Whakataka te hau ki te uru
Cease the winds from the west

Whakataka te hau ki te tonga
Cease the winds from the south

Kia mākinakina ki uta
Let the breeze blow over the land

Kia mātaratara ki tai
Let the breeze blow over the ocean

E hī ake ana te atakura
Let the red-tipped dawn come with a sharpened air

Tīhei mauri ora!
A touch of frost, a promise of a glorious day

Tena koutou katoa.

I was speaking with a colleague in the Ministry of Education the other day and she said to me “When we get back to business as usual things will be much easier.” I contemplated this for a while and suggested that what we are currently doing actually has and is fast becoming part of our new business as usual as we all play our part in evolving and adapting with a new kind of normal. This pandemic is taking the entire world on a journey to a new normal. So as we all go about redefining how we are working, resting and playing, I would like to send a huge shout out to our amazing team of teachers and support staff here at Ko Taku Reo, who have managed to shift between teaching in the classroom and face to face contact to teaching remotely in a fast and effective way ensuring continued access to learning and contact for our students.

To our students, ngā mihi nui for your engagement during lockdown and particularly those from Auckland that are still having to engage remotely. You all have been fantastic, keeping in contact with your teachers and peers remotely while in the different levels of Covid lockdowns across the country. I have seen many screenshots of lots of fun and interactive online zoom lessons that teachers have run with different groups of learners.

A big thanks to all our staff and students and I look forward to having everyone in the classroom, being able to see their teachers and friends again face to face.

Maori Strategic Lead

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce to you Dr Kathie Rifle who has been appointed as Ko Taku Reo Māori Strategic Lead. 

Kathie is of Te Ati Awa and Ngāti Porou descent, born and raised in Palmerston North in the Manawatu and now lives with her husband, Jack, in Kāwhia on Waikato's West Coast. Kāwhia is home to her husband who is of Tainui and Te Arawa descent. Kathie comes to us highly experienced with vast amounts of knowledge. Kathie is not a totally unfamiliar face to the school as she has worked with our school over the last year as a consultant on our Te Ao Maori implementation. I am very excited about what Kathie will bring to the school, working with our Turi community, staff and ākonga. Nau mai, haere mai Kathie. Whaowhia te kete mātauranga.

Hei konā mai

James Le Marquand