Up to 70 people have been regularly attending Te Arawa tikanga wananga aimed at preparing them to fill cultural roles within the iwi.
The latest Te Pua Wananga o Te Arawa live-in, teaching whakapapa, karakia, waiata, te reo, and other aspects of Te Arawa kawa (protocols) and tikanga (customs), was held at Waiariki Institute of Technology during the weekend.
Kirsten Rei (Ngati Whakaue) said many of the participants had attended between six and 12 wananga each year since they began in 2009.
"We have returned from Wellington, Auckland, Hamilton, Palmerston North, and even Australia, to partake of the menu of waiata and korero on offer from some of our finest repositories of knowledge within the iwi," Ms Rei said.
Many were motivated to keep attending with the knowledge that they were contributing to the survival of Te Arawa rituals which they held most dear.