The He Waka Hiringa Map 2020-2021: Using He Raranga Tangata to support the implementation of the He Waka Hiringa Map in the Master of Applied Indigenous Knowledge programme at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa in Māngere

Abstract

He Waka Hiringa—the Master of Applied Indigenous Knowledge, is a master’s degree programme based at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa. The word waka refers to a canoe, vehicle, or a long narrow receptacle (Moorfield, 2011). While hiringa is a word that means perseverance, energy, determination, inspiration and vitality (Moorfield, 2011). Metaphorically, therefore, He Waka Hiringa may be envisioned as a vehicle that enables communities to reach uncharted waters in innovative and novel ways. It is well known that Polynesians navigated the expanses of the world’s largest ocean—a third of the world’s total surface (Turnbull, 2019). In a contemporary context too, Māori, Pasifika and Indigenous peoples around the world are reclaiming space (Smith, 2012) and navigating their communities through unmapped research and development spaces. He Waka Hiringa—the Master of Applied Indigenous Knowledge is a practice-based, applied master’s degree, that is centred on acknowledging Indigenous epistemologies, developing solutions, and bringing healing to Indigenous communities. First, this article will explain the Kōnae Ako of the master’s programme. Second, this article will present the He Waka Hiringa Map and explain its various components. Third, this paper will explain how the He Raranga Tangata model (Rangiwai, Albert, Bell, Cuthers, Filisi, Hotereni, Lambert, Leuluai, Sasa-Tepania, Walker & Yor, 2019) has been recontextualised as a teaching and learning framework to support the He Waka Hiringa Map as part of a plan for Tauira success in the master’s programme.