Taringa celebrates history on TWoA 40th Anniversary

Two special episodes of the podcast Taringa aired on Monday morning to celebrate the 40^th anniversary of Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.

Te Wānanga o Aotearoa (TWoA) is the largest of the country’s three recognised wānanga with more than 35,000 students and 80 campuses.

The anniversary podcast episode was a live broadcast from Ō-Tāwhao Marae in Te Awamutu, built in 1985 and acknowledged as the ‘birthplace’ of TWoA.

Taringa co-hosts Lyndsay Te Puaheiri Snowden and Erica Sinclair celebrated the milestone by speaking with special guests to delve deep into the history, workings and future of Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.

Snowden (Te Roroa, Ngāti Korokoro, Te Māhurehure, Ngāti Kuta Patukeha, Ngāti Wai) says it was “reinvigorating” to inform and remind people of TWoA’s history.

“We saw it a perfect fit to have a live for the first two episodes of the year, for 2025, with it being an auspicious occasion; the 40th birthday,” he says.

“The intention was just talking about the genesis of what people know now as Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.

“We wanted to have voices of those who were there in the beginning years.”

Ō-Tāwhao Marae was established by community leaders who saw wharenui as a way to better support Māori students who were being let down by the education system.

The marae was built, designed and carved by the first students of TWoA when the institute’s programmes focussed mainly on raranga and whakairo.

Some of these students were guests on the special episode of Taringa.

LISTEN: Lyndsay Snowden discusses origins of Te Wānanga o Aotearoa

“We had [on the podcast] the artists, the kaiwhakairo, who were on challenging pathways in their time but people like Pakariki Harrison, Hinemoa Harrison, Boy Mangu and Rongo Wetere saw the potential in them,” says Snowden.

Through the support of TwoA pioneers, the students were given opportunities for education, employment and to learn about their identity.

“These are not new stories but they’re always reminding us, people in education, the impacts we can have on people’s lives.”

The institute (which has held various names throughout history) experienced immense growth in the late 1980s, expanding to provide programmes such as trades training and opening more campuses.

TWoA gained wānanga status in 1993, formerly recognising it as a tertiary education institute.

LISTEN: Lyndsay Snowden discusses the impact of Te Wānanga o Aotearoa

The special podcast highlighted how TWoA has contributed to greater New Zealand society.

“It is not only allowing people to have to access te reo with tikanga but also to socially impact the minds of New Zealanders, people of Aotearoa.”

TWoA today provides various education programmes including te reo Māori, Indigenous Arts, Trades and Hauora, through a uniquely Māori lens.

TWoA Chief Executive Evie O’Brien stated in the anniversary media release that the initial belief – “using mātauranga Māori and education to uplift our people” – remains to drive the institute.

The Taringa podcast is produced by TWoA and aims to teach te reo Māori and tikanga Māori in a “fun and relaxed way”.

The free resource first aired in 2017 and now has over 340 episodes that can be found on Spotify, Māori+, Apple Podcasts and Facebook.

LISTEN: Lyndsay Snowden discusses the impact of Taringa

Snowden says Taringa is praised for being highly accessible, relatable and a space to have comfortable conversations about uncomfortable topics.

“[Te Wānanga o Aotearoa] understands the social impact that we can create using Taringa,” Snowden says.

“What it’s really about is sharing mātauranga, because none of us are the owners of it. You know, [it is about] keeping that kōrero alive.”