Our zero-fees scheme was not a lone initiative. It was part of an overall strategy to rejuvenate the economic, social, and cultural elements of our community after the devastation of the 1980s, which we were still suffering the effects of. The establishment of a strategic partnership with Te Wānanga o Aotearoa in 2001 through the assistance of two other people pivotal in my career, the late Koro Riki Cherrington and Ngāi Tahu kaumātua Michael Skerrett, enabled a raising of awareness, knowledge, and capability in tikanga and te reo Māori in our communities. The wānanga gained many friends when they were large, wealthy, and influential. However, the founding members Rongo Wētere and his family and other early managers of the wānanga never forgot that we worked with and supported the wānanga when they were small and struggling. 