Te Wananga o Aotearoa
Te Wānanga o Aotearoa is a tertiary education provider, specifically a wānanga, in New Zealand. In recent years there has been a lot of controversy regarding its management and Chief Executive Rongo Wetere.
It started in 1984 in Te Awamutu as the Waipa Kōkiri Centre. It was acknowledged as a tertiary institute in 1993.
In 2004 they received $239 million in public funding. In 2005 there were 22,000 full-time students and thirteen North Island campuses.
Controversy
In 2002 the wānanga was asked to review its cellphone policy, as it had been giving students free cellphones when they enrolled in specific courses.
In March 2005 a government-appointed manager, Brian Roche was given financial control of the organisation. In May of that year Te Wānanga o Aotearoa was at the brink of financial collapse, and given a $20 million loan by the government.