Ten years on from its establishment, Pūhoro has grown from a grassroots kaupapa into a nationwide movement supporting rangatahi Māori to succeed across science, technology, engineering, mathematics and mātauranga Māori (STEMM).

Founded in 2016 to address the underrepresentation of Māori in STEM, Pūhoro was built on the belief that Māori identity and scientific excellence are not mutually exclusive. Grounded in mātauranga Māori, Pūhoro set out to remove systemic barriers and create culturally anchored pathways into high-value futures.

Launched initially in Manawatū, Pūhoro has grown from a local initiative supporting fewer than 100 students, into a nationwide kaupapa that is now working with 92 schools throughout Aotearoa. Through regional expansion into Auckland, Christchurch, Hawke’s Bay, Ruapehu, Waikato, Rotorua, Northland, Whanganui, Horowhenua–Kāpiti, Tauranga and Taranaki, Pūhoro has supported 6,371 rangatahi Māori to date through the programme. In partnership with schools, iwi, tertiary providers, employers and industry, Pūhoro has been able to grow and sustain pathways for rangatahi in STEMM.

Since its inception, evidence of the kaupapa’s impact has consistently been favourable. Pūhoro rangatahi achieve NCEA STEM standards at higher rates than other Māori within the same schools, and above the national Māori average in more than 95 % of our partner schools. In 2024, an independent Cost Benefit Analysis found that for every dollar invested in Pūhoro, significant social and economic returns are generated – particularly through increased qualification completion, workforce participation and long-term contribution to Aotearoa’s economy.

For many rangatahi, Pūhoro’s impact extends well beyond academic outcomes. Medical student Quitara Naera, who joined Pūhoro as a Year 11 and is now completing her Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, says the kaupapa fundamentally reshaped how she saw herself within STEMM.

“Pūhoro showed me that being Māori and being in STEMM do not have to be kept separate. It gave me a place where I belonged – where my culture, my aspirations and my future could exist together. That sense of belonging is what gives rangatahi the confidence to keep going.”

That sense of belonging has also sustained rangatahi across long-term pathways. Luke August, part of Pūhoro’s original 2016 cohort and now completing a PhD in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Waikato, says Pūhoro provided a foundation that extended far beyond secondary school.

“Pūhoro became my tūrangawaewae, a place where I didn’t have to leave my identity at the door. That confidence carried me through engineering, my master’s, and now my PhD.”

Through the three-phase model, Te Urunga Tū (secondary school), Te Urunga Pae (tertiary) and Te Urunga Tapu (industry), Pūhoro delivers end-to-end support for rangatahi Māori in STEMM. Each year, this includes hundreds of in-school sessions, academic tutorials and mentoring engagements, alongside more than 30 full-day wānanga across all Pūhoro regions.

Beyond Aotearoa, Pūhoro provides access to STEM globally through the Pūhoro Nōku Te Ao programme, enabling rangatahi to participate in annual international STEMM experiences in Hawai‘i, Houston, Taiwan, Singapore, Silicon Valley and the US Space & Rocket Centre in Alabama, to date.  

Collectively, Pūhoro has awarded more than $200,000 in scholarships, facilitated hundreds of internships with leading STEMM organisations, and created ongoing access to industry opportunities.

Looking ahead, Manahautū, Kemp Reweti reflected on the responsibility and opportunity that sits with Pūhoro as it enters its second decade.

“As we set our course toward the next ten years, our vision is clear – to lift rangatahi Māori achievement in STEMM across the country, grow pathways into industry, research and innovation, and ensure mātauranga Māori continues to guide us as we prepare future leaders for an increasingly complex world.”

He noted that the next ten years would be defined not only by growth in numbers, but by depth of impact – ensuring rangatahi are not just participating in STEMM, but shaping the systems, industries and innovations that will define Aotearoa’s future.

As Pūhoro looks ahead, its focus remains unchanged: growing reach, deepening impact, and continuing to walk alongside rangatahi as they navigate futures shaped by their tuakiritanga, mātauranga Māori and excellence in STEMM.

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