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.

The Leadership Academy in Italy in 2014.

The Leadership Academy of A Company

The 28th Māori Battalion was part of the 2nd New Zealand Division, the fighting arm of the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force (2NZEF) during the Second World War. It was a frontline infantry unit made up entirely of volunteers, and contained 700-750 men divided into five companies.
Like the other infantry battalions, the Māori Battalion was divided into five companies: four rifle companies of about 125 men each and a headquarters (HQ) of around 200 men.

Each company was commanded by a major or captain. The Battalion’s four rifle companies (named A, B, C and D) were organised along tribal lines, while HQ Company drew its personnel from all over Māoridom.
The main body of the Māori Battalion left New Zealand as part of 2NZEF’s 2nd Echelon in May 1940. The last Māori recruits to see action, part of 2NZEF’s 14th reinforcements, arrived in Italy in April 1945.

In 2006, He Puna Marama Trust applied to a one-off fund set up by ASB Community Trust, to address Maori educational under achievement.

In 2007, the Ministry of Education found that 81% of Maori boys failed NCEA Level 1. In 2010, The Leadership Academy of A Company was formally established.

Its purpose: to build a culture of educational and lifelong success for our boys and was championed and blessed by the lasts remaining vets of 28 Maori Battalion A Company,  Matua Sol Te Whata and Matua Charlie Petera.

In the lead up to Anzac Day as the sun sets boys from the Academy join representatives from the Defence Forces and RSA to lower the ensigns, read the ode in English and Māori and play the Last Post. Cadet Te Rangi Munro is pictured on duty on Wednesday night.

The kaupapa of the Academy draws strength and direction from its links to the 28 Māori Battalion, in particular their legacy of honour, courage, resourcefulness, hard work, pride and commitment.

Following in the footsteps of the 28th Māori Battalion, the Academy instils a military ethos that emphasises a sense of purpose, discipline, routine, personal responsibility, leadership training and strong, supportive relationships.

In 2014, our kura hourua, Te Kāpehu Whetu opened.  The Leadership Academy was both the catalyst for this and became the male leadership strand in the kura with ākonga able to progress through to become cadets.  The boys are with us for a long time and what we have to teach them cannot be learnt overnight. It’s a slow burn process of learning. We’ve learnt to be patient and, in the process, have become more strategic in our outlook and in our interventions.

The Academy’s vision is Tū ki te marae; Tū ki te o – Stand on the marae; stand in the world. We want our boys to see the Academy as a place to stand tall and be encouraged to do things they never imagined they could do.

Kura Starts Back May 2