Waipapa Taumata Rau course

Your WTR core course contains foundational knowledge and essential skills designed to support you succeed in your undergraduate study and beyond.

Your WTR course will deliver core knowledge relevant to your programme of study. All courses introduce you to key elements of our Graduate Profile, which aspires to educate future scholars, global citizens, innovators and leaders. Your WTR course will introduce you to foundational Faculty-specific knowledge systems and knowledge of place, central elements of the profile.

Designed to transition you into university life, all WTR core courses teach essential skills to students in their first year of study. These address core aspects of the graduate profile including critical and ethical thinking and effective communication and the ability to work well with others, all skills to assist you to succeed in your studies and future career.

Waipapa Taumata Rau is the Māori name gifted to the University of Auckland symbolising your aspirations, seeking to be a part of our University and success in your studies.   

Your Waipapa Taumata Rau core course will play a key role in shaping your first year of study with us.

As a core course, first-year undergraduates must enrol in a faculty-specific WTR course in their first two semesters, as course completion will assist you to progress through your degree programme.

There are five WTR courses, conjoint students may choose a WTR course from either component degree in their conjoint programme.

You’ll learn about different knowledge systems that underpin your area of study to provide a foundation for your future learning. 

Common learning outcomes

There are five learning outcomes that are common to all our WTR courses. By the end of your course, you will be able to:

• Demonstrate how place, and an understanding of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, are significant to your field of study
• Critically and constructively engage with knowledge systems, practices and positionality (where you are located in relation to your social identities)
• Effectively collaborate with other students
• Communicate ideas clearly, effectively and respectfully
• Reflexively engage with the question of ethics in academic practice

Learning about knowledge systems

Exploring interconnected knowledge systems within the University: scientific, indigenous and creative, is key to all Waipapa Taumata Rau courses. But what do we mean by knowledge systems?

All your studies at University take place within knowledge systems. These systems don’t exist in isolation; they live within cultural and social contexts all around us and they are dynamic, always changing, and their practices often overlap. Most importantly, all knowledge systems aim at finding out more about the world. Think of them as being a combination of:

• Shared bodies of knowledge
• Shared methods of generating knowledge
• Shared norms and values

Learning about knowledge systems might look a little different depending on the WTR course you take as part of your degree. Remember, law students take the course that belongs in their conjoint programme, and conjoint students can choose between their two programmes’ courses.

Learning about knowledge of place

All places become 'places' through meaning. Learning about the place where you study is an important aspect of your Waipapa Taumata Rau course. Knowledge of our place, the place we study on the city campus, includes understanding the historical significance of structures on our campus here in Tāmaki Makaurau | Auckland.

Just like knowledge systems, how your faculty chooses to teach you about knowledge of place may vary from course to course.

As part of your WTR course everyone will learn more about Te Tiriti o Waitangi and what it means in relation to their knowledge of the place in which they live and learn. You will develop an understanding of the history and principles of this document as they are relevant to your field of study.

These new courses are foundational learning opportunities designed to support our new students and to provide a positive introduction to university life. Take this course in your first semester if you can, it sets you up for success, connects you with other students in your area of study, and you’ll get to learn a lot. 

WTRBUS100

Select this course if you are studying a Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Property. 

WTR100

Select this course if you are studying a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Communication, Global Studies, Bachelor of Education, Bachelor of Social Justice Studies, Bachelor of Sport, Health and Physical Education, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Dance Studies, Bachelor of Music.

WTRENG100

Select this course if you are studying a Bachelor of Engineering, Bachelor of Architecture, Bachelor of Design, Bachelor of Urban Planning.

WTRMHS100

Select this course if you are studying a Bachelor of Health Science, Bachelor of Nursing,

WTRSCI100

Select this course if you are studying a Bachelor of Science.

Note: Conjoint students can choose one WTR course from either of their programmes of study.

Note: If you are a Law student, take the WTR course from your other faculty / programme of study (e.g., if you are a BA / LLB conjoint student you would take the WTR100 course)