“Rangatahi tech pathways in Aotearoa are facing a crisis but Whenua Tech believes the solution lies in aligning passion with purpose.”
As Aotearoa faces a widening digital skills gap, a recent article by 1News (10 June 2025, 7:12pm) casts a revealing light on a deeply entrenched challenge: student interest in technology is steadily declining at the very moment our economy is hungriest for it. The issue, as Whenua Tech sees it, is not simply a lack of talent or motivation but a misalignment between traditional tech education models and the dynamic, passion-driven needs of rangatahi.
Rather than criticise the curriculum, Whenua Tech proposes a partnership model one that enhances existing structures, not replaces them. Our kaupapa is simple yet urgent: help educators, empower rangatahi, and collaborate with industry to co-design pathways where identity, purpose, and innovation are interwoven.
Working With Educators, Not Against Them
Linear curriculum models often struggle to keep pace with the rapidly evolving nature of the tech sector. Yet educators are not to blame, they are constrained by system-wide mandates, stretched resources, and increasing pastoral care demands.
Whenua Tech supports educators by providing plug-and play resources, project-based modules, and co-teaching workshops that augment what’s already being taught. These are not generic add-ons they are culturally anchored, industry-informed tools that fit seamlessly into what teachers already do.
For example:
- A Year 12 web development class might incorporate a Whenua Tech UX Design Challenge centred on Māori health equity.
- A foundational cybersecurity unit can be extended with a Māori Data Sovereignty ethics module.
- Whānau-facing events are co-facilitated to help educators build bridges with communities.
Through this collaborative approach, educators are uplifted, not burdened given tools to help rangatahi thrive in a way that honours both curriculum outcomes and lived identity.
Rangatahi First: Pathways That Honour Passion + Purpose
The disengagement of rangatahi from tech is not a mystery it’s a misfit. Many simply do not see themselves in the roles presented to them, nor do they see their passions reflected in the options on offer. Whenua Tech addresses this by starting with kōrero, not content. We listen, we learn, we walk alongside.
Here are three examples of how we align passion to purpose through targeted pathways:
1. For the Storyteller:
A rangatahi passionate about te ao Māori, film, or visual storytelling is guided into AI & Creative Tech. This includes:
- Using generative AI tools to animate pūrākau.
- Exploring voice synthesis with te reo Māori overlays.
- Building digital comics that educate tamariki on cybersafety.
2. For the Problem-Solver:
A mathematically inclined student is introduced to Cybersecurity & Ethical Hacking:
- Learning pentesting using platforms like Hack The Box and TryHackMe.
- Auditing digital marae infrastructure.
- Creating culturally informed phishing awareness campaigns.
3. For the Gamer/Builder:
A creative, hands-on thinker who loves gaming is channelled into Game Design & Interactive Programming:
- Designing kaupapa Māori games using Unity or Unreal Engine.
- Coding interactive language learning tools in te reo.
- Joining peer-to-peer hackathons to test game prototypes.
Each pathway is scaffolded with soft skill development (communication, cultural leadership, time management), Te Whare Tapa Whā mentoring, and practical, paid micro-internships. Rangatahi don’t just learn tech they live it, in contexts that make sense to them.
Responding to Real-World Industry Needs
Whenua Tech does not operate in a vacuum. We run quarterly workshops with employers, tech startups, iwi IT leads, and government digital leads to understand what skills are actually missing not just theorised. These findings directly inform our pathway design.
An example? When 60% of industry partners reported a shortage of junior devs trained in Māori governance models for cloud applications, we designed a micro-credential for that exact gap co-delivered with Māori mentors and Industry certified engineers.
The Talent Pipeline: Beyond Graduation
Our journey does not end at training. The Whenua Tech Talent Pipeline (currently under development – pipeline.whenuatech.com) will be a living, breathing platform that:
- Showcases rangatahi portfolios, passions, and cultural strengths.
- Matches them with employer requests in real time.
- Tracks employment outcomes and provides post-placement support.
Our goal is not to simply “produce graduates.” We are building leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs, rangatahi who are not just prepared for the digital future, but are actively shaping it.
Conclusion
This is not a crisis of interest, it’s a call for relevance. Whenua Tech believes the future of tech education lies in the power of partnership, passion, and purpose. By working with educators, industry, and rangatahi themselves, we can co-design a digital landscape that is not just inclusive but inherently ours.
We don’t just bridge the gap. We reshape the pathway.
Nā Whenua Tech Incubator
Mauri ora.
We respect your inbox. Just meaningful insights, no spam.