Puawaitanga 2021

Kia ora koutou katoa

This is a slightly different puawaitanga for 2021, due to the guidelines around Covid, but I’m so glad that we are still able to celebrate the achievements of our Year 7 and Year 8 tamariki.

As you know, we were scheduled to have this at the Marae, but sadly there is a tangihanga there for a much loved son and father. I’d like to acknowledge Sean “Bronco” Young and his two tamariki, Brodie and Willow, and their Mum, Katie. Sending our thoughts and aroha to his whānau and friends at this very sad time. Aroha nui.

As Chairperson of the Board of Trustees, I have the privilege of getting to say a few words to let you know what we’ve been up to, to highlight the many achievements that have happened over the past year and to give thanks to the Tuahiwi kaimahi.

The Board of Tuahiwi kura is a group of 7 - 5 parent representatives: myself, Connie, Emma and Che. Our 5th parent rep, Marlena, has just finished with us as her eldest Hoani finishes this year and she has a new bubba to spend her time with, so we have a space for a new parent to be on the Board from February until the elections in September 2022. We also have a Staff rep (the lovely Whaea Crisanna) and our super talented Tumuaki, Mel. Not forgetting our minute taker, Jadah, and Berniece, who makes sure we have all the paperwork we need and always make sure we’re well fed at our hui.

The board’s primary focus is to ensure that all our students are achieving well. This is a pretty big responsibility, but the key is to ensure that the CEO, aka the Tumuaki, is a high quality leader, with a great vision for our kura and is able to effectively lead an amazing group of kaiako and kaimahi. This year has been another year of continued improvement in achievement for our tamariki, so we will continue with what has been working, but continue to implement new strategies to ensure that all students are achieving to their full potential.

Our gorgeous tamariki have continued to shine this year, continually showing our uara when in kura and when they are out in the community. A good example of this was in the recent trip to Jellie Park on Friday. A member of the public sent an e-mail to kura to say how impressed they were with the lovely manners and respect from a group of our students.

For someone to take the time to let us know how well our kids behaved, we should all be very proud of them.

2021 has continued to be another busy year - here’s just a few highlights:

• Ara Ako learning hui

• Mana Ake Leadership wananga

• Camps

• Breakfast Club

• Introduction of whole school lunches

• Kapa Haka Celebration

• Eco Nursery

• Heaps more kids

• Children’s University (Te Mātāpuna Mātātahi) and subsequent Graduation

• Fun Day Friday

• Hui Tamariki

• Wood carving with Matua Kiwhakiwha

• Year 7&8 Technology at Kaiapoi Borough

• Athletics days for our Tuakana and Teina

• Big Day Out

• Hāngī

• Tuahiwi Taonga

• Kaiapoi Pā visit

• Pen Pals from Kaiapoi High

• Multi sports day

Just to name a few!

As a Board of Trustees, we are continually grateful to have such an amazing Tumuaki at the helm of our kura, alongside our extremely talented kaiako and support staff.

Mel continues to lead our kura through the good days, and not so good days, with strength and humility and our kids are always at the heart of what she does.

Our kaiako are also a great strength at kura, continuing to nurture and encourage our tamariki to be the best they can be. They also have great support from the kaiāwhina, who do a great job with the kids.

And we can’t forget our Administration extraordinaire, Berniece. She continues to take care of Mel, kaimahi, tamariki, whānau, the Board and all with a smile on her face. We are so lucky to have her.

Mātua Tautoko are also an important part of our kura. With their fundraising efforts this year with the Easter Raffles, Jingo Night, Kapahaka and raffles, they have provided us with a high jump mat and poles, koha towards class camps and excursions, koha for the Year 8 leavers and for our Big Day Out celebrations. Thank you to Katie Johnson for being a great organiser and to the committee for their tautoko.

To the Year 7s - Enjoy your last year at kura as the top Tuakana - good luck to those who have put their name forward for Head Students for next year and congratulations to those who are chosen.

And lastly, our Year 8 Leavers - there’s 16 of you this year, so we’ll definitely miss you guys. To Scarlette, Riley-Jayde, Elisha, Rangi, Dezyah, Saffron, Layton, Stella, Maia, Billy, Hoani, Lucas, Micah, Rawiri, Savarnah and Tahlia, we wish you all the best on your next journey to High School. May you continue to uphold the values that you take from Tuahiwi Kura, and take up all the opportunities available to you at High School.

A mihi also to our Head Students for this year: Saffron, Tahlia and Rangi - well done on being the inaugural Head Students - you’ve done yourselves and kura proud with the mahi that you’ve done this year.

And my last mihi - to the whānau that are here tonight and our wider whānau community - we do all this for you and your tamariki, and continue to be very appreciative of your continued tautoko of us every day.

I’d like to end on a whakatauki that is in the book Aroha by Dr Hinemoa Elder:

Poipoia te kākano kia puāwai

Nurture the seed and it will bloom

Ngā mihi nui

Meri Kirihimete

Ngā mihi o te tau hou

Rebecca Stevenson (Board Chairperson)