At Te Pā o Rākaihautū the importance of place is reflected in the name of our pā. We embody the unique and rich histories of Rākaihautū and Te Waipounamu, deeply anchoring learning in place.

We are constantly evaluating and evolving how, where and when the best learning happens for our whanau. Te Pā does this by restoring culture, connection and identity as a foundation to educational success; reconnecting our whanau with our places; communities; history and traditions; re-igniting a passion for learning.

Our overarching goal is to retrace the footsteps of Rākaihautū around Te Waipounamu. Our marae, our whenua, and our moana have become our classrooms to provide rich, authentic and relevant learning experiences. Accordingly, they develop a strong sense of identity, belonging and understanding of the place they live in.

Te Pā o Rākaihautū is currently a part of the Atua Matua Māori Health Framework, which focuses on traditional Māori knowledge. This framework is supporting our focus on the environment to further reconnect our whānau to places through whakapapa.

This term our focus was on wai māori, we looked at the bodies of freshwater around Ōtautahi. Puna Hauaitu (Year1-3) focused on the Atua of freshwater Parawhenuamea looking at kaitiakitanga through water testing. Through our partnership with the Christchurch City Council, we were able to use their equipment to test the water quality at the Groynes.

Our future kaupapa this year are wai, whetū and whenua to ensure we are covering all natural environments.