Case Study: Te Wānanga o Raukawa
Introduction
Te Wānanga o Raukawa is a Māori education provider based in Ōtaki. In order to understand Te Wānanga o Raukawa in its proper context, it is first necessary to examine its origins.
In 1975, the Raukawa Trustees, a body representing the confederation of Te Ati Awa, Ngāti Toarangatira, and Ngāti Raukawa (the ART confederation), began a tribal planning experiment entitled Whakatupuranga Rua Mano, or Generation 2000. The purpose of this experiment was to prepare the Confederation for the 21st century.
The entire Whakatupuranga Rua Mano programme was underpinned by four key principles:
- He taonga te reo.
- People are our wealth.
- The marae is our principal home.
- Strive for self-determination.
In 1981 Te Wānanga o Raukawa was established to put into practical effect the ideas and principles articulated in Whakatupuranga Rua Mano. Te Wānanga o Raukawa began with a modest roll of two students. Today, the wānanga boasts a roll of over 2000 students and an extensive academic programme offering diploma to masters degree courses. This case study is based on an interview conducted with Willis Katene, Mereana Selby and Kahukura Kemp.
Structure
Te Wānanga o Raukawa is a statutory body established under the Education Act 1990. Prior to this Te Wānanga o Raukawa operated as an incorporated society. Te Wānanga o Raukawa was the first of three legislatively recognised Wānanga to be established under the Act.
A council called Te Mana Whakahaere governs Te Wānanga o Raukawa. The statute prescribes this board. A statutorily required Academic Board also supports Te Mana Whakahaere. In addition to these statutory requirements, Te Wānanga o Raukawa has established an arm called the Purutanga Mauri. Te Wānanga believes the Purutanga Mauri is as (if not more) important than the legislatively required council.
The Governing Council consists of eighteen positions drawn from various parts of the community. It is responsible for determining overall strategic direction and monitoring the performance of the institution.
Organisational Structure
Core Purpose
The core purpose of Te Wānanga o Raukawa is constantly guided and informed by the four principles outlined in Whakatupuranga Rua Mano. At its essence, the core purpose of Te Wānanga o Raukawa is to ensure the survival of the people of the ART confederation and Māori generally. This is reflected in Te Wānanga's focus on people development, Māori language revival and advancement of Māori social structures. Language is a core component of all Te Wānanga o Raukawa courses as are studies on iwi and hapū. A key focus of Te Wānanga o Raukawa is to enable Māori to be Māori in a contemporary society.
The organisation is constantly evolving, facing the challenges of developing as a tikanga Māori organisation. The legislative requirements and compliance issues placed upon Te Wānanga o Raukawa can inhibit this. Government funding systems constantly require compliance material and these bureaucracy issues simply must be adhered to. These legislative demands can hamper the development as a tikanga Māori organisation and this creates some tensions.
The desire to advance Te Wānanga o Raukawa as a tikanga Māori organisation has recently been aided by the introduction of a set of kaupapa described as elements of the Māori world view. These kaupapa include manaakitanga, rangatiratanga, wairuatanga, whanaungatanga, kōtahitanga, pūkengatanga, kaitiakitanga, ūkaipōtanga, reo and whakapapa. Te Wānanga sees these kaupapa as the drivers in their activities and operations. This advancement has assisted in their development as a tikanga Māori organisation.
Te Wānanga o Raukawa sees its relationship with the three iwi as being of singular importance. The comment was made that "if we are not responsive to them we might as well shut the door". Secondly, Te Wānanga o Raukawa focuses on Māori generally. Te Wānanga o Raukawa programmes are delivered on 23 marae and one other site stretching from Northland to Whakatū and this has helped form a number of close iwi relationships. More and more iwi want to become a part of the marae-based learning programme.
Te Wānanga o Raukawa is also keen to have ongoing dialogue with international indigenous educational institutions. Te Wānanga o Raukawa is part of the national Wānanga collective known as Te Tau Ihu o Ngā Wānanga Association, which represents the three statutorily recognised Wānanga.
The statutorily required relationship with the Crown and its various agencies is necessary and important but not the primary focus. Te Wānanga o Raukawa is required to meet these obligations. However, it believes it is important that the organisation is not shaped by what the Crown wants, but is shaped by iwi in terms of what they are. Te Wānanga o Raukawa reports to all three iwi annually.
Governance Board
The Mana Whakahaere board consists of 17 positions and represents various sections of the community including the Purutanga Mauri, students, staff, the three founding iwi, local universities, local district councils, a local iwi, trust board and the Crown. Te Wānanga o Raukawa believes the large number on the board is not a problem. However, the representation itself is sometimes seen as contentious. The Crown has four representatives. The governing council meets every two months.
Each interest group appoints its own representatives. Te Wānanga o Raukawa board representatives are selected by staff and management through various means including hui, discussion, consensus and election.
Te Wānanga o Raukawa does not prescribe a specific skill-set for the board. Te Wānanga o Raukawa seeks members who are familiar with the kaupapa of the organisation and a knowledge and understanding of the vision.
It is not a problem finding people to fill these vacancies, although they have experienced difficulties with the time involved in Government appointment processes. The hold ups are in Government. It has taken 18 months for Government to fill recent vacancies. However, it was noted this was partly due to Government reconsidering the appropriateness of the size of its representation on the board. Members' length of tenure is outlined in the Act.
Leadership of the organisation is not seen as a straightforward issue. It was agreed that the organisation's leadership must be active in the three iwi, at least for the foreseeable future. The difficulty is sometimes marrying this practical reality with the legislative requirements.
Leadership positions within Te Wānanga o Raukawa have academic, whakapapa, administrative, cultural, and relationship skill requirements. Te Wānanga o Raukawa has experienced significant growth since 1993 and the institution prefers to grow its own people rather than import outside skills. Te Wānanga o Raukawa realises the vision to do this with its leadership might go against a strict Pākehā description of leadership of an academic institution.
Te Wānanga o Raukawa wants its leaders to be shining examples of academic performance but notes the risk of this is foregoing tikanga to attract those with such qualifications in the strict western academic tradition.
Tikanga Māori is not a business model and there is debate within the governing board about whether Te Wānanga o Raukawa should adopt a purely business focus. However, the board currently leans towards a tikanga Māori model and sees relationships as being extremely important. Huge debate took place concerning the decision to become recognised by the Crown as a "Wānanga" under the Education Ammendment Act as it was recognised this would impact on the rangatiratanga of Te Wānanga o Raukawa.
Te Wānanga o Raukawa actively communicates by going to the groups involved and attending marae committee hui, trust hui, kaumātua hui. The Mana Whakahaere representatives are also responsible for reporting to their respective groups. Te Wānanga o Raukawa has a website, conducts general hui and relies on staff and student communications. An annual graduate list is sent to iwi so they are aware of their people graduating.
The performance of the organisation is measured through various means including completion rates and the academic requirements. These are clear measures and Te Wānanga o Raukawa devotes a lot of time and thought into raising the fulfilment of academic requirements. The Act requires strict compliance and it is becoming more so. Growth is an indicator of progress. Over the last five years many institutions have struggled to fill numbers yet Te Wānanga o Raukawa has been struggling to deal with growth. Over the last seven years Te Wānanga o Raukawa has grown markedly.
Te Wānanga o Raukawa avoids using strict performance measurement methodology when assessing staff performance, preferring a more informal focus. Annual discussions are held with staff examining the year in review and examining future preferences and how Te Wānanga o Raukawa can help.
In terms of an ideal Te Wānanga o Raukawa board member or leader, an ability to communicate well is essential. Ideally the individual would be Māori and fluent in te reo with a thorough knowledge and understanding of Te Wānanga o Raukawa and the three iwi and Te Wānanga o Raukawa as a tikanga Māori organisation. Proven scholarship and academic performance would be preferred, ideally with a PhD because it is an international indicator of ability.
The individual should bring an open mindedness and be able to gain the confidence of, and be acceptable to, the people.
Leadership is a key issue that constantly raises its head. Te Wānanga o Raukawa recognises the need to get it right and has noticed that other organisations teeter on the brink of success based on their leadership. The current Tumuaki, Whatarangi Winiata, is widely regarded as the reason for the solid foundation that Te Wānanga o Raukawa has achieved to date.
As has already been mentioned, Te Wānanga o Raukawa prefers to employ a tikanga Māori approach to resolving issues should they arise. However, because the governing council is set by legislation it is not necessarily guided by this approach. Some members are Government appointees and share a different perspective. If conflict were to arise it is likely that the Purutanga Mauri would become an important group to be involved.
Business Environment
The education market is extremely competitive. However, Te Wānanga o Raukawa focuses on offering distinctive programmes and providing unique services. This reduces direct competitiveness. The challenge is to be responsive to the needs of the people and Te Wānanga o Raukawa does not necessarily look at what other people are doing. Te Wānanga o Raukawa's uniqueness is its brand and the organisation is willing to point people to other institutions to suit the individual. Te Wānanga o Raukawa also gets referrals from other tertiary institutions.
Te Wānanga o Raukawa recognises that education is expensive and that individuals must choose what is right for them. However, it is also conscious of the need to maintain student numbers. To date it has been lucky in that it has enjoyed a good word of mouth reputation which has seen its student numbers grow.
Te Wānanga o Raukawa is subject to many compliance issues and receives "a constant barrage" of Ministry of Education information requests such as audits and monitoring, quality management systems reviews, Tertiary Education Commission reviews, and OSH (Occupation Safety & Health) reviews. Although staff find that it is an intrusion at the academic level, it is something that must be lived with in order to meet compliance standards. Audit processes are recognised as useful indicators of quality and progress. Student services are constantly appraising their operations.
All compliance costs are carried by Te Wānanga o Raukawa and this is a heavy burden. The amount of compliance material sought is so extensive that Te Wānanga o Raukawa has appointed staff to deal with the bureaucratic requirements and measures.
Te Wānanga o Raukawa undertakes yearly strategic planning hui which last from Sunday evening to Tuesday afternoon in which all staff participate. The programme is led by the Tumuaki and Kaihautū and includes a number of presentations on future strategy. This year Te Wānanga o Raukawa kitchen staff did a presentation on hauora responsiveness. It is designed to be inclusive which ensures the people own the strategy.
Possible Changes
Te Tau Ihu o Ngā Wānanga Association is currently conducting work on NZQA accreditation to develop Māori tikanga-based accreditation bodies. This will enable accreditation by a body more qualified to consider proposals from tikanga Māori tertiary education advisers. Te Wānanga o Raukawa believes that the current government accreditation bodies do not provide this understanding or the subsequent impact their processes have on Te Wānanga.
Te Wānanga o Raukawa would prefer to report to a Māori educational authority or an iwi educational authority but notes that national bodies create more levels of bureaucracy. The participants also noted it would be good if the Government would settle the outstanding issues of the capital establishment claim taken against the Crown in 1998, and reported on by the Waitangi Tribunal in 1999.
It was noted that a lot of money from Vote Education seems to be used on bureaucracy and locked into various divisions of Government. Te Wānanga o Raukawa wants to see the resources go directly to the institutions that need them "without the multiple strings attached", as this would enable self determination.
Te Wānanga o Raukawa is currently examining better ways to carry out its business of fulfilling their students' academic requirements. This process involves using hard data to follow trends to show where possible weaknesses are. Te Wānanga o Raukawa recognises there are a number of ways which could assist the delivery of its service, such as establishing a teaching enhancement centre and providing study support centres.
Māori Organisational Characteristics
According to the participants a successful Māori organisation must be recognisably Māori - it must look, sound, smell and taste Māori. It must appeal to Māori people. If our people don't want it then what is the point of having it? Te Wānanga o Raukawa believes there is no point in mimicking Pākehā structures and simply changing the labels. It must be born out of tikanga Māori practices, mātauranga, and philosophy. It must live these things explicitly and openly.
Te Wānanga o Raukawa does not think it has reached this point, but is on the journey. As the participants explained, "We are still in a period of transition but making progress. Perhaps we will never get there but it is what we strive for. It is an evolutionary process. We are young, only 22 years old."
Financial Analysis - Te Whare Wānanga o Raukawa *
| Actual 1998 | Actual 2002 | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 3,462,247 | 21,307,743 |
| Operating surplus before tax | 445,902 | 2,134,266 |
| Surplus (NPAT) | 445,902 | 2,134,266 |
| Average Total Assets | 1,957,425 | 19,830,215 |
| Average Shareholders’ funds | 1,650,787 | 17,594,163 |
| Operating Surplus (%) | 12.88% | 10.02% |
|---|---|---|
| Return on average equity after tax (%) | 27.01% | 19.88% |
| Return on assets (EBIT)/average total assets) (%) | 22.78% | 10.76% |
| Current Ratio | 3.88 | 7.12 |
|---|---|---|
| Quick Ratio (equity ratio) | 3.88 | 6.96 |
| Debt to average equity (%) | 17.61% | 9.80% |
|---|---|---|
| Gearing (%) | 13.43% | 8.18% |
| Proprietorship (%) | 86.57% | 91.82% |
* This information has been taken from the 1998 and 2002 annual reports of Te Wānanga o Raukawa.
Page last updated: Wed, 06 Dec 2006