Whariki - Māori weaving.

Whakapiki Ake
Study Wānanga

The Whakapiki Ake Study Wānanga offers Year 12 and 13 students a unique learning experience at Waipapa marae, Waipapa Taumata Rau (University of Auckland). If you’re keen on a health career and want to boost your academic skills in a culturally rich environment, this is for you.

Students participating in Whakapiki Akes COACH Workshop for health careers

Accommodation and Marae Life

You’ll be staying at Waipapa marae, a safe and welcoming space for all our tauira. There are separate sleeping areas for tāne and wāhine, and everyone pitches in with cleaning and other marae duties. It’s all about manaakitanga and kaitiakitanga – looking after each other and our surroundings.

We’ve got you covered for main meals, but bring some kai to share for morning and afternoon tea – it’s a great way to build community and share a bit of home with your new mates.

Marae tikanga is key. We follow the marae rules to keep things respectful and focused.

Educational Focus and Future Pathways

At the heart of our wānanga is top-notch education in health sciences. Bring your study gear – we’ll be diving deep into your subjects, blending academic challenge with cultural knowledge.

We’re here to set you up for success in uni and beyond, its not just about passing exams (though that’s important too!). Our approach is holistic – you’ll sharpen your academic skills while strengthening your sense of belonging and your commit to Māori health.

We’ll work alongside you, tracking progress and supporting your journey into tertiary education. Our goal? To help you make the most of every learning opportunity, so you can go on to make a real difference in our hapu.

Students inside University of Auckland Lecture theaters during a workshop in our COACH Programme
Whakapiki Ake students participating in a Study Wā Workshop for Māori tikanga.

 

Whakapiki Akes Study Wānanga Testimonials

“It was really helpful to know which forms of learning were best for me, e..g. active learning. I learnt that teaching others is one of the best ways to learn!”. – Year 13 from Auckland Girls’ Grammar School.

“It was helpful to know which credits and subjects I should be focusing on. It also helped me to see what areas I’m lacking in and what I still need to do.” – Year 13 from Baradene College.

“I was able to identify which areas I needed to work on and some strategies on how to work on those. I also learnt how to break down the content into different sections so that it is easier to manage and study for.” – Year 13 from Palmerston North Boys’ High School.

“For me, going over the most important topics in each exam was very helpful. Going over how to get an excellence and how to structure an answer, what to include etc. We got to practice questions with the teacher to expand knowledge of how to write an answer, and how to identify what information is providing and answer in relation to the main points.” – Year 12 from Karamū High School