Kura kaupapa to a Rhodes Scholarship.

In November 2025, the University of Waikato announced that honours student Naianga Tapiata had been awarded a Rhodes Scholarship. The university identified him as the first kura kaupapa Māori graduate to receive the honour.

Its account places the achievement within a much bigger story of language, whānau, teachers and mentors. Naianga attended Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ruamata, and his research explored the relationship between traditional song and Māori wellbeing. The original university story shares the people and kaupapa behind the academic milestone.