Tautoko lends students a helping hand
AUTSA’s Foodie Godmother service has rebranded as Tautoko - a Māori concept to support, uplift and encourage.
Manager of the Tautoko initiative, Georgia Kirkwood said the change was influenced by the need to be more culturally inclusive of our student groups.
“Due to COVID-19 and the sudden need for more support during lockdown, we began providing students with Countdown vouchers. It soon became obvious that while students need to eat, some also need to travel, pay for childcare, rent, medical expenses and much more,” she said.
“We decided to look at Tautoko; a holistic, spiritual approach which looks at the overall well-being of an individual rather than just one aspect.”
Georgia said there has been a significant amount of positive feedback from students who have received help this year.
“We’ve been able to support over one thousand cases of students who are in need, some of whom have experienced increased financial burdens, greater responsibility and expectations within their whānau, and in extreme cases, homelessness. This initiative has been a support system for many of our students who have needed a hand-up throughout their time here at AUT.”
As we navigate this pandemic, support from the AUT community is important now more than ever.
“He aha te mea nui o te ao. He tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata; Tautoko’s founding principle is the importance of people. Many of our students will be first-generation graduates who have come from backgrounds where the odds are often stacked against them. Our students are the foundation of Tautoko, just as they are the foundation of our future as a society,” she says.
Tautoko Live
The Tautoko Live event on Thursday 22 October raised awareness for the new initiative and encouraged viewers to donate a koha.
The event featured performances from New Zealand artists such as Savage, Lion Rezz and Valkyrie.
The artists spoke about what Tautoko means to them and Kings, Sachi, Omega Levine and Zeisha sent their aroha to our students.