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 Pharmacology) and Māori pharmacy students at Otākou Whakaihu Waka.
Te Puna Kaitaka was established to encourage whakawhanaungatanga among all students enrolled within He Rau Kawakawa. We are closely linked with Ngā Kaitiaki o Te Puna Rongoā o Aotearoa (the Māori Pharmacists Association) working to build meaningful connections and strengthen relationships between pharmacy students and Māori pharmacists in the workforce.
As an executive kōmiti, we’re dedicated to walking alongside our tauira from the beginning of their studies through to their professional journeys. Our main kaupapa (objectives) focus on protecting the integrity of Māori within the school, He Rau Kawakawa, ensuring strong academic support and regular check ins by organising educational and social events throughout the year. These events include monthly whakawhanaungatanga catch ups, wānanga workshops, tauira trips, and fun collaborative events with partners such as Te Rōpu Māori, NZAPS-O, and PIHPSA.
Te Puna Kaitaka is a free association for all tauira Māori to join and we have many kaiako Māori within the staff at He Rau Kawakawa that are involved also. We are here to support tauira throughout their studies and encourage academic achievements and success for all Māori enrolled in the programme. We all share the same value of being passionate about Māori health and seeing how as pharmacists we can best serve our communities. We promote involvement from all of the tauira both socially and academically to help foster a whānau - home away from home.
‘Mā te katoa… ahakoa ko wai, ahakoa nō hea – For everyone… no matter who you are, no
matter where you're from.’
Jade Tau-Manuel
Te Puna Kaitaka
Tumuaki | President 2025
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.
Contact
Contact detail update:
Jade Tau-Manuel
Te Puna Kaitaka
Tumuaki (President) 2025
Email tepunakaitaka@gmail.com
Te Puna Kaitaka executive whakapapa
2026
Tumuaki (President): Pam Conway
Tumuaki Tuarua (Vice President): Maria Reti
Kaituhi (Secretary): Tabitha Brown
Kaitiaki Pūtea (Treasurer): Breanna Ferris
Kaiwhakarite Pāpāho Pāpori (Social Media rep): Trelise Edwards
Left to right: Tabitha Brown, Pam Conway, Breanna Ferris, Trelise Edwards, Maria Reti.
2025
Tumuaki (President): Jade Tau-Manuel
Tumuaki Tuarua (Vice President): Shelby Rupa-Hayward
Kaituhi (Secretary): Pam Conway
Kaitiaki Pūtea (Treasurer): Te Aniwa Tutua
Left to right: Te Aniwa Tutua, Pam Conway, Jade Tau-Manuel, Shelby Rupa-Hayward.
2024
Tumuaki | President: Erana Ikimau
Tumuaki Tuarua | Vice President: Jade Tau-Manuel
Kaituhi | Secretary: Chris Griffiths
Kaitiaki Pūtea | Treasurer: Te Aniwa Tutua
Left to right: Te Aniwa Tutua, Chris Griffiths, Erana Ikimau, Jade Tau-Manuel.
2023
Tumuaki | President: Kendall Coker
Tumuaki Tuarua | Vice President: Anika Perenara
Kaituhi | Secretary: Abby Griffin
Kaitiaki Pūtea | Treasurer: Erana Ikimau
2022
Tumuaki | President: Tylah Maniapoto
Tumuaki Tuarua | Vice President: Kendall Coker
Kaituhi | Secretary: Abby Griffin
Kaitiaki Pūtea | Treasurer: Samantha Thomas
Left to right: Samantha Thomas, Kendall Coker, Tylah Maniapoto, Abby Griffin
2021
Tumuaki | President: Bianca Koenig
Tumuaki Tuarua | Vice President: Jayden Gallagher
Kaituhi | Secretary: Jenna Paterson
Kaitiaki Pūtea | Treasurer: Te Awanui Waaka
Left to right: Te Awanui Waaka, Bianca Koenig, Jenna Paterson, Jayden Gallagher
2020
Tumuaki | President: Paige Rangi
Tumuaki Tuarua | Vice President: Jenna Dobie
Kaituhi | Secretary: Te Awanui Waaka
Kaitiaki Pūtea | Treasurer: Mckinley Vollebregt
Left to right: Mckinley Vollebregt, Te Awanui Waaka, Jenna Dobie, Paige Rangi
2019
Tumuaki | President: Anthony Raumati
Tumuaki Tuarua | Vice President: Jordan MacDonald
Kaituhi | Secretary: Kayla Waters
Kaitiaki Pūtea | Treasurer: Paige Rangi
2018
Tumuaki | President: Renee Spriggs
Tumuaki Tuarua | Vice President: Jordan MacDonald
Kaituhi | Secretary: Tayla Cadigan
Kaitiaki Pūtea | Treasurer: Anthony Raumati
2017
Tumuaki | President: Ashely Howell (Hemi Mckechnie)
Tumuaki Tuarua | Vice President: Hemi Mckechnie
Kaituhi | Secretary: Anja Mulder
Kaitiaki Pūtea | Treasurer: Polly Browne
2016
Tumuaki | President: Tayla Tuhikarama
Kaituhi | Secretary: Hemi Mckechnie
Kaitiaki Pūtea | Treasurer: Ashley Howell