Education has always mattered deeply to me — and not just for the things we learn. For me, it’s about who we become as we learn.(Tahir Nawaz)
I’ve spent many years working in education designing curriculam, supporting students, building connections between our Islamic community and the university. And all that time, one thing stays the same: the best education doesn’t just fill your head with facts. It shapes your heart. It teaches you how to be.
I’ve been lucky enough to study and learn in different places here in New Zealand, and in Malaysia, Pakistan, and Indonesia. Every country, every teacher, every community showed me something new. But everywhere I went, the truth was the same: real learning isn’t just about what you know. It’s about how you treat people. It’s about kindness, respect, and staying true to your values.
That’s what I try to bring to my work now whether I’m in the faculty, sitting with a student, or helping design what our young people learn. I want our education to honour where we come from. I want it to give our young people confidence, confidence in their faith, confidence in their culture, and confidence to step out into the world and contribute.
As Chaplain, I see how much our students carry. They balance so many things ,expectations, hopes, different worlds they belong to. My job isn’t to have all the answers. It’s to walk beside them, to listen, and to remind them they belong here.
For me, that’s what education really is helping each other grow, gently and steadily, into the best version of ourselves. And that’s something we never stop doing, no matter what age we are.
— Tahir Nawaz JP Wellington, New Zealand
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