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Te Puna Kaitaka is a not-for-profit organisation run voluntarily by a student executive committee that represents He Rau Kawakawa (the School of Pharmacy) and Māori pharmacy students.

Te Puna Kaitaka was established to create whakawhanaungatanga within the rōpū and between health professionals. We work alongside Ngā Kaitiaki o Te Puna Rongoā o Aotearoa (the Māori Pharmacists Association) to facilitate connections and support between Māori pharmacy students and Māori pharmacists.

Te Puna Kaitaka executive team work closely together to help protect the integrity of Māori within He Rau Kawakawa, promote the interests of all Māori pharmacy tauira and organise events for Māori tauira throughout the year. These events include student Hui with Auckland School of Pharmacy, Shield events (in collaboration with Te Roopū Māori) and much more!

Te Puna Kaitaka is a free association for Māori pharmacy tauira. As an association, we are here to support and encourage academic achievement for all Māori tauira enrolled within He Rau Kawakawa. We are passionate about the pharmacy profession and have a commitment to Māori health gains. We promote involvement from all of our tauria, both socially and academically, no matter where they are on their journey.

Mā te katoa… ahakoa ko wai, ahakoa nō hea – For everyone… no matter who you are, no matter where you're from.

Bianca Koenig
Te Puna Kaitaka
Tūmuaki | President 2021

Naming of Te Puna Kaitaka

The use of the word kaitaka – a highly valued type of korowai (cloak) – is important because the kaitaka protects life – flora and fauna depending on water from te puna (spring).

Te puna is a place of social interaction, feeding the plants growing nearby and providing a haven for creatures that live around it. Te puna is effectively the university, and the creatures are the students.

Students go to te puna for sustenance and learning. The students protect the integrity of te puna; in return the spring feeds knowledge to the students. In terms of sustainability, one relies on the other for survival.

Dee Issacs:He uri a Dee o Te Aupōuri, Tūwharetoa, Te Ātihaunui a Pāpārangi, I tipu ake i te taha awa o Whanganui, e kī ana te kōrero, ko au te awa, ko te awa ko au, ki Taumarunui, ki te marae o Ngāpūwaiwaha.

He paku mihi

Kia tuku te mihi ki a Dee Isaacs, mai i ngā tauira o te Wharewānaka o Ōtākou, mai anō i te tari o Te Rau Kawakawa, tae atu ki te Puna Kaitaka, nā Dee te taitara i whakaingoa. He kaimātauranga Māori a Dee mō te rōpu e kīa nei, ko Ngā Kaitiaki Māori o Te Puna Rongoā o Aotearoa.

Kāhore te kūmara i kōrero ki tōna ake reka, i whakawairuatia tēnei whakataukī e Dee ki ōna mahi, anō nei, tētahi atu whakataukī, ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, he toa takitīni.

The students of the University of Otago's School of Pharmacy and Te Puna Kaitaka acknowledge Dee for his contribution in creating the name Te Puna Kaitaka. Dee is the support person with the Māori Pharmacy Association who's role is to enable Māori aspirations. The proverbs referred to acknowledge notions of humility that underpin core values important to Dee.

Whakapātaka | Contact

Tylah Maniapoto
Te Puna Kaitaka
Tūmuaki | President 2022
Email tepunakaitaka@gmail.com

Te Puna Kaitaka executive whakapapa

2024

Tūmuaki | President: Erana Ikimau
Tūmuaki Tuarua | Vice President: Jade Tau-Manuel
Kaituhi | Secretary: Chris Griffiths
Kaitiaki Pūtea | Treasurer: Te Aniwa Tutua

Te Aniwa Tutua, Chris Griffiths, Erana Ikimau and Jade Tau-Manuel image.
From left to right: Te Aniwa Tutua, Chris Griffiths, Erana Ikimau, Jade Tau-Manuel.

2023

Tūmuaki | President: Kendall Coker
Tūmuaki Tuarua | Vice President: Anika Perenara
Kaituhi | Secretary: Abby Griffin
Kaitiaki Pūtea | Treasurer: Erana Ikimau

2023 Te Puna Kaitaka executive

2022

Tūmuaki | President: Tylah Maniapoto
Tūmuaki Tuarua | Vice President: Kendall Coker
Kaituhi | Secretary: Abby Griffin
Kaitiaki Pūtea | Treasurer: Samantha Thomas

Executive Whakapapa image 2022
Left to right: Samantha Thomas, Kendall Coker, Tylah Maniapoto, Abby Griffin

2021

Tūmuaki | President: Bianca Koenig
Tūmuaki Tuarua | Vice President: Jayden Gallagher
Kaituhi | Secretary: Jenna Paterson
Kaitiaki Pūtea | Treasurer: Te Awanui Waaka

Executive Whakapapa image 2021
Left to right: Te Awanui Waaka, Bianca Koenig, Jenna Paterson, Jayden Gallagher

2020

Tūmuaki | President: Paige Rangi
Tūmuaki Tuarua | Vice President: Jenna Dobie
Kaituhi | Secretary: Te Awanui Waaka
Kaitiaki Pūtea | Treasurer: Mckinley Vollebregt

Executive Whakapapa image 2020
Left to right: Mckinley Vollebregt, Te Awanui Waaka, Jenna Dobie, Paige Rangi

2019

Tūmuaki | President: Anthony Raumati
Tūmuaki Tuarua | Vice President: Jordan MacDonald
Kaituhi | Secretary: Kayla Waters
Kaitiaki Pūtea | Treasurer: Paige Rangi

2018

Tūmuaki | President: Renee Spriggs
Tūmuaki Tuarua | Vice President: Jordan MacDonald
Kaituhi | Secretary: Tayla Cadigan
Kaitiaki Pūtea | Treasurer: Anthony Raumati

2017

Tūmuaki | President: Ashely Howell (Hemi Mckechnie)
Tūmuaki Tuarua | Vice President: Hemi Mckechnie
Kaituhi | Secretary: Anja Mulder
Kaitiaki Pūtea | Treasurer: Polly Browne

Executive Whakapapa image 2017
Left to Right: Ashley Howell, Anja Mulder, Polly Browne, Renee Spriggs, Hemi Mckechnie, Tayla Tuhikarama, Brendon McIntosh

2016

Tūmuaki | President: Tayla Tuhikarama
Kaituhi | Secretary: Hemi Mckechnie
Kaitiaki Pūtea | Treasurer: Ashley Howell

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