December 09, 2013
Lincoln reaching out to iwi
Lincoln University is gearing up for a much greater engagement with Maori around the country as is starts delivering on a series of partnerships it has signed with different iwi.
Assistant vice chancellor Hirini Matunga says the Canterbury-based university has a long-standing relationship with Ngai Tahu, but it is increasingly looking at ways it can help post-settlement iwi and other Maori organisaitns in the North Island.
He says as iwi look to farm more of their own land rather than lease it out, they are looking for research, training, and professional development for their members, especially the younger ones.
"A lot of our kids don't come in with the qualifications to do a bachelors degree in agribusiness. That means we have to provide the pathways from some of those lower level certificates into diplomas and eventually degrees if that's what the student wants," Professor Matunga says.
Lincoln will run courses next year for Ngai Tahu, which needs people to work on its forestry to farmland conversions, and for North Island iwi Ngapuhi, Ngati Koroki Kahukura and Ngati Haua.
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