Honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi
Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makau Rau – AUT is committed to honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi. That commitment shapes how we work, teach, research and lead.
Why Te Tiriti matters
Te Tiriti o Waitangi (Te Tiriti) is the founding document of Aotearoa New Zealand. Signed on 6 February 1840 in the Bay of Islands between representatives of the British Crown and Māori rangatira (chiefs) and their hapū (sub-tribes), Te Tiriti governs the relationship between tangata whenua (the indigenous people of this land) and everyone else – ensuring the rights of both Māori and tauiwi (non-Māori) are protected.
As a Crown entity, AUT has a duty to actively promote and protect Tiriti rights. That means creating learning environments that reflect the partnership between Māori and the Crown, and acknowledging and redressing the enduring impacts of colonisation and racism, and all forms of discrimination. Our role is to ensure Māori thrive alongside tangata Tiriti, and to understand how we work together to achieve that. Te Tiriti guides us in this, shaping the decisions we make, the relationships we build and the culture we cultivate.
AUT has a role and responsibility to support the aspirations of Māori. AUT’s commitment is to an ongoing relationship of mutual benefit for all – tangata whenua and tangata Tiriti standing together for the good of all communities we serve, mō ngā mokopuna me ngā uri katoa (for our descendants and future generations).
Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makau Rau
Our name – Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makau Rau – reflects our mission and purpose:
- Tāmaki Makau Rau acknowledges our long history and connection to Auckland and its people
- Wānanga is the opportunity to come together, persevere, have courageous conversations, and carefully yet confidently venture beyond the known horizon
- Aronui refers to deepening our knowledge and understanding. It references Te Kete Aronui, one of the three baskets of knowledge; centred on the human experience of discovery, of technology and innovation, and the transformative power of education and research.
Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makau Rau is a space that celebrates the pursuit of knowledge and embraces new realisations that reflect our world – meaningful, impactful and transformative for collective wellbeing and growth.
Our values
Three values are at the heart of everything AUT does: pono, tika and aroha. They ground us in truth and shape every decision we make. Find out what that looks like in practice.
AUT VALUESAronui Ora — for AUT staff
Aronui Ora is AUT’s professional learning programme that equips all AUT staff to confidently engage with Te Tiriti and Te Aronui in their everyday work. It combines shared learning, reflection and practical tools, helping each of us bring our values to life in every interaction.
Te Aronui – AUT's Te Tiriti Framework
Te Aronui is AUT's Te Tiriti Framework, a confident response to our commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Its vision is to see a culture within AUT that views Te Tiriti as an opportunity to grow and prosper as a university, providing a strategic foundation for faculties, schools and service areas to design plans and actions that enhance positive outcomes for Māori and the wider AUT whānau.
