Dr. Wetere has long championed high-quality, culturally-appropriate education for Indigenous peoples and members of other minority populations. Believing that all people should have equal access to sound learning opportunities, Dr. Wetere established New Zealand's first Maori University, Te Wananga o Aotearoa, in 1994. Under his leadership, the university grew to be the largest provider of post-secondary education in New Zealand and according to the Institute of Economic Research (2003) the university contributed $3 billion dollars to the country’s economy each year.

Today, Dr. Wetere continues to promote adult literacy and lifelong learning among Aboriginal peoples as the Managing Director of ArrowMight Canada and one of the founders of the World Indigenous Higher Education Consortium (WINHEC) established in Calgary, Alberta in 2002.

‍