'Ka tū tahi tātou ki te kohikohi i te mātauranga hei oranga tinana, hei oranga wairua kia tū tāngata ai tātou' - We gather to learn, to nourish, to flourish. Here we stand together

Dear 2022. As I am tasked with writing a piece for our school magazine, I struggle to reflect on what the year was like not only for myself, but more importantly mō ngā akonga o te reo Māori. As I scanned the walls of the Te Paeroa of all the amazing mahi from our akonga throughout the year, I am reminded in that moment of the year that still is.

Although the year has had sprinkles of interruptions here and there, words cannot express the magic being created whilst facing many challenges to learning, so I will explain through pictures Lets look at the year that was and still is.

SWPJ Ako was put to work creating what was to be the winning Ako and the winning Pou overall.- Our creation was born from our school values, the strength of our wāhine Māori and our tūrangawaewae as a Pou Ako. The end results speaks for themselves

“Ko taku rekereke, ko taku tūrangawaewae”
Where I dig my heels is where I make my stand.

Matariki Celebrations

Year 9XT TRM. The Māori language is undergoing a real renaissance in Aotearoa/New Zealand especially here at Te Kura Kohine o Ōtākaro. Where once the goal was for the language to survive, today it’s about helping it thrive and grow stronger into the future. Here we are blessed with 9XT creating Manu Tukutuku in celebration of Matariki.

“I Te Kore, ki Te Pō, ki Te Ao Mārama”
“Out of nothingness, into the night, into the world of light”

Despite the interruptions to the students school year, learning triumphed and fun was had and a lot of mess was made.

When asked “Why learning te reo Māori was important one student replied “I think Te Reo is important because as New Zealanders we should have to keep the past of our ancestors remembered and alive. Learning the native language is the way to going about it.”

Market Day and the girls were out to make some coin. On the menu today $2 cup’o Fried Bread and boy, they did not disappoint. We had many hands in the kitchen this day preparing the dough and cooking the bread, all 500 pieces. We had such alot of fun making the bread, and going to Market. What was the best part about this day? Eating the bread smothered in Golden Syrup” He tino yummy.

So, there you have it 2022 in a nutshell. Another year almost complete with some of my reflections to share. I have truly enjoyed relishing in the growth and participating in the wonderment of our akonga on their reo Māori journey and, helping me grow to be a better Kaiako for tomorrow. I have loved learning alongside you.

Nā Whaea Heeni Waipouri

Kaiako reo Māori