Te Wānanga o Aotearoa_Toi_Rauangi_2026_Kawai Raupapa

Kāwai Raupapa

Toi Ataata

Level 4
Noho-based
Fees apply
Te Wānanga o Aotearoa_Toi Rauangi_Kāwai Raupapa

Tirohanga whānui

Create, explore, and express through art

For aspiring artists ready to answer the call of their creative potential, Kāwai Raupapa: Toi Ataata offers a supportive space to grow your skills and confidence.

You’ll be guided by tikanga Māori as you explore techniques and stories that shape Māori visual arts.

Through hands-on practice and reflection, you’ll begin to recognise and realise your own artistic ability, creating mahi toi that is both personal and culturally grounded.

He aha tāu ka whiwhi?

Skills you will leave with

Completing this programme means you’ll be able to:

  • Apply creative processes, methods, and techniques to make visual artworks

  • Explore and compare different artists’ styles and approaches to inspire your own practice

  • Complete art projects using briefs and creative planning

  • Manage time, materials, and project goals to bring your mahi toi to life

Mā te mahi ka ako

Learn by doing

You will get to:

  • Explore Māori patterns and designs

  • Build your drawing and design skills

  • Practice a range of art techniques and technical skills

  • Plan and complete art projects

  • Connect with other toi practitioners

  • Rangahau the history, tikanga and cultural practices to guide your mahi toi

Ngā ara e wātea ana

Where will this take me?

On completion, you'll have the skills to:

Keep studying
Progress into Toi Paematua: Diploma of Māori and Indigenous Art (Toi Ataata) (Level 5).

Use at work
Graduates may contribute to community art projects, entry-level roles in creative industries, or continue developing their art practice independently.

Community involvement
Share creative skills and support local kaupapa toi that celebrate Māori and Indigenous perspectives.

He meka

Quick facts

  • Level 4 (Intermediate)
  • 120 Credits
  • 38 Weeks
  • NZ Certificate in Ngā Toi Level 4
  • Māori Visual Arts
  • NZQA Accredited
  • Fees apply

Paearu whakauru

Entry criteria

You can enrol if you: 

  • Are 16 years or older 

  • Are a NZ citizen or resident (includes Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau) or Australian citizen/permanent resident 

  • Currently reside in New Zealand 

  • Submit a portfolio (visual evidence of creative practice)

  • Attend an interview and selection process

Te wā

Time commitment

This programme is:  

  • Full-time  

  • 120 credits  

  • 38 weeks long (includes holiday breaks) 

  • Noho-based, with workshops 

Fees and scholarships

The 2027 fee for this programme is:

  • $678 GST inclusive

Kōnae ako

Learning modules

Ki hea, mō āhea hoki au ako ai?

Where and when can I learn?

No classes are currently open for application.

Kaupapa anamata

Upcoming events

Tiaki Tauira

Tiaki Tauira

Māngere Campus

–
15 Canning Crescent, Mangere, Auckland
Free
2027 Apply now

2027 Semester A

–
TI - Kai4kōrero Mangere

Kai4kōrero

Māngere

–
15 Canning Crescent, Mangere, Auckland
Free
Kowhaiwhai & Design_

Hastings

Toimairangi Campus

–
705 Heretaunga Street West, St Leonards, Hastings
Free
WTR26 370 TI Drop In Re Enrolment Session (Online)

Online

Drop-in re-enrolment session

–
Online
Free
TI - Kai4kōrero Mangere

Kai4kōrero

Waitākere

–
207 Lincoln Road, Henderson, Auckland
Free
Harakeke & Weave

Hastings

Toimairangi Campus

–
705 Heretaunga St West St Leonard's, Hastings
Free
Open Day

Open Day

Whakatāne Campus

–
8 Te Tahi Street, Whakatane
Free
WTR26 364 TW Toi Exhibition

Toi Exhibition

Kawerau

–
16 Islington Street, Kawerau
Free
Open Day

Open Day

Te Kura o te Toroa

–
16 Islington Street, Kawerau
Free
Open Day

Open Day

Tūkārere Campus

–
180 Seventeenth Avenue, Tauranga South, Tauranga
Free

Pitopito kōrero o te wā

Latest news

Patricia Tangira Falwasser

Turning a passion for rongoā into community healing

Rongoā Māori has always been part of Patricia Tangira-Falwasser's life, but it was her studies at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa that deepened her knowledge and inspired her to start a business that now serves her wider community.

Ken Henry

Te Wānanga o Aotearoa kaimahi claims gold at Waka Ama World Championship

Ken Henry (Te Whakatōhea, Waikato-Tainui) is a Tauira Support Advisor at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa Whakatāne campus who took home gold at the Waka Ama World Championships in Singapore in August.

Chanel Coromandel 2

A passion for taonga Māori takes Chanel to Oxford

What started as a desire to strengthen her reo Māori has taken Chanel Coromandel (Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Apakura, Ngāti Whanaunga) on an unexpected path, leading to an opportunity to contribute to the care and preservation of taonga Māori at the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, England.

Haylee Roussel

Reconnecting to te ao Māori through raranga

Haylee Roussel (Ngāti Rārua, Rangitāne, Ngāti Maniapoto) was searching for a way to reconnect with te ao Māori when she enrolled in the Certificate in Māori and Indigenous Art, Raranga, at the Waiwhero campus of Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.

Tayla-Marie

A journey shaped by whānau and a love of tamariki

Members of Tayla-Marie Takawe’s (Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Maniapoto) whānau were among the first tauira to graduate from the Bachelor of Education (Primary Teaching) at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.

Lily Warring

Finding a deeper sense of self through te ao Māori

Moving to Aotearoa from rural Australia as a teenager, Lily Warring found herself wanting to learn more about the culture and language of the place she now called home.

Josh Verstraten

Creating the spark for business success

With plenty of experience as an electrician, Josh Verstraten was ready to branch out from employee to business owner, but he knew running a successful business would require a new set of skills.

Augustine Kopa

From financial stress to financial freedom for Auckland whānau

For Augustine Kopa, studying the Certificate in Money Management at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa was about creating a better future for her whānau.

Melody Francis and Mary Jane Francis

Two generations, one reo Māori journey

When Melody Francis (Ngāti Kahungunu) saw the positive impact that studying te reo Māori had on her mum, she decided to jump on the waka and begin the journey alongside her.

Pat, Donna, and Lavinia Tobin

Tikanga study boosts whānau presence on marae

Patrick and Donna Tobin (Ngāti Kahu) are a brother-and-sister duo studying tikanga alongside their wider whānau at Te Paatu Marae in Kaitaia, all working towards the betterment of their whānau, iwi, and marae.

Franda Zondagh

A teacher’s path to understanding tikanga

Originally from South Africa, Franda Zondagh has called Aotearoa home since 2003, but it was through studying He Papa Tikanga with Te Wānanga o Aotearoa that she began to feel a deeper connection to the place she lives and people she serves in her mahi.

Liisa Wharepapa

Leading by example and learning te reo Māori

Liisa Wharepapa’s (Te Whānau ā Apanui) journey with te reo Māori wasn’t something that happened overnight, it was a goal waiting to be pursued until the moment she felt ready to take that step.

1 / 12
Share Share
Feedback