Pūhoro STEM Academy at Hagley

With our newest kāhui ako Achievement Challenge focused on improving outcomes for our ākonga Māori, a group of kaiako sought a connection with Pūhoro to further support our rangatahi in Science, Maths, and Technology subjects. We were fortunate that a space opened up with Pūhoro and we signed up as the final school in Ōtautahi this year.

All ākonga Māori in Yr11 were offered the opportunity to sign up to this kaupapa, that focuses not only on succeeding in the STEM subjects but also learning more about te Ao Māori, and we ended up with a final group of 16. We've worked with two awesome facilitators from Pūhoro, Whaea Ruby and Whaea Annaleise, as well as a group of tutors who are mainly university students.

Each Friday lunch time in our whare, our group of students would gather to receive tuition, learn karakia and waiata, hear about STEM study and career pathways, and of course share kai! Before the disruptions of Covid, we were able to attend a one-day wānanga at Ara where the Pūhoro kura throughout Ōtautahi gathered for presentations and a range of hands on workshops. The day offered the opportunity for ākonga to work closely with experts in a range of fields, like rongoā Māori and genetics, and to work in groups to come up with creative solutions to issues like sustainable access to fresh water.

We look forward to the return of Pūhoro in 2022, where our current cohort will move into NCEA L2, and we'll welcome in a new group of Yr11 ākonga. Our focus on bicultural partnerships, and kāhui ako resourcing have made this kaupapa possible, and we're excited to see the benefits of this work for years to come. Ngā mihi nui ki ngā kaihautū nō Pūhoro!