Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, one of three public wānanga in New Zealand, has its origins in Ōtāwhao marae, pictured in 2010 during the 25th anniversary of the marae's construction in 1985. Te Iwi Kohuru Mangu and Rongo Wetere were concerned about the number of Māori children being expelled from Te Awamutu College. With the help of these students, the marae was built on college grounds in 1985 and became a way of introducing students to the Māori world. The Waipa Kōriki Arts Centre, which was later transformed into Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, opened in 1984 to provide educational opportunities for the people who had been involved in the marae's planning and construction. The wānanga was formally recognised as a tertiary institution in 1993.