How We Help
Te Mahi
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We're here to serve our community: giving back to those who gave to us. That means supporting the next generation of local and global changemakers.
Our Tertiary Mentoring Programme is a "by Tairāwhiti, for Tairāwhiti" approach aimed at equipping school leavers and their whānau with the information they need to effective decision-making. Having experienced the move from Gisborne to an urban center for their tertiary studies themselves, our mentors provide mentees with access to skills-based knowledge for big-city survival.
These include: figuring out where to live and how to find a flat; using public transport; where do to groceries; becoming familiar with new environments; how to make sustainable friendships; how to get the most out of the university experience; how to network; how to get internship opportunities and employment opportunities; how to find meaningful community; and how to stay well throughout all of this.
Doing well at tertiary education means having people around you for support. Consider these statistics from the Ministry for Education's Education Counts (2022-2023) and Statistics New Zealand (2024):
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At 21%, Gisborne has the lowest University Entrance attainment rate in the country.
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About 18% of Gisborne school leavers attend a university after high school.
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Only 11.3% of the Gisborne population has a bachelor's degree.
Together, these statistics mean that university-minded rangatahi are among the least supported cohort of the tertiary education environment in Aotearoa. Lacking personal access to someone who has been to university - who can provide consistent advice and assistance throughout their studies - is a serious barrier to academic success. And, as is often the case, having few friends and whānau who can provide communal support while in your university city can be detrimental to a student's health and wellbeing.
Whakamanawa Foundation's purpose is to bridge these knowledge and support gaps for Tairāwhiti youth. We connect students to graduates who are from Gisborne (providing a sense of community) and who are in professional employment (providing practical knowledge and advice). Having successfully navigated through the journey of transitioning from Gisborne to Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin or beyond means that we know exactly what we're talking about and we're keen to pass it on.
The Need
Ngā Hiahia
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01
Tertiary Mentoring Programme
We offer individual and group mentoring to school leavers and undergraduates from Gisborne. Our mentors - all university graduates and working professionals - are located around the country. To apply for mentoring, complete the form here.
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Tairāwhiti Networks
We build community within university cities by connecting students to a network of Tairāwhiti-raised people within their university city. The aim is to provide cultural support and whanaungatanga to mentees, bringing home a little closer to them.
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Workshops and Seminars
We undertake skills-based workshops and informational seminars for prospective university students in and around Gisborne. Recognising that family plays an important role in educational development, we encourage whānau participate in these sessions.
