Te Tautarinui takes its name from the Rākaihautū traditions, which state that at the time of Rākaihautū, the stars were partitioned out among various gods who all resided in separate divisions of the sky. One of these sky divisions was Te Tautarinui o Matariki. Rākaihautū was able to successfully navigate his waka Uruao to new land by using the stars to guide him.

In Te Pā, the Kaiurungi is responsible for steering our waka  and the role of Te Tautarinui is to provide direction by ensuring that the Kaiurungi (as the navigator) has clear indicators (such as the stars that guided Rākaihautū) to guide him/her when they are setting their course, and navigating the journey. 

These indicators are in the form of the Charter, Mission, Vision, Values and Policies of Te Pā o Rākaihautū. Without the stars as a reference, a navigator is unable to navigate. With Te Tautarinui providing strategic direction, and the Kaiurungi navigating the waka, the job of the Kaihautū is to work alongside the Kaiurungi to steer and manage the waka. 

Board elections happen every three years however they are a little different to other schools. The process for appointment is governed by an Alternative Constitution. Five of the the members of Te Tautarinui o Matariki are appointed by Nōku Te Ao Charitable Trust (the founding body) and two are nominated by matua and appointed by Te Pae Kōkōraki, an independent panel. 

Current Board Trustees 2022 - 2025 are:

Rangimarie Parata Takurua - Chair

Gayle Brislane - Deputy Chair

Kay-Lee Fiso-Jones

Dyanna Stirling

Rulon Nutira

Tini Winiata

Karuna Thurlow

Terina Tāhau - Kaiurungi (Principal)

Reihana Parata - Aumaria (the biggest of the guiding stars in Te Tautarinui - nobody messes with this Taua)

Karen Timihou - Secretary

Te Tautarinui benefits from the expertise of its members who bring a wealth of experience and expertise in iwi leadership, senior management, governance, project management, finance, capability development, HR, te reo and tikanga Māori, as well as education. Biography’s of the members of Te Tautarinui are available upon request.