Tēnei ka hikitia, tēnei ka hapainga. Ki te tihi o te rangi i kakea ai e Tāne kia riro mai ai ko te whakaaronui, ko te wānanga, tēnei ka hikitia, ka hapainga. Ko te koha nui mōu, mō te tangata. He mātauranga ka eke Tihewa mauriora! Mōkori anō kia mihia ngā mate tuatini o te wā e takoto ana i ngā marae huri noa i te motu. Hoki atu koutou ki te huinga o te kahurangi, te mūnga o te tini, o te mano, ā, kāti e moe. Tātou ngā mahuetanga iho ki a tātou. Tēnā rā tātou katoa. Tihewa mauriora! Mōkori anō kia mihia ngā mate tuatini o te wā e takoto ana i ngā marae huri noa i te motu. Hoki atu koutou ki te huinga o te kahurangi, te mūnga o te tini, o te mano, ā, kāti e moe. Tātou ngā mahuetanga iho ki a tātou. Tēnā rā tātou katoa.
We have made a busy start to Term 3 highlighted by the pōwhiri for our new Pouwhakaako Whaea Maia Cooper-Henare. Whaea Maia has spent the past seven years working at Moerewa School and to show their support for her they all (200+) came to her pōwhiri. Nau mai, haere mai e te uri whakaheke a Hineamaru. We also welcomed back Heiwari Smith to the Kura and two new ākonga Blade Ekman-Orr and Moeau Cherrington-Whatuira. Nau mai piki mai koutou ki Te Kāpehu Whetū. This is a big Term with the Kapa Haka Regionals on Saturday 5 September and our senior group heading to Chicago at the end of the Term. It is extra important that ākonga are managing their time and getting their mahi finished, particularly for NCEA. Your support in ensuring they are using their time wisely is much appreciated.
Kohiti-te-marama!
Tirama-nuku, Tirama-rangi! Tiramararama te tini a Uru!
He whetu ururangi! He whetu uruao, he whetu matarau! Te whetu o te tau, E Mata e! Tihewa mauriora! Mōkori anō kia mihia ngā mate tuatini o te wā e takoto ana i ngā marae huri noa i te motu. Hoki atu koutou ki te huinga o te kahurangi, te mūnga o te tini, o te mano, ā, kāti e moe. Tātou ngā mahuetanga iho ki a tātou. Tēnā rā tātou katoa.
The end of Term 2 is upon us, and our ākonga are busy completing work before a well earned break. Most have been putting in a lot of effort and working hard to meet deadlines and get their mahi finished. Autahi have almost completed their Toi Māori course at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa and have produced some great kōwhaiwhai panels that are now decorating Tapatoru. We have an end of term celebration next Friday and extra courses running during the school holidays, as outlined below.
We are involved in the opening of the Whangarei District Council Matariki Celebrations on Saturday 27th June. The major point for us is that we will be officially relaunching our waka “Whakaruru Te Hau” here in Whangarei Te Terenga Paraoa. Matua Hekenukumai Busby and Matua Te Wārihi Hekaraka will be conducting the karakia for us.
The ākonga involved in crewing the waka are meeting at the Kura at 11am. They will be part of the main ceremony at the Town Basin at 12.45am and this will be followed by the official karakia at 1pm. If you are free on Saturday please come down to support and celebrate this momentous occasion.
Whānau Information Hui – Taratahi Agriculture Course
In the second week of the school holidays, Sunday 12th – Friday 17th June, we are offering an agriculture course in partnership with Taratahi based at Bennetts Farm, Whangaruru. All ākonga that are involved have received their information pack and permission slip. We are holding an information hui on Wednesday 1st July at 5.30pm for whānau to explain the course and answer any questions. This course will give ākonga both valuable skills for working in the primary sector and NCEA credits.
End of Term Matariki Celebration
On Friday 3rd July at 1:30pm we will be holding an End of Term Matariki Celebration to showcase some of the mahi our ākonga have completed. It will finish around 3pm. Our ākonga will be presenting a range of their mahi and achievements including spoken word poetry, the Kura band, ngā Manu Kōrero, written/visual work will be displayed in Tapatoru as well. It would be great to get as many whānau as possible in attendence to celebrate our outstanding ākonga. Nau mai, piki mai, kake mai.
Senior Reports
Senior reports will be sent home during the last week of this term. They will detail the progress each ākonga has made in their individual NCEA subjects, including a credit count and comments on attitude, application and any improvements that need to be made. We will have Hui Whakapiki in Week 2 of Term 3 for all senior ākonga.
If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact the Kura office directly on 094388422
Smokefree Rockquest
Congratulations to our very own band “Mochaccino” who came first and soloist Izaiah Tilialo who came second at the recent Northland Smokefree Rockquest. Our amazing ākonga showcased their various talents and absolutely rocked the crowd!
Netball / Crossfit
Our netball girls have started crossfit classes every Monday & Wednesday from 3:45pm to 4:45pm to improve their fitness and endurance for their upcoming grade promotion. These will be for the remainder of term 2 and the duration of term 3. Please ensure ākonga attend all classes and bring their Kura PE uniform, running shoes and water.
Kohiti-te-marama! Tirama-nuku, Tirama-rangi! Tiramararama te tini a Uru! He whetu ururangi! He whetu uruao, he whetu matarau! Te whetu o te tau, E Mata e! Tihewa mauriora! Mōkori anō kia mihia ngā mate tuatini o te wā e takoto ana i ngā marae huri noa i te motu. Hoki atu koutou ki te huinga o te kahurangi, te mūnga o te tini, o te mano, ā, kāti e moe. Tātou ngā mahuetanga iho ki a tātou. Tēnā rā tātou katoa.
Matariki occured at the end of the harvest season, it was a time when pātaka kai were filled with food, and the land was at its most unproductive. It was a time of bountiful catches, with the migration of fish like the moki and korokoro. Kukupa, having feasted on native berries, were snared and preserved in fat. People gathered during Matariki to survive the winter months, to remember the past and plan for the New Year.
This is a good time of year for us to reset our goals and put in the preparation that will result in success later in the year, this holds true for our ākonga and their academic work. Our senior ākonga are working hard in NCEA with a number of assessments due over the next 2 ½ weeks. They have plenty of mahi and need to be using as much of their time, in and out of Kura, to ensure they put themselves in the best position to succeed at the highest possible levels. Our junior ākonga are continuing with their work programmes and will be retested in reading and writing to allow a comparison with the beginning of the year so that we can track their progress or where they might need further support.
This will be on Monday 22nd June, no ākonga are to attend Kura this day as all pouako will be involved with planning and marking.
Matariki – Relaunch of Whakaruru Te Hau
We are involved in the opening of the Whangarei District Council Matariki Celebrations on Saturday 27th June. The major point for us is that we will be officially relaunching our waka “Whakaruru Te Hau” here in Whangarei Te Terenga Paraoa. Matua Hekenukumai Busby and Matua Te Wārihi Hekaraka will be conducting the karakia for us. We will begin preparing our crew for the day and a group to provide haka pōwhiri, further details will follow.
Uniform
We are now into the winter months as Matariki approaches. Ākonga are able to purchase the warm tops (see photos) to wear at Kura as part of their uniform. Both of these tops are available from the Warehouse and are under $20 each, tane and kotiro must wear their respective tops as depicted in the photos. How our ākonga wear their uniform is a good indication of the respect they have for themselves and the Kura so we expect that they have the correct uniform and that it is clean and tidy. This includes footwear which are solid black shoes and socks (no other colours, stripes or logos). Ballet flat shoes are a good option for kotiro.
Senior Reports
Senior reports will be sent home during the last week of this term. They will detail the progress each ākonga has made in their individual NCEA subjects, including a credit count and comments on attitude, application and any improvements that need to be made. We will have Hui Whakapiki in Week 2 of Term 3 for all senior ākonga.
If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact the Kura office directly on 094388422
Tēnei ka hikitia, tēnei ka hapainga. Ki te tihi o te rangi i kakea ai e Tāne kia riro mai ai ko te whakaaronui, ko te wānanga, tēnei ka hikitia, ka hapainga. Ko te koha nui mōu, mō te tangata. He mātauranga ka eke Tihewa mauriora! Mōkori anō kia mihia ngā mate tuatini o te wā e takoto ana i ngā marae huri noa i te motu. Hoki atu koutou ki te huinga o te kahurangi, te mūnga o te tini, o te mano, ā, kāti e moe. Tātou ngā mahuetanga iho ki a tātou.
Tēnā rā tātou katoa.
Just a short pānui to highlight two important events we have coming up. The first is a meeting for the whānau of senior ākonga that are considering going on the Kura Chicago Exchange, these ākonga know who they are or need to check with Whaea Robyn if they are unsure. The second is our first Teachers Only Day.
This year we have the opportunity to send a group of senior students on an exchange to a high school in Chicago, USA. Last year we were visited by an African American school teacher, Jessica Stowell, who was in New Zealand as a Fulbright Fellow researching indigenous education. Jessica teaches at Oak Park and Forest High School in Chicago. Her school runs the most successful “Spoken Word” programme in the USA. Spoken Word is a form of slam poetry that teaches ākonga how to articulate themselves and communicate their perspectives through poetry. We have introduced this into Te Kāpehu Whetū this year and are looking to develop an ongoing relationship and student exchange with Jessica and her school.
This hui is to provide information to the whānau of selected students about the proposed trip to Chicago in the school holidays at the end of Term 3, 2015. This will include the requirements in terms of academic progress and commitment from the ākonga and the cost for whānau. We will also be able to provide some detail around the proposed itinerary.
Teachers Only Day
This will be on Monday 22nd June, no ākonga are to attend Kura this day as all pouako will be involved with planning and marking.
We have had a very successful year and are happy with our overall performance for the first year of operation. We have laid a solid platform from which to continue to develop and strengthen our Kura in the coming years.
The key markers of our performance in 2014 are:
Educational Performance:
Meeting our minimum roll requirement of 50 students, finishing the year with 53 enrolled.
A successful programme with ERO that resulted in a positive report published publicly in December 2014
Excellent NCEA results
Senior ākonga took part in the year-long Young Enterprise Scheme winning the regional awards for the Dragons’ Den sales pitch and the Technology Award.
Cultural Capital:
High level of whānau engagement
Our entire school performed at the Te Tai Tokerau Kapa Haka Festival
We had ākonga compete in every category of the Te Tai Tokerau Manu Kōrero Competition, winning Junior Maori
Conducted many powhiri for local hapu and the Whangarei District Council including welcoming Toa Samoa and the Kiwi Rugby League team to Whangarei.
Community Engagement Performance:
Ensure that ākonga have the opportunity to attend significant cultural events and take up key roles including ANZAC day celebrations, Waitangi Tribunal hui, hui mate
During the national elections our ākonga hosted one of the main election debate for the Māori candidates standing in the various Northland electorates.
Partnered with Hihiaua Trust and the Whangarei District Council to develop prime land in the CBD for their cultural centre and our Kura Hourua
Partnered with NorthTec where a number of our students completed a range of courses and programmes
Partnered with Te Wānanga o Aotearoa who provided a year-long junior (Year 9 & 10) and a Level 2 Māori Art programme.
Careers NZ who we have been working together with to build career planning into our programme using some of the resources and expertise available through Careers NZ.
On April 25 we received the waka tete, named ‘Whakaruru Te Hau’ by its creator Hekenukumai Busby. The waka was launched immediately, crewed by Te Kāpehu Whetū akonga and pouako, to the glorious singing of our Paenuku babies and our Paerangi rangatahi.
Dargaville’s Nico Te Whata, has placed first in his division in the Northland Secondary School Sports Association fitness competition.
The Te Kapehu Whetu school student’s mother says his “hard work and full time training schedule” has paid off, by coming first out of eight 15 and 16-year-olds in the junior varsity men’s division. There were about 45 competitors in the whole event.
The 15-year-old came second in the same competition last year and his trainer Ness Lawgun of Far North CrossFit says he is always keen to increase his strength and capabilities.
It was whilst boarding in Whangarei that Nico first attended CrossFit classes.
“He first came to us with the school just over a year ago and then started coming of his own accord. He is very enthusiastic and is a member of the Northland Olympic Weightlifting club as well.”
Nico trains six days a week, with two of those days dedicated to weightlifting. His mother Moana says his trainers see more of him than she does.
“I’m definitely proud. He has worked very hard and is very motivated. It is a bit of an addiction. Nico has always been interested in sports and fitness and wants to try everything. He even busses into Whangarei during the school holidays to train.”
Originally published in the Kaipara Lifestyler, Tuesday May 19, 2015. Written by Ayla Miller
Photo: Nico Te Whata with the medal he won during the Northland Secondary School Sports Association fitness competition
A special ceremony for youth known as the badging of new cadets into its Leadership Academy of A Company was held today in Whangarei.
Te Kāpehu Whetū Principal Dr Nathan Mathews says it’s a ceremony very similar to a military parade where cadets are presented to their whānau and are officially given the academy-pin to wear.
A haka was performed for those who passed away on the battlefield, and those who fought for the Māori Battalion.
Dr Nathan Mathews says, “That’s the best thing about having an academy, you get to acknowledge and commemorate those soldiers who fought in the world wars, for what, as an example for our young men today.”
It’s a celebration of these young men’s efforts, with the hope they will hold leadership roles in days to come.
“The ceremony is an introduction for new members into the Company A Academy, so the academy has been around for six years now but this year is the first time it will be in conjunction with Te Kāpehu Whetū,” says Mathew.
There are 110 students in this charter school and some hope they’ll be in the same shoes as their seniors soon.
Te Hurinui Retimana says, “I spoke to Staff Luke and he said it would be fine for me to join the academy next year.”
Te Ohomauri Henare has entered the academy for the first time, and today wears the medals of his great grandfather Sir James Henare. It’s a very proud moment for the family.
Waimahana Henare says, “I’m so happy my brother has entered the academy because he’s a direct descendant of Sir James Henare.”
Tomorrow Te Kāpehu Whetū will be spending their Anzac Day launching their new waka tētē, a traditional waka Dr Mathews says will help towards understanding Māori traditions and celestial navigation.
See video here. Originally presented on Te Kaea by Heeni Brown
Te Taitokerau Tārai Waka have sold their traditional-waka at the price of $100,000.
The traditional waka known as a waka-tēte built by tohunga-tārai waka Hekenukumai Busby was auctioned to raise funds for the school of traditional navigation at Aurere in Doubtless Bay.
Hekenukumai Busby says, “It’s gonna help us get our Whare Wānanga completed which will help continue teaching our students to learn more about celestial navigation.”
Whangarei charter school Te Kāpehu Whetū Principal Dr Nathan Mathews says the waka was bought by its sponsor He Puna Mārama Trust and will be used as part of the school’s hauora programme.
“It’ll help towards traditional navigation and mātauranga Māori” says Dr Mathews.
The official hand-over of the waka-tēte will take place tomorrow on Anzac day, but before that happens the school which houses more than 110 students will be having its badging of new cadets into its Leadership Academy of A Company.
Dr Mathews says it’s a ceremony very similar to a military parade where cadets are presented to their whānau and are officially given the academy-tohu to wear. “As part of the badging parade, current cadets are eligible for promotion within military type ranks,” says Dr Mathews.
The badging ceremony will take place this afternoon at the Te Kāpehu Whetū campus in Whangarei and the official launch of their new waka-tēte will take place tomorrow in Aurere, Doubtless Bay. Senior Reporter Heeni Brown will have more on Te Kāea 5:30pm.
To say that Term 1 has been busy would be an extreme understatement! We have been involved in a wide range of mahi across all three pou Kia Māori, Kia Mātau, Kia Tū Rangatira ai. This mahi is important to establish a strong culture and build whanaungatanga in the Kura. Our ākonga, both at Paenuku and Paerangi, have excelled in everything that has been asked of them and have been a credit to themselves, our Kura and their whānau. In this issue, I have attempted to capture the events and activity we have been involved in so far this year.
In this issue
Paenuku Opening
Kia Māori – start of year activities including the annual hikoi and Leader’s Retreat, and a number of kapa haka performances
Kia Mātau – 2014 NCEA results and the Paenuku art exhibition
Kia Tū Rangatira ai – integration of the Leadership Academy of A Company, Anzac Day commemorations, the launch of the Esther Muriwai Foundation, and lots of sporting success.
We are involved in the opening of the Whangarei District Council Matariki Celebrations on 
