Te Wānanga o Aotearoa_Toi_Whakairo

Toi Paematua

Whakairo

Level 5
Fees apply
Skills
Te Wānanga o Aotearoa_Toi_Whakairo_Toi Paematua

Tirohanga whānui

Define your carving skills

Toi Paematua: Whakairo is designed for artists ready to expand their carving practice and their creative, cultural, and technical understanding.

This programme focuses on developing carvers as kaitiaki of their kaupapa toi - people who honour the origins, patterns, and symbolism embedded in whakairo.

You’ll refine your:

  • Technical skills

  • Explore traditional and contemporary design

  • Complete a series of guided projects

  • Express your identity and connection to tikanga and whakapapa

Guided by kaiako with expertise in toi Māori, you’ll strengthen your role as a responsible and confident practitioner of whakairo.

He aha tāu ka whiwhi?

Skills you'll leave with

Completing this programme means you’ll be able to:

  • Apply media practices across selected processes

  • Use creative processes to make carved works

  • Plan and manage time, materials and projects to meet brief requirements

  • Analyse the work of other toi practitioners

  • Conduct rangahau (research)

  • Describe the history, tikanga and cultural practices relating to whakairo

Mā te mahi ka ako

Learn by doing

You will get to:

  • Explore your role as a kaitiaki of whakairo

  • Develop your creative processes and practices through reflection and feedback

  • Refine your toi techniques and skills through advanced carving projects

  • Carry out rangahau to support your designs and creative decisions

  • Assist in leading and managing carving projects

  • Use whakairo and kōrero as ways to express yourself and communicate ideas with others

Ngā ara e wātea ana

Pathways

On completion, you'll have the skills to:

Keep studying
Progress into degree-level study in toi Māori.

Use at work
Apply your skills as a practising carver, artist, or cultural practitioner contributing to heritage, restoration, and new carving projects.

Community involvement
Support whānau, hapū, and iwi projects that uphold, restore, or revitalise whakairo as living expressions of Māori identity and culture.

He meka

Quick facts

  • Level 5 (Intermediate)
  • 120 Credits
  • 38 Weeks
  • NZ Diploma in Ngā Toi Level 5
  • Fees apply
  • NZQA Accredited

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 

  • Attend an interview with the kaiako

  • Have successfully completed Kāwai Raupapa: Certificate in Māori and Indigenous Art (Level 4) or an equivalent qualification, or provide a portfolio showing relevant creative experience

Te wā

Time commitment

This programme is:  

  • Full-time  

  • 120 credits  

  • 38 weeks long (includes holiday breaks) 

  • Noho-based, with workshops 

Fees & Scholarships

The 2026 fees for this programme are:

  • $2,000 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

Graduating students watch the awards stage

He Puāwaitanga Papaiōea 2026

Graduation Ceremony, Palmerston North

Awapuni Racing Centre - 67 Racecourse Road, Awapuni, Palmerston North
Free
Close up of a red and black korowai

He Puāwaitanga Kaitāia 2026

Graduation Ceremony, Kaitāia

Corner of Mathews Avenue & South Road (SH1), Kaitaia
Free
A view of the audience watching the graduation awards stage

He Puāwaitanga Kaikohe 2026

Graduation Ceremony, Kaikohe

13 Memorial Avenue, Kaikohe
Free
Back view of graduates watching their awards ceremony

He Puāwaitanga Whangārei 2026

Graduation Ceremony, Whangārei

97 Western Hills Drive, Kensington, Whangārei
Free
A student receives their qualification during graduation

He Puāwaitanga Tainui 2026

Graduation Ceremony, Tainui

Corner of Brooklyn Road and, Heaphy Terrace, Claudelands, Hamilton
Free
Close up of a red and black korowai

He Puāwaitanga Tauranga 2026

Graduation Ceremony, Tauranga

Bethlehem Baptist Church - 90 Bethlehem Road, Tauranga
Free
Two hands clasp a korowai cloak together

He Puāwaitanga Waiwhero 2026

Graduation Ceremony, Rotorua

390 Fenton Street, Rotorua
Free
Hands clasping a korowai cloak together

He Puāwaitanga Whakatāne 2026

Graduation Ceremony, Whakatāne

67 Keepa Road, Coastlands, Whakatāne
Free
Graduating students watch the awards stage

He Puāwaitanga Kawerau 2026

Graduation Ceremony, Kawerau

Rautahi Marae - 117 Onslow Street, Kawerau
Free
Close up of a red and black korowai

He Puāwaitanga Whirikoka 2026

Graduation Ceremony, Gisborne

Gisborne War Memorial Theatre - 159 Bright Street, Gisborne
Free
Close up of someone wearing a korowai

He Puāwaitanga Ōpōtiki 2026

Graduation Ceremony, Ōpōtiki

Ōpōtiki De Luxe Theatre - 127 Church Street, Ōpōtiki
Free
A woman in graduation robes and a man hongi outside the wharenui

He Puāwaitanga Waihōpai 2026

Graduation Ceremony, Invercargill

Southern Institute of Technology - 133 Tay Street, Invercargill 9810
Free

Pitopito kōrero o te wā

Latest news

Almaz_Bergz

Learning tikanga to strengthen community work

After making the move to Aotearoa in 2014 from Germany, Almaz Bergz set out to gain a better understanding of the people, whenua, and culture that shape life here.

Marlena_Martin

Thriving as a kaiako after He Korowai Ākonga

When Marlena Martin began her studies in He Korowai Ākonga – Bachelor of Education (Primary Teaching) in 2023, she never imagined where it would take her and how much she would grow as an individual.

Hands holding a hei tiki pounamu

Te Wānanga o Aotearoa launches new international reo Māori learning

iReo is a flexible, self-directed, online short course made up of 5 standalone modules, each running over 6 weeks. Learners can study at their own pace, weaving te reo Māori into everyday life alongside work, whānau, and other commitments.

Jane_Dungey

Wānanga business programme helps launch The Dog Nanny

Ōtautahi local Jane Dungey turned her passion for animals into The Dog Nanny after completing the Certificate in Small Business at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.

Manaaki Tangata - Craig Kara

From closed doors to open pathways

After the closure of Grace Foundation Whanganui, Craig Kara used his Manaaki Tāngata studies at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa to create Te Ara Kimihia, a kaupapa supporting tāne toward positive futures. His journey of healing, leadership, and transformation now inspires others to find their own pathway forward.

Olly Jonas and Neville King

Governance grounded in te ao Māori for future generations

Discover how Māori governance grounded in te ao Māori is shaping future generations. Learn about Manu Taiko – Toro Parirau, a unique programme at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa that empowers whānau with tikanga-based leadership and decision-making skills.

Te Rita Papesch, musician, educator, and kapa haka stalwart,

Companion of Te Apārangi, Champion of Te Reo Māori

Te Rita Papesch, musician, educator, and kapa haka stalwart, has been inducted as a Companion of the Royal Society Te Apārangi. Discover her inspiring journey of music, haka, and te reo Māori, and how her lifelong dedication to Māori culture shaped generations.

Keil Caskey’s journey from tauira to kaiako

Keil Caskey – former tauira, now kaiako

Keil Caskey’s journey from tauira to kaiako at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa shows the transformative power of toi Māori education. Discover how his passion for taonga pūoro and commitment to whānau and whakapapa inspired him to teach and give back to his community.

Juliet Grant (Kaiako) and Niquita Samuel (Tauira)

Building confidence, careers, and culture through Māori performing arts

Discover how Te Wānanga o Aotearoa’s Certificate in Māori Performing Arts goes beyond kapa haka, empowering tauira with skills in drama, screen acting, and public speaking. Hear how graduates like Niquita Samuel are building confidence, careers, and cultural pride.

Lizzie Dunn - Making connections between media and Māoritanga

Making connections between media and Māoritanga

Lizzie Dunn created Te Arawhata to help people reconnect with te ao Māori through media, resources, and kōrero. Discover how her reo journey and passion for sharing knowledge are inspiring thousands to embrace Māoritanga and strengthen cultural connections.

Alex Maddox, Kaiwhakarite at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa

He Māmā, He Rangahau, He Moemoeā

Alex Maddox is turning her lived experience as a māmā into a powerful Rangahau kaupapa through He Waka Hiringa at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa. Discover how her vision aims to amplify whānau voices in research and policy for tamariki with vision impairments.

Dr Tara McAllister of Te Wānanga o Aotearoa

Royal Society Fellowship for Kairangahau Matua

Dr Tara McAllister of Te Wānanga o Aotearoa has been awarded the prestigious Mana Tūāpapa Future Leader Fellowship from Royal Society Te Apārangi. Discover how her research will transform Indigenous science, strengthen mātauranga Māori, and advance equity in Aotearoa’s research sector.

1 / 12
Share Share
Feedback