New Zealand and its reputation has grown as a popular destination for overseas organisations hoping to emulate its success. Wānanga in tertiary education In traditional times, were houses of higher learning dedicated to perpetuating knowledge. Attendance at was a great privilege, with stringent selection processes ensuring that only the most capable students were chosen to receive the knowledge that was to be shared. In the modern context, wānanga retain their status as places of higher learning, alongside universities and polytechnics as recognised tertiary institutions in New Zealand. Te Wānanga o Aotearoa is one of three wānanga that have been given statutory recognition in New Zealand. The three wānanga are represented by the collective national association Te Tauihu o Ngā Wānanga. Te Wānanga o Aotearoa expresses āhuatanga Māori through the application of its guiding principles and through tikanga operating throughout the organisation in day-to-day activities. Āhuatanga Māori is also expressed through the actions of its staff members and through the programmes it delivers. Although operating within te ao Māori (the Māori sphere), Te Wānanga o Aotearoa is an inclusive organisation that welcomes all New Zealanders. Curriculum Te Wānanga o Aotearoa delivers programmes from certificate through to masters level. Its programme portfolio has been developed over a number of years in consultation with iwi, industry, community and students. Te Wānanga o Aotearoa considers feedback from these groups in combination with the objectives of the Government's Tertiary Education Strategy, organisational objectives and constraints that impact on the organisation. A key objective is to eliminate, as much as possible, barriers that have previously prevented people from participating in tertiary education, including economic barriers, geographical barriers, barriers created by family and work commitments, and barriers created by previous negative experiences in the secondary and tertiary education systems. To eliminate these barriers, Te Wānanga o Aotearoa strives to keep fees to an absolute minimum, to maximise programme options and locations, to offer a range of flexible learning hours and to provide as much student support as possible. The resulting mix of programmes at each site represents a balance of these often competing objectives. Student demographics and achievement In 2010, more than 35,000 students studied at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa. Of these students, 18,020 (50.1%) indicated they had Māori whakapapa (ancestry) and 3,702 (10.3%) indicated Pasifika origins. Sixty-eight per cent of students were women and 52% were older than 40 years of age. Thirty-eight per cent of