Ako Academy, a social enterprise from Aotearoa New Zealand, recently arrived in Hualien for a five-day cultural exchange and learning program. The organization is devoted to creating learning environments grounded in Te ao Māori (the Māori worldview), with work spanning Māori language ethics, professional supervision, cultural consultancy, Treaty of Waitangi education, digital learning development, and translation services.

The visit was jointly co-organized by Prof. Bavaragh Dagalomai Jolan Hsieh, Director of the Center for International Indigenous Affairs at National Dong Hwa University (NDHU), Prof. Awi Mona, Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, and Dr. Sifo Lakaw, adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Ethnic Relations and Cultures.

Guided by Dr. Sifo Lakaw, the Ako Academy team visited ci Alupalan tribal community, a historical community established by the descendants of the Amis people after the “ Cikasuan Battle” during the Japanese colonial period. Members learned about Taiwan Indigenous history and experienced traditional “Aluba Dyeing,” which uses persimmons as natural dye. The original name ci Alupalan means “a place abundant with persimmons.”

Ako Academy also offered a cultural sharing session at NDHU, led by organization head Natalia Wi, who attended with her family and colleagues. The team shared how they uphold Māori cultural principles in business practice and community work, even without relying on government funding. Their members work across education, cultural production, media, performing arts, and environmental protection, forming long-term partnerships with Indigenous communities worldwide. The session featured Māori songs and Kapa Haka performances, bringing a warm and moving atmosphere to campus.

The group later joined a jade carving workshop taught by master craftsman Lin Sheng-huo, where they created pieces with Hualien’s unique Fengtian jade. Prof. Jolan Hsieh then led a campus tour, sharing perspectives on Indigenous higher education in Taiwan and Aotearoa New Zealand.

Māori and Taiwan Indigenous Peoples have long shared deep cultural ties—linked by linguistic similarities, histories of colonization, and contemporary struggles for language revitalization, cultural justice, and self-determination. This visit highlighted the growth of global Indigenous solidarity grounded in exchange, partnership, and mutual respect.