Above: Check out the highlight reel from the 2024 Tuākana Learning Communities Hākari!

There are three awards per programme, selected by the Tuākana leadership teams within Faculties and Te Tumu Herenga | Library and Learning Services. Eligible awardees are current students who are employed as Tuākana. 

• Leadership Award: recognising a Tuākana who has consistently shown leadership and initiative in their programme.
• Tuākana to Watch Award: recognising Tuākana in their first year who has shown potential to elevate the success of our tauira.
• Wairua Award: recognising someone who is the embodiment of the kaupapa and values of the Tuākana programme.

This award recognises students from the Tuākana Learning Community for services to Māori and Pacific communities and is selected by the offices of the Pro-Vice Chancellor Māori and the Pro-Vice Chancellor Pacific from nominations submitted by Faculty Tuākana teams.  

This award recognises someone who acknowledges, maintains, and develops the deep, abiding relationships between tangata whenua and our Pacific whanaunga as embodied in Tāne-nui-a-rangi, our wharenui, and known through our mātauranga and known through our mātauranga.  

The 2024 Hākari celebrated 32 awardees, among them Ruby Macomber from Moana Oceania Academic Initiative and Tyla Harris Lafaele from Leadership Through Learning and Te Fale Pouāwhina. They were both honoured as recipients of the Waipapa Tātai Hono Award 2024.

Ruby Macomber

Ruby Macomber serves as the MAI Academic Skills Mentor at the Faculty of Law. Before joining the FOLAU Team, she was a Tuakana Arts Mentor. A remarkable wahine of Māori and Rotuman whakapapa, Ruby is both inspiring and intelligent. Beyond her academic accomplishments, she is a talented poet and activist dedicated to uplifting Pacific communities in Aotearoa.Ruby exemplifies the Moana Oceania values of love, reciprocity, and service. She generously shares her talents, wisdom, and passion with our Moana Oceania students, going above and beyond her role to ensure they receive the support necessary for academic success.

Tyla Harris Lafaele

Tyla is a confident Samoan wahine serving as a Learning Assistant with Leadership Through Learning at Te Tumu Herenga. Known for her kindness and independence, she brings infectious energy to her role and to the sibling team, Te Fale Pouāwhina.Grounded in aroha, faka’apa’apa, and tautua, Tyla shares her knowledge and nurtures relationships. This year, she has organized events like the Wā-sifika Fest, hosted wānanga for Māori and Pacific tauira, and collaborated with Kiwi Harvest to reduce food waste. Her commitment to community and studies makes her an outstanding recipient of the 2024 Waipapa Tātai Hono Award.Together, Ruby and Tyla exemplify the spirit of the Waipapa Tātai Hono Award, inspiring others through their dedication to service and their communities.

2025 Awards

The 2025 Tuākana Learning Communities Hākari is expected to be held on Monday 6 October 2025.