemi hoki. I te mea kāore Te Wānanga Ihorangi i te hiahia whai kia tū hei wānanga tūmaiti, kua hono kōtui mātou ki Te Wānanga Amorangi (e tū kē ana hei wānanga tūmataiti) kia āwhina mai ki te hanga me te whakaako hoki i ngā tohu. Ko rātou te mana whakahaere, heoi, ko tā mātou he kawe i te taha whakaako i ngā hōtaka.

“My mum was the first ancestor since Hawaiki who wasn’t able to speak Māori on her side. That weighs on me yeah but I’m committed to keep going and to make sure that isn’t my story. Nah, for sure that is definitely not going to be my story.”

Christian Gallen (Ngāti Kahungunu),
Te Wānanga Ihorangi graduate

“I needed the push to go further from our kaiako. They were gentle but firm, and met me where I was at. All of a sudden I was doing a karanga, and calling out from a deep place. Reclamation of identity and culture can be tough, but the amazing way the kaiako walked alongside us made a big difference.”

Irene Farnham (Ngāti Awa, Tūhoe),
Te Wānanga Ihorangi graduate

“As a Samoan woman helping to raise a Māori son, these wānanga have been awesome. I walk away from class every time more determined to make our house a place where te reo lives and breathes.”

Niā Tomo (Ngāti Hāmoa, Pākehā),
Kura Reo student

“I loved my time there. The kaiako were incredibly skilled, and really kind and encouraging of all students, no matter what skill level. It was also great to be able to study in a space where our whakapono was not only accepted but encouraged, and a central part of expressing our Māoritanga.”

REV’D Hamish Dobbie (Ngāti Ruanui, Ngāruahine),
Te Wānanga Ihorangi graduate

“He huia kaimanawa te kura nei a Te Wānanga Ihorangi. He kura hirahira mō ngā tāngata katoa, Māori mai, tauiwi mai, arā, te iwi whakapono. Nau mai whakatau mai ki tēnei hapori, ki tēnei kura.”

Charles Williams (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Whakatōhea, Ngāpuhi), Kura Reo student

“Learning te reo Māori was beyond transformational for me. It was like being given a new set of eyes that allowed me to see the world in a completely different way. I felt closer to my tūpuna, to my kids, to the natural world around me. I should have done it earlier, but no regrets now … I’m just enjoying the ride.”

REV’D Te Karere Scarborough (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hauā),
Te Wānanga Ihorangi graduate and Tumuaki | Co-Principal

“Sometimes I look back and can’t believe how far I’ve come. I’m not the guy who will automatically jump up to the front or anything but if we are in a pinch then I will stand and speak. That makes me feel so proud.”

Scott Parekowhai (Te Aitanga a Mahaki),
Te Wānanga Ihorangi graduate

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