Graduate Dinner & Academy Ball 2016
Congratulations to the graduates, outgoing and incoming head boy and girl and all who contributed to this stunning event.
Students hope overseas exchange will help with future goals
Three Northland students who will be going on overseas exchanges next year say they are excited to become immersed in other cultures and hope it will help with their future aspirations.
While other students will be heading to university next year, Te Kapehu Whetu students Aotea Parata, Grace Barry and Hineira Komene will be heading overseas on a year-long Rotary Youth Exchange.
Aotea is going to Sao Paulo, Brazil; Grace is going to Bornheim, Germany; and Hineira is heading to St Gallen, Switzerland.
The 17-year-olds said for them the exchange is more than just a chance to travel, it is an opportunity for them to learn a third language, get to know the indigenous people and compare Maori culture, to other cultures.
“We’re indigenous people ourselves, being Maori…I think it’s important embrace other cultures. Especially when you hear other places have lost their language, we know how lucky we are,” said Aotea.
“We can’t just limit ourselves to our own culture we have to broaden our perspective and open our mind,” said Grace.
Both Grace and Hineira want to become involved in the United Nations in the future and are hoping what they learn overseas will help them achieve this goal.
“I’m hoping by learning another language and being immersed in a different culture it will help with my future aspirations of being involved in the United Nations,” Grace said.
“I’m similar. I’ve always wanted to do international mediation to help prevent conflict in countries. That’s why I wanted to pursue a career in the UN. I’ve been gravitating towards Indigenous cultures. This will broaden my perspective,” Hineira said.
In preparation for their exchange the trio have been trying to learn as much about their host country as possible.
The group, who will head off in January, say they are excited but nervous.
“I think this trip will help me become more independent and self sufficient because I’m quite a dependent person. That’s why I’m pushing myself to stay the whole year,” said Hineira.
“We’ve already started placing bets on how long I’ll last,” said Grace.
Originally featured in the Northern Advocate, Monday November 7, 2016
By Mikaela Collins
Photo: Te Kapehu Whetu students Grace Barry, Hineira Komene and Aotea Parata are excited to embrace other cultures when they head on a year-long overseas exchange next year. Photo / John Stone
Ngā Whetu – Term 3, 2016 Highlights
Paerangi
Nga Mihi Matua Frank, and the team from Otago University
Navigating our Own Futures
A group of year 13 ākonga that were interested in studying next year at the University of Otago and also the Queenstown Resort College, paid a visit to the region to look at study options. A big mihi to Frank Edwards and his team from Te Huka Mātauraka for their manaakitanga on campus and also to our kura and Academy graduates currently studying at Otago that hosted our ākonga for the night – Harley, Honehau, Mana, Shane and Kauri. Thanks boys, even though it cost us your weight in KFC! As part of transitioning our senior ākonga into tertiary study we have also made education trips to Queenstown Resort College in Paihia, Auckland University, AUT and Waikato University in Hamilton.
Nga Manu Korero gives young people a voice
Paora Allen says it was “pretty special” to stand on stage and represent Te Tai Tokerau at an event he says gives young people a voice.
The 17-year-old student from Te Kapehu Whetu represented Northland in the Korimako (Senior English) category at the Nga Manu Korero National Secondary School Speech Contest, along with Rehia Nikora-Rameka from Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Kaikohe who represented the region in the Pei Te Hurinui Jones – Senior Maori category.
The Te Tai Tokerau speakers were two of 30 from around the country who stood in front of thousands at Whangarei’s ASB Stadium yesterdayrepresenting their regions in an impromptu section, and in the prepared speech section.
Mr Allen said the standard of competition at the national event was high and said it was a great promoter of te reo Maori.
“It gives us young people an opportunity to have a voice and it puts forward a good face for Maori. Maori can get a lot of bagging sometimes but this is really positive,” he said.
Mr Allen said in preparation for the event he spent weeks ensuring he knew his speech well.
“I probably put in three weeks until I had it down in my head but then I really tried to get it down with actions,” he said.
The Year 13 Contest will continue tomorrow with the Ta Turi Kara (Junior English) and the Ta Rawhiti Ihaka – Junior Maori sections”.
“Especially because I just came up from Auckland to Te Tai Tokerau this year. It’s not only representing your area but your whanau,” he said.
The 2016 Nga Manu Korero National Secondary School Speech Contest will continue tomorrow with the Ta Turi Kara (Junior English) and the Ta Rawhiti Ihaka – Junior Maori sections.
To view a livestream of the event visit http://tehiku.nz/nmk16.
Originally featured in the Northern Advocate, Thursday September 22, 2016
By Mikaela Collins
Photo: Paora Allen, from Te Kapehu Whetu, represented Northland at the Korimako (Senior English) category at the Nga Manu Korero National Secondary School Speech Contest. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Ngā Whetu – Term 2 Highlights
A Time To Celebrate
Ngā mihi mahana mo te tau hou Māori!
As we acknowledge the rise of Matariki on the horizon, we remember that in the old days the constellation was important for navigation and timing of the seasons. Nowadays it’s a time to celebrate and to prepare the ground for the coming year, so it’s a good time to take stock of what we have achieved and to look ahead.
2015 Performance and Financial Reports
2015 has been a year focussed on continuing the development of Te Kāpehu Whetū across the three pou of Kia Māori, Kia Mātau and Kia Tū Rangatira ai. Year two has seen an increase in ākonga, pouako and facilities all aimed at continuing to move towards an education environment that will produce competent, capable and confident Ngā Puhi graduates.
The 2015 report documents can be viewed or downloaded from this page or the Important Documents section of the website.
Pānui ā Kura – 22 April 2016
Tū ki te marae, tū ki te ao, tihewa mauri ora. Tēna tātou e te whānau, tuatahi, me mihi ki tō tātou matua nui i te rangi, nāna nei ngā mea katoa. Tuarua, ki ngā mate hohua o te wā, haere. Haere ki pae maumahara, haere ki te kainga tūturu mō tāua te tangata. Mate atu he tete kura, ko rātou tēna i okioki ai. Ara ake he tete kura, ka hoki tēnei ki ngā kanohi ora, koutou rā e te whānau, tēna koutou.
Pānui ā Kura – 8 April 2016
Tū ki te marae, tū ki te ao, hewa mauri ora. Tēna tātou e te whānau, tuatahi, me mihi ki tō tātou matua nui i te rangi, nāna nei ngā mea katoa. Tuarua, ki ngā mate hohua o te wā, haere. Haere ki pae maumahara, haere ki te kainga tūturu mō tāua te tangata. Mate atu he tete kura, ko rātou tēna i okioki ai. Ara ake he tete kura, ka hoki tēnei ki ngā kanohi ora, koutou rā e te whānau, tēna koutou.
Students Promote Northland and Maori Culture
A Whangarei charter school has brought its knowledge of Northland and Maori culture to a tourism project that will be seen around the world.
Students from Te Kapehu Whetu have teamed up with regional tourism and development body Northland Inc to produce a series of images of the region that will be used to attract international visitors to Northland.
Paul Davis, general manager of Northland Inc, said he approached Whangarei District Council about plans to organise a Maori culture-focused photo shoot to promote Northland and was referred to Rangatahi Inc – an initiative by charter school Te Kapehu Whetu which aims to unlock rangatahi entrepreneurship in Te Tai Tokerau.
“We gave them the brief and said this is about manaakitanga and the students should approach this from the perspective of: If international visitors were coming to your place, what would you show them and how would you go about that?” he said.
“We gave them the overall concept, they worked out how they would put it together, locations, who would be involved in what shots – it was an exercise they could do in their classes but it was also something for us which was very real and very needed.”
Te Kapehu Whetu students Maia Mokaraka, 15, and Te Rangi Munroe, 16, said they were not part of the group who made decisions on what the photo shoot would look like but were models for it with other classmates. Miss Mokaraka said she appreciated the need to ensure the photos were authentically Northland.
“They wanted an authentic feel to Aotearoa and to give people a glimpse of our way of living,” Miss Mokaraka said.
Miss Mokaraka and Mr Munroe travelled to different locations with photographer Sara Orme including the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, Paihia and Ruapekapeka Pa.
Miss Mokaraka said the photo shoot felt authentic and natural.
“We got to do things like make harakeke putiputi (flax flowers) with weavers, we didn’t have to try too hard,” Miss Mokaraka said.
Mr Davis said the students understood the brief right away.
“They were great, right from the start they knew what we were trying to do. They know Northland and parts of Northland really well,” he said
The images from the photo shoot will be used to promote Northland in visitor guides and the tourism trade directory and will be provided to international media and will be used in trade shows off shore and in New Zealand.
Originally featured in the Northern Advocate, Wednesday April 6, 2016
by Mikaela Collins
Photo: Maia Mokaraka, 15, and Te Rangi Munro, 16, helped promote Northland and Maori culture. / Michael Cunningham
Pānui ā Kura – 1 April 2016
Tū ki te marae, tū ki te ao, hewa mauri ora. Tēna tātou e te whānau, tuatahi, me mihi ki tō tātou matua nui i te rangi, nāna nei ngā mea katoa. Tuarua, ki ngā mate hohua o te wā, haere. Haere ki pae maumahara, haere ki te kainga tūturu mō tāua te tangata. Mate atu he tete kura, ko rātou tēna i okioki ai. Ara ake he tete kura, ka hoki tēnei ki ngā kanohi ora, koutou rā e te whānau, tēna koutou.