September 6, 2007
Te Wānanga o Aotearoa (TWOA) - Manukau Campus, Auckland
An early morning arrival in Auckland is followed by an immediate visit to the Manukau Campus of the TWOA for an offical welcoming ceremony. Te Wānanga o Aotearoa is a tertiary education provider, that caters to Māori students by offering Māori relevant content, but is open to all New Zealanders. The welcoming ceremony is complete with Te Wero (the challenge or casting of the spear), Te Karanga (the call) and Te Pōwhiri (the welcome). It includes greetings, speeches, songs and the giving of gifts for the host community. It ends with "hongi", the pressing of noses which symbolizes shared breathing, after which the visitors are considered "tangata whenua" - people of the land.
After breakfast which is hosted by Trevor Moeke, Acting Regional Manager of the TWOA, we gather for an introductory meeting. We leave for the Sky City Hotel in central Auckland in the early afternoon with strict orders not to go to sleep. We hence gather in the lobby of the Sky City Hotel for sorting and arranging gifts which will be given out during our trip.
Below left: Bentham Ohia, CEO, Te Wānanga o Aotearo, with Inée, Tonia and Maura
Below right: TWOA staff and associates, including Trevor Moeke, in front of TWOA's main building
Laura Benavidez (Nambé Pueblo)
Left: Inée Yang Slaughter, Executive Director of ILI, with Joel Frank, Sr. (Seminole) and his wife Mercedes (Pueblo of Isleta)
Left: Patricia Ningewance Nadeau (Lac Seul, Ojibwe)
Right: Tonia Williams (Cherokee Nation)