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The new chief executive of Te Wananga o Awanuiarangi says the Whakatane-based tertiary education provider needs to stay close to the Maori community.
Wiremu Doherty has been acting tumuaki since the retirement of Graham Hingangaroa Smith, and he's just been confirmed in the top job.
He says the wananga is fortunate for the sound foundations laid by chair Sir Hirini Moko Mead and other founders, and it has kept a close relationship with the communities it serves.
That means the courses are designed to create positive change in those communities.
"Far too often too much time is spent on describing the woes that are in these communities and we don't spend too much time thinking about what is it we want to be and then how do we actually put a plan in place to be that thing that we want to be," he says.
Wiremu Doherty says Awanuiarangi continues to attract many students who are the first in their families to receive tertiary education.
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