He ngahere kei roto i te kākano – A forest lies within a seed

We have adopted the whakataukī above for our Year 12 and 13 wellbeing programme this year. As well as reflecting the huge and unknown potential that can come from small beginnings, the whakataukī ties in with the tī kōuka (cabbage tree) imagery of our karakia hauora whakataki.

With many thanks to Regan Stokes, we’ve named the different parts of our programme to fit with this imagery also:

All Year 12 students this year are part of an uru hauora which is timetabled to meet once a week for one hour. Each uru has an assigned kaiārahi hauora, and will have sessions together at the start and end of each term. For the middle weeks of each term students will choose a kākano from a range of options, led by a kairui.

Word meanings (definitions from https://maoridictionary.co.nz/)

• Uru is a grove or stand of trees; particularly, for tī kōuka they grow more healthily when they are in uru rather than in isolation. Uru also means to enter, go in, or be included. We’re using this for our hauora class groupings

• Kaiārahi - guide, escort, counsellor, conductor, leader, mentor, pilot, usher. The teachers working with the uru

• Kākano – seed. Modules chosen by students

• Kairui – sower of seeds. Kākano/module teachers

Ngā kākano are open to both Year 12 and 13 students, and our options for this term will be published and students asked to select next week. Activities range from preparation for the City to Surf, mosaics, strategic board games… hopefully everyone will be able to find something that fits in the spaces of their timetable. For students who aren’t able to make it to their uru or tutor group, please keep an eye on the daily notices and the College website for the options and link for selection.

We have a small number of students who have volunteered to lead or assist with a kākano in this first round – thank you for your generosity. This student-led aspect of the programme is one that we’d love to see develop further, so please make use of the opportunities for input and feedback. Thank you also to the kaiārahi and kairui involved, particularly those who volunteer some of their non-contact hours into the programme.