Mō te Kaupapa Identity and purpose of the Eke Tangaroa programme

• The programme name Eke Tangaroa is a metaphor for navigating the academic ocean.
• The appointees are the kaihoe - the paddlers of their own waka, and part of the larger waka of AUT
• The kaiurungi (navigator) stands at the back of a larger waka, to keep it on course

Kaiurungi: Professor Georgina Stewart

History of the Eke Tangaroa programme

The programme began in 2015 as the brainchild of two of AUT’s senior Māori academics, Professor Pare Keiha and Professor Welby Ings.

To date, the number of appointments made each year has varied between four and eight, and there are currently approximately 30 kaihoe among the academic staff.

A programme review in 2020 resulted in the new name of Eke Tangaroa, and the new role of kaiurungi being established to provide leadership and support to the kaihoe and their managers.

Aligned with Māori and Pacific values of respect, reciprocity and relationality

Eke Tangaroa operates in alignment with Māori and Pacific values of respect, reciprocity and relationality – the development and maintenance of positive relationships in all we do.

We want all kaihoe appointed through the programme to become strong academics, and for AUT to be a great place for them to work. The programme is an important element of AUT's commitment to reflecting the values embedded in Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

The Eke Tangaroa programme recognises the kaihoe as taonga of their people and the AUT community, and of great potential for Aotearoa New Zealand as future leading Māori and Pacific researchers and academics. The programme is set up to meet their needs as kaihoe, and nurture their academic potential, during the first three years of their appointment at AUT and beyond.

“The Eke Tangaroa programme recognises the kaihoe as taonga of their people and the AUT community, and of great potential for Aotearoa New Zealand as future leading Māori and Pacific researchers and academics.”