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National | Education

Hawke's Bay kura to relocate and expand

Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Wānanga Whare Tapere o Tākitimu in Hastings will be building its new kura in Havelock North.  It will be the first total immersion Māori school in the area and will see a unique education model used that caters from the womb to the tomb, a first for the North Island.

Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Wānanga o Whare Tapere o Takitimu have received a letter from Hekia Parata giving them wharekura status.

Principal Fleur Wainohu says, “I'm elated for the family and for the children to receive this letter because it means that our dream has officially be realised.”

Matua Hook says, “We're excited. It's just another phase I guess that we've been waiting for to complete our moemoeā if you like, from womb to the tomb.”

That means, they offer total immersion education from kōhanga, to kura kaupapa, wharekura and whare wānanga.  They will also have a special kaumātua component called Taikura.

Narelle Huata says, “That was the dream of my father Tama Turanga Huata and our grand-father Te Kenana Wi Te Tau Huata, who helped make this a reality for the family.  So we are so happy, because the time is right.”

The move means they can increase their current role of 70 students to 300 with rooms to cater for 600 in the future.

Wainohu says, “What the main benefits will be for the whānau and the students as well, is to be immersed in the Māori way, to write, to think and to speak in Māori.”

With the planning phase underway, the aim is to have the new school ready to move into by the end of 2017.