We're super proud of our Kapa Haka group and their special performance at the Te Wiki o te Reo Māori showcase last week, held at Rototuna High Schools.

They also performed for our neighbours at Radius Care Glaisdale across the road, which was a very special way to finish the week.

Right from our establishment as a new school we have played an active role in celebrating and promoting Te Reo Māori.

We are one of a very small number of mainstream schools that receive Māori language funding for each and every child. This funding is used to further bolster our programmes and resources.

As an incredibly diverse school (46 nationalities currently represented) this is something to be very proud of.

It has also been really important for us to be authentic around all aspects of tikanga Māori. Special parts of our school are inspired by our cultural narrative and relationship with local iwi, Ngāti Wairere. These incorporate our pepeha (form of introduction that helps to establish identity, heritage & connection to our place). This is the pepeha of the school (students also learn their own pepeha)

Ko Taupiri te maunga - Taupiri is our mountain

Ko Waikato te awa - Waikato is our river

Ko Tainui te waka - Tainui is our waka

Ko Waikato te iwi - Waikato is our local Māori tribe

Ko Ngāti Wairere te hapū - Ngāti Wairere is our local sub-tribe

Ko Hukanui ko Tauhei nga marae - Hukanui & Tauhei are our marae

Ngāti Wairere carry the obligation as kaitiakitanga (guardianship) for the wider community, inclusive of all cultures and backgrounds.

Our school name derives from the Māori narrative in which Tāne (The Māori Guardian of the forest and birds) separated his Sky Father Ranginui and Earth Mother Papatūānuku to allow light to enter the world.

This was known as ‘Te Ao Mārama’, which literally means the world of light and understanding. You will see this narrative reflected in many of the special features around our school.