November 18, 2022
Legacy for Gardiner in research centre
The chief executive of Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi says the legacy of its former leader Ta Harawira Gardiner will be enduring.
The wananga this week confirmed an agreement with the Minister for Children to establish a new Wellington-based research centre, the Gardiner Centre for the Child.
Professor Wiremu Doherty says that’s where the late Ta Wira made his mark as a public servant, including his final role as acting head of Oranga Tamariki.
“The key part of this centre is to continue that work. It’s also to test proof-of-concept ideas. Also, to provide a kaupapa-Maori approach to components that are crying out for a kaupapa-Maori approach,” he says.
Professor Doherty says the centre will be virtual at first, but eventually it will become bricks and mortar as the wānanga grows its presence in the capital.