Ko te kaupapa matua o Kia Manawaroa, he whakapāho pānui mo ngā whānau Māori me ā rātou tamariki e noho ana ki raro i te tawharau o Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga | Kia Manawaroa is the Ministry's pānui for whānau Māori with children in the education system.

Kia ora and welcome to the first issue of Kia Manawaroa for 2024!

For those of you who are checking us out for the first time, Kia Manawaroa is Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga | The Ministry of Education’s dedicated pānui for whānau Māori keeping you updated on opportunities, changes, and milestones in education.

We’re hoping you’ve had an awesome week and a smooth return to school/kura/mahi for the year.

However you chose to celebrate or acknowledge Te Rā o Waitangi, we hope you had a safe and enjoyable time, upholding your Māoritanga in whichever way felt right for you.

We spent our Sunday at Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngā Mokopuna learning how to shell kūtai and prepping kai for our stall at Waitangi Park in Pōneke on Tuesday where we sold hāngi, kūtai fritters, paraoa parai and rewena while our tamariki took to the stage to entertain the crowd.

Not to show off, but Dr Rangi Matamua waited in line for over half an hour to get one of our fritters and he said he absolutely loved it. Well, he didn’t say it verbally but we could tell by the way he scarfed it down... ngā mihi Professor Rangi!

Check out the kaupapa for this issue of Kia Manawaroa:

• Want to make a change in 2024? TeachNZ scholarships close this week
• Opportunities for rangatahi in 2024
• Back to school: fees, costs, and financial assistance
• Te Matatini Regionals kick off
• Whānau Matters Episode 8: Whānau Meeting
• Whānau wellbeing and support

Do you have a story idea or some feedback you'd like to share with us? Email us on Kia.Manawaroa@education.govt.nz we would love to hear from you!