ESR celebrates partnership with the award-winning Pūhoro STEMM Academy
ESR celebrates the one-year anniversary of our partnership with the international award-winning Pūhoro STEMM Academy. Launched in 2016, Pūhoro improves rangatahi engagement in STEMM fields (science, technology, engineering, maths and Mātauranga) across Aotearoa New Zealand.
Pūhoro delivers to 54 secondary schools nationwide. The programme helps rangatahi see the connection between mātauranga Māori in STEMM, improves their academic achievement in STEMM subjects; and through strategic partnerships, like with ESR, provides pathways into high value careers. ESR supports Pūhoro by running hands-on lab sessions at their wānanga series, providing support to navigate applying for scholarships and potential career opportunities through internships to Māori students.
This partnership has seen many successes already, one being the recent announcement that Pūhoro won an Engineering and Technology Award for the Most Forward-Thinking Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Programme in Engineering and Tech.(external link)
The awards, held by the Institute of Technology and Engineering (IET), recognises global achievers, and celebrates innovation across the sector.
Increasing the number of Māori in science fields is vital to ensure there is a dual knowledge system. “This award is another example of the success we can see if a for Māori, by Māori, with Māori approach is applied to create tangible opportunities for our rangatahi and tauira Māori,” says ESR’s Māori Impact Manager, Georgina Dawson.
“Our partnership with ESR provides invaluable opportunities for rangatahi to gain hands on experience and build critical relationships within the STEMM sector. Our relationship has gone from strength to strength since it began in 2021 and we are grateful for their ongoing support and belief in our kaupapa,” says Kemp Reweti acting Manahautū.
They were also recipients of Ngā Āhuatanga o te Tiriti Award and the NZ Diversity Supreme Award at the 2022 Diversity Awards NZ™. These awards recognise the unique approach Pūhoro has in supporting Māori students to engage with STEMM subjects and career opportunities, weaving te ao Māori into every aspect of their kaupapa.
ESR is proud to be a national partner of Pūhoro, and we are excited to see all that they will achieve in the future. Read more about ESR’s partnership with Pūhoro STEMM Academy on their website.(external link)
