Kitchen table tutoring grows into national STEM success

A Tongan leader says receiving the King’s Birthday Honour recognises the students, families, and supporters who contributed to the success of the Amanaki STEM Academy (ASA).

Viliami Teumohenga, ASA Director of Programme Development and Learner Success, has been made an Honorary Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to education and the Pacific community.

Since co-founding the Manawatū-based Amanaki STEM Academy with his wife, the charitable trust has mentored more than 1800 Pacific students, and alumni have earned over $1.4 million in scholarships since 2017.

Teumohenga is humbled and grateful for the recognition, emphasising that it reflects the community’s collective efforts.

“I am very grateful to God's mercy and his grace in allowing me to accept this honour on behalf of ASA students, their families, ASA alumni and their parents, past and present ASA governance board members and working group members,” Teumohenga says.

“My parents and other prayer warriors continue to pray for the work of the Palmerston North community. My children, who inspire and challenge me every day, and my beautiful wife, Tanya Koro, are co-founders of Amanaki STEM Academy.”

He says ASA did not start as a formal initiative; it began when he and his wife tutored their daughter at home. Teumohenga focused on maths and science while Koro taught English and social studies.

“One of our daughters' friends noticed how well she was doing in maths and science at school. One night, her parents came to our house and asked if I could tutor their daughters in maths. She was later joined by three others on our kitchen table at home.

“We didn't recruit or plan anything big. Just word of mouth took off, and more and more families started reaching out. As students began succeeding and getting scholarships, it gained more momentum. Soon, there were too many kids at our house and we couldn't fit them all on the kitchen table.”

Watch Viliami Teumohenga’s full interview below.

To meet this growing demand, Professor Palatasa Havea, a mentor and the first chairperson of ASA, suggested they formalise their group. Since then, their grassroots initiative has flourished into what ASA is today: “from the community, for the community and by the community”.

With alumni studying STEM subjects across the motu, Teumohenga says the academy’s success is due to several factors, including a commitment to normalising good work ethic and excellence, reinforcing cultural values, and nurturing Pacific identity.

“The active, consistent, and ongoing commitment of our parents and their children has been instrumental in reinforcing the family culture in the academy. Students feel valued because they learn at their own pace and are supported to dream big, given the tools to excel, and their cultural values are reinforced at ASA.

“It is integrated in everything we do at ASA. Our alumni remain connected as role models for their younger peers. They give back by tutoring and mentoring current students when they are home during semester break.

“Our stakeholders, funders, sponsors, and invaluable volunteers all work with us to provide a safe space for our young people to become confident and competent learners. Confident in their cultural heritage and confident in their ability to excel in the mainstream system, despite the fact that they did not enter this system as prepared and as equipped as their non-Pacific counterparts.”

ASA also supports Pacific students in applying for scholarships, guiding them through the often “daunting” application process that can deter many from applying.

“Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths is for our Pacific children too. It’s not just for a select few, and it is not just for ‘smart’ kids. Our children belong in science labs, in engineering fields, as specialists in hospitals, in tech, in innovation spaces, just as much as they do on sports fields and performing Arts,” Teumohenga says.

“It starts with us believing that they can, and showing up to support them. Even if we don't know the content ourselves, our presence, encouragement, prayers and belief in them can be the very foundation that they need to thrive.

“I want to acknowledge the community initiatives across Aotearoa, as well as the Palmerston North community. Mālō ‘aupito for the contributions you are all making in our families, our church, schools and in our workplaces.

“As a mentor and my brother in Christ always reminded me, God sees, God hears, God be praised. To the ASA family, it is a privilege to be a small part of your children's educational journeys.

“May God continue to direct our steps forward and may his travelling mercy be upon us all on this journey.”