Te Tohu Paetahi, our total immersion Māori language programme, has paved the way for the revitalisation of our ancestral language and 2016 saw Te Tohu Paetahi programme celebrating its 25th birthday.
The focus of the programme is to provide students with a unique Māori language immersion pathway in which papers in te reo Māori are concentrated into the first year of their study programme. The goal is to produce students who can fluently, competently and proficiently speak in te reo Māori.
You will learn in a safe and supportive environment from award-winning lecturers. Your class operates in a culturally rich context beginning and ending each day with karakia and you will be actively encouraged to apply your learnings outside of the classroom. Marae noho (marae stays), hākinakina (sports) and kapa haka (cultural performance) provide further opportunities to develop not only your reo, but also the whanaungatanga (relationships) with your classmates.
The dynamic make-up of the TTP class (from kaumātua to rangatahi, Māori and non-Māori) provides a unique whānau-based programme that past students have described as a "home away from home". The friendships you make in TTP during your te reo journey are life-long ones.
Te Tohu Paetahi is an intensive one-year programme consisting of six in-class te reo Māori language acquisition papers and two online papers (below), which begin at the introductory level moving through to the advanced level. Each paper is four weeks in length excluding the first paper which is five weeks. The goal is to begin the intensive total immersion Māori language teaching and learning environment by the third paper with English phased out completely. Students must successfully pass each paper to move to the next.
Students may enrol in the Diploma in Te Tohu Paetahi or Certificate, OR, contribute the programme towards the Bachelor of Arts or the Graduate Diploma. Talk to the Faculty about pursuing any of these options.
Important note:
Places on the Te Tohu Paetahi programme for 2025 are limited and you are encouraged to complete your enrolment as soon as possible.
Te Tohu Paetahi is an intensive programme with a heavy workload. Classes are held between the hours of 9am and 3pm, Monday to Friday.
If you are interested in applying to the programme please contact the Faculty on 07 838 4737 or email tetohupaetahi@waikato.ac.nz. Alternatively, you can apply to enrol.