Wāhine Māia - Being bold, courageous and persistent in the face of adversity

Abstract

In 2023, Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology launched a pilot initiative, ‘Wāhine Māia,’ to create space for ākonga wāhine (female students) studying towards a trade programme traditionally dominated by males. Building on some early successes, in 2024 we have maintained the kaupapa Māori framework and the collaborative mahi (work), and we will continue to evolve the format. The aim is to foster student retention and success through regular wānanga (workshops), whanaungatanga (networking) and wheako (sharing experiences). Wāhine Māia is a collaborative effort co-led by individuals from the Faculty of Primary Industries, Trades and Infrastructure and Te Haeata Māori Success. Also involved are the Careers and Employability, Learning Advisors, Māori Pacific Trades Training, Marketing, and Research teams. Without the breadth of kaimahi (staff) involvement, Wāhine Māia would have been difficult to launch and sustain. At the end of 2023, the co-leads presented at the MPATLAANZ Hui-Fono, sharing the cumulative feedback from ākonga Māori after each wānanga. We presented insights shared by ākonga Māori participants with the aim to highlight how Wāhine Māia supported them to feel confident and successful in their chosen trade. In addition, we emphasised the importance of collaboration and encouraged the audience of learning advisors to consider how they might add value to existing kaupapa and/or create a similar initiative with others at their respective institutes. This paper responds to requests for a more detailed outline of the project and the approved research evaluation which supported data collection and analysis.