Special ceremony marks return of Te Pūkenga name

_{Pouwhakahaere o Te Puna Wānaka Stanley Tawa (left) and Associate Director of Māori Success Tate Tiatia at the event at Wintec in Kirikiriroa}

Last month, Wintec in Kirikiriroa Hamilton hosted a poignant ceremony to mark the return of the Te Pūkenga name as the organisation winds down ahead of its official closure on 31 December 2025.

In all, 16 Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics (ITPs) and nine industry training organisations (ITOs) entered the unified Te Pūkenga. The Kirikiriroa event honoured Te Pūkenga’s vision, bringing together mana whenua and staff from across the motu.

Ara Institute of Canterbury was represented by Associate Director of Māori Success Tate Tiatia and Pouwhakahaere o Te Puna Wānaka Stanley Tawa, who attended on behalf of both Ara and Tai Poutini Polytechnic.

“The ceremony brought representatives from the many subsidiaries together to celebrate the organisation’s enduring whakapapa and ideals, with kaikōrero and kaikaranga sharing words and sentiments from around the motu,” Tiatia said.

• The symbolism of Te Pūkenga

The name Te Pūkenga was gifted in September 2020 when the then Minister of Education Chris Hipkins and the organisation’s Council chose Te Pūkenga – New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology as its official name. It aligned with the cultural symbolism of the toki (a carved adze), a tool of deep value in pre-European Māori society. Just as toki craft waka and whare, Te Pūkenga represented the shaping and transmission of skills and knowledge.

• The toki and their journey

The Wintec ceremony also recalled a significant moment in 2022 when 16 toki poutangata (ceremonial adzes) were presented to Te Pūkenga subsidiaries during rangitāmiro gatherings to welcome them into the Te Pūkenga whānau.
At Wintec, these toki were returned, including Te Āwhinuku (Ara) and Te Taura (Tai Poutini Polytechnic).

Te Āwhinuku was crafted with deep symbolism - its blade sourced from Te Pūaha o Waikato and paired with a rimu shaft, representing strength, growth and the unbreakable ties between land and people.

Guarding the toki are two taniwha, spiritual guardians who embody protection and guidance. The original presentation of the toki was woven into Te Pūkenga’s vision statement: Whakairohia he toki, tāraia te anamata -“Fashion a toki, carve out the future.”

• Ara’s role and reflections

“Before departing Ōtautahi, we held a karakia to acknowledge the mauri we had been kaitiaki of through the toki,” Tiatia said. “Then through whanaungatanga, whaikōrero, karanga, karakia and kai that we demonstrated our connection to the kaupapa and expressed our regard to the focus of the event.”

She said the ceremony highlighted the significance of partnership with Māori in vocational education and training and demonstrated how to care for taonga – which in this case included names, narratives and artefacts.

“The toki are now all housed together at Te Kōpū Mānia o Kirikiriroa marae at Wintec,” Tiatia said.

“It was appropriate to attend and represent our organisation in person. While we celebrated the return of Te Pūkenga’s name, we also reaffirmed our commitment to unity, cultural heritage, and the shared journey ahead.”