Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi is one of New Zealand’s three statutory public wānanga (indigenous tertiary education institutions) established under the Education and Training Act 2020 (NZQA Provider #9386, Provider ID #938680001). Founded in Whakatāne in 1991 by the Ngāti Awa iwi under the visionary leadership of Distinguished Professor Sir Hirini Moko Mead, it was officially recognized as a statutory wānanga by the New Zealand Government in 1997. In 2004, Awanuiārangi made international legal and educational history by becoming the first indigenous institution in the world accredited to confer doctoral degrees (PhD, Doctor of Indigenous Development and Advancement, and Doctor of Māori Development and Advancement). Guided by the whakataukī "Rukuhia te mātauranga ki tōna hōhonutanga me tōna whānuitanga" (Pursue knowledge to its greatest depths and broadest horizons), the institution provides continuous educational pathways from foundation certificates to doctorates, with acclaimed leadership across Indigenous Studies, Initial Teacher Education (Te Tohu Paetahi Ako), Māori Nursing (Te Ōhanga Mataora), Māori Performing Arts, Environmental Studies (Te Aho Pūtaiao), and Digital Media.

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