Our Takiwā – Where we are

Ko Aoraki te maunga.
Ko Waitaki te awa.
Ko Ngāi Tahu te iwi.

Ara’s catchment extends from Kaikōura in the north to Moeraki in the south, sweeping across the Canterbury Plains and encompassing 11 Ngāi Tahu marae and four pan-tribal urban Māori marae.

Ngāi Tahu Marae

• Takahanga Marae – Kaikōura
• Mangamaunu Marae – Kaikōura
• Tuahiwi Marae – Waimakariri
• Rāpaki Marae – Whakaraupō / Lyttelton Harbour
• Koukourārata Marae – Port Levy, Banks Peninsula
• Ōnuku Marae – Akaroa Harbour, Banks Peninsula
• Wairewa Marae – Little River, Banks Peninsula
• Taumutu Marae – Lake Elesmere, Selwyn
• Arowhenua Marae – Temuka, South Canterbury
• Waihao Marae – South Canterbury
• Moeraki Marae – North Otago

Pan-tribal Urban Māori Marae

• Rehua Marae – St Albans, Christchurch
• Ngā Hau e Whā Marae – Aranui, Christchurch
• Hakatere Marae – Ashburton
• Te Aitarakihi Marae – Timaru

The Māori Demographic of Canterbury

Māori represent 9.1% of the overall population of Canterbury – about 42,000 people. Māori students at Ara, however, make up more than 14% of the overall student body. Ara is the tertiary institution of choice for rangatahi Māori in Canterbury and, when you come to Ara, you will experience small class sizes, a strong philosophy of applied learning (learning by doing, not just reading and researching) and people who are dedicated to Māori student success.

Ka whati te tai, ka pao te torea
As the tide recedes the oystercatcher strikes.

Our Kawa at Ara

We follow the kawa (formal speaking protocols) of our local iwi, Ngāi Tahu, which is pāeke (all speakers from the home side speak first, followed by all speakers from the visitor’s side).

The nature of our welcome ceremonies is fluid and depends on the occasion. Where appropriate and possible, we will begin with karanga and haka. On other occasions, manuhiri (visitors) will be brought directly into our whare to await the formal speeches. On all occasions, te reo Māori is the first language used.