KŌANGA 2024

Kia ora, welcome

Welcome to the inaugural TupuOra quarterly newsletter! Discover insights, updates, and stories shaping our people and future.

He Mihi

“E Io, e Rangi, tapā mai tā taua tamāhine, hei aha? Hei kuīni? Āe, hei kuīni!”

Nōnākuanei nei, nō te tuarima o Hepetema, ngā kupu whakawahinga i pāoro ai ki te marae ātea o Tūrangawaewae, ki mua i te aroaro o te hākerekere, o ngā mātāwaka hei whakapūmau i Te Arikinui hou, i a Kuīni Nga wai hono i te po.

Ngātahi ana te umere o ngā reo o te iti me te rahi, hurō ana te āmine a te katoa i te pikinga ōna, o Te Arikinui Kuīni Nga wai hono i te po hei piki tūranga mō tōna matua, hei kaihautū hoki mō Te Kīngitanga.

He wahine arero Māori, he kanohi kitea ki ngā kaupapa huhua, he ngākau nui ki ngā iwi katoa, he rangatahi hoki. Kua roa ia e tautoko ana i ngā mahi a TupuOra, ā, ko ia hoki tētahi mema o te Kāhui Mātanga o TupuOra Institute of Learning.

Nei rā te mihi a TupuOra, i runga i te ngākau whakaiti e oati nei ki te kawe tonu i ngā ōhākī a tōu matua, otirā ki te whakatinana i ōu whakakitenga nui, e Rangi, kei tō mātou ariki. Ka hīri, ka hīri, ka hīri!

“Io, esteemed one, What title shall we bestow upon our daughter? As queen? Indeed, as queen!”

Recently, on the 5th of September, the ceremonial words echoed across the Tūrangawaewae courtyard, before the assembled multitudes of the many tribes, affirming our new monarch, Kuīni Nga wai hono i te po.

Both great and small rose in unity of voice, celebrating the ascent of Te Arikinui Kuīni Nga wai hono i te po, stepping into the role of her father as the leader of the Kīngitanga.

A fluent speaker of te reo Māori, a familiar face at countless gatherings, compassionate to all, and in the prime of her youth. She has long been a steadfast supporter of TupuOra and serves on the governing board for the TupuOra Institute of Learning.

TupuOra extends its heartfelt acknowledgment to you, our esteemed queen. We commit to continuing the work envisioned by your father and to realising your vision. It is sealed!

Tuku
Marumaru

Tailored Tutoring for Māori Students

Tuku Marumaru is a tailored tutoring service designed to help Māori students excel and succeed in their learning . Our programme aligns students with TupuOra Pūkenga (teachers) who work closely with small groups, providing focussed assistance in subjects like Te Reo Māori, Te Reo Rangatira, Te Reo Pākehā and Pāngarau. We carefully match students with the right teacher, ensuring personalised guidance in the areas that matter most.

Tuku Marumaru runs throughout the school year, allowing students to build their skills and confidence term by term. The schools we’ve partnered with so far have seen great progress, with students improving in their studies and both parents and teachers expressing their satisfaction.

We’re now eager to expand Tuku Marumaru to even more schools across the motu.

Tuku Marumaru offers flexible payment options to make it accessible for everyone. The fees for the tutoring service can be covered either by the school or by parents.

School-Paid Option: The school can cover the cost of the tutoring sessions. This option is ideal for kura that want to support their ākonga with tailored learning. The fee for a group of up to four ākonga is $4,000+GST per term, which includes 10 one-hour sessions.

Parent-Paid Option: Parents can choose to pay for the service themselves. In this case, your tamaiti will be placed in a small group of 6 ākonga who have similar learning needs. The fee is $700+GST per term, which also includes 10 one-hour sessions.

If you’re a parent or teacher who believes this service could benefit your tamaiti, we’d love to hear from you.

To express your interest in Tuku Marumaru, please email us at tukumarumaru@tupuora.co.nz.

TupuOra Institute of Learning: A Pathway to Meaningful Careers for Your Students

As a kaiako, you play a crucial role in guiding your students toward their future career paths. We’re excited to introduce the TupuOra Institute of Learning, a new online tertiary institute that offers a unique opportunity for students passionate about Māori culture and language. In 2025, we’ll be delivering a range of qualifications in Mātauranga Māori, Te Reo Māori, and Tikanga Māori, designed to help students build a strong foundation for future employment.

Our initial focus is on Mātauranga Māori capability, but we will soon expand into other subject areas to provide more options for students.

We are committed to helping students transition smoothly from education to employment, ensuring their success in a competitive job market. By choosing TupuOra, students will be well-prepared to enter meaningful careers that make a difference in their communities.

As you guide your senior students in choosing their next steps, we encourage you to share the opportunities available at TupuOra.

For more information please visit our website at tupuora.co.nz/institute or email us at institute@tupuora.co.nz.

TupuOra Contribution to Historic Waitangi Tribunal Report in Te Reo Māori

We are proud to acknowledge the exceptional work of our TupuOra team members, Jarred Boon, Greg Koia and Te Waipounamu Teinkore, who were part of a report writing team for the first Waitangi Tribunal Report in te reo Māori. On 26 July 2024, the Waitangi Tribunal released “Kei Ahotea Te Aho Matua” which addresses the urgent claim brought by Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori.

This landmark report is significant not only for its content but also because it is produced in te reo Māori.

The Tribunal found that the Crown breached Treaty principles of partnership and active protection during the Tomorrow’s Schools review and reform process, from 2018 to 2022. Key findings include insufficient involvement of the claimants in policy development and poor communication from the Crown. This lack of partnership resulted in the Crown’s failure to implement specific policies to address the needs of Kura Kaupapa Māori, causing considerable prejudice to the claimants.

To remedy this, the Tribunal has made several recommendations, including the development of specific policies for Kura Kaupapa Māori in areas like property, curriculum support, and network planning. In the long term, it recommends establishing a stand-alone Kura Kaupapa Māori education authority.

TupuOra stands proud in our involvement with this important work, as we continue to support the advancement and recognition of Māori education and rights.

Te Ahu o te Reo Māori: Free Online Te Reo Māori Courses for Kaiako and Parents

TupuOra is proud to deliver Te Ahu o te Reo Māori – a free online Te Reo Māori programme designed to support kaiako and whānau in strengthening their Te Reo Māori in the regions of Tainui, Northland, Bay of Plenty, Taranaki, Whanganui, and Manawatū. These courses run throughout the school year and have been empowering educators and whānau for the past three years.

The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with both kaiako and whānau praising the courses for the learning.

The future of these courses beyond 2025 is currently under review by the Minister of Education.

Our regions are now participating in an evaluation led by the Ministry of Education to assess the impact of these courses in the classroom and the benefits they bring to tamariki learning outcomes.

As we await the Minister’s decision, the mahi continues and enrolments for the next intake, beginning at the start of Term 4, are open. If you’re a kaiako or parent interested in supporting Te Reo Māori development of your taimaiti, visit tupuora.co.nz/teahuotereomaori for more information and to register.

Let’s continue working together to empower tamariki in their Te Reo Māori and ensure that these valuable programmes remain available for all who need them.

Testimonial Spotlight

Te Ahu o Te Reo Testimonial

Te Ahu o Te Reo is a wonderful way to start or continue your journey with Te Reo, Te Ao and Tikanga Māori.   The pūkenga are of an extremely high-calibre.  They are passionate, knowledgeable and willing to share their love of the Māori language with their students.

The kanohi ki te kanohi sessions were particularly valuable for language learning, networking, fun and camaraderie.  Te Ahu o Te Reo provided a good mix of structured lessons and guest speakers.  The highlight of the first ever Te Ahu o Te Reo was the Amazing Race!  Despite the rain, tauira were able to learn more about the local area, local legends, significant historical places and waiata of Tauranga Moana.   Pūkenga ensured that the online sessions included opportunities for Kahoot Quizzes, shared assignment tasks, breakout sessions, fun, learning & laughter.  If you would like to know more about Tauranga Moana local history, the Revitalisation of Te Reo Māori, Te Reo vocabulary/sentence structure and how to authentically weave Te Reo Māori into your classroom teaching and daily lives, I highly recommend enrolling in the next 10 week Te Ahu o Te Reo Programme.  Kia kaha e hoa ma!

— Te Rekamauroa ki Te Moana a Toi graduate – Zara McIndoe, Principal/Tumuaki, Ōtūmoetai Primary School

Ako Ararau Testimonial

“We are grateful for the opportunity to participate and tautoko this amazing kaupapa. It was the most organised event we’ve attended. All TupuOra kaimahi were helpful, friendly, and informative. We LOVED having the ability to speak te reo to all kaimahi and most of the whānau who attended.”

— Attendee at Ako Ararau Māori Expo, hosted by TupuOra 16-17 July 2024

Kura Huna

Tainui is a confederation of New Zealand Māori iwi, or tribes, that trace their ancestry to the Tainui waka. This confederation includes four main iwi from the central North Island: Hauraki, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Raukawa, and Waikato.

Waikato is the ancestral region of tribes descended from the people who arrived in Aotearoa on the Tainui waka. The iwi (tribe) is named after the Waikato River, which holds great ancestral significance.

Waikato-Tainui serves as the tribal authority for the Waikato people and those represented in the Raupatu claims, aiming to create opportunities for tribal members and marae.

Staff Profile

Tokoaitua Tarawera Winiata

Ngāti Raukawa ki Tai,
Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Awa

How long have you been an employee of TupuOra?

Kotahi tau (One year)

What is your role at TupuOra?

Pou Ranga Whakaako — Manager of Programme Delivery

How would you describe your role at TupuOra to children?

Ko te whāinga nui he manaaki i ngā Pūkenga, i te hunga whakaako i ngā hōtaka ako a TupuOra.

My main role is to guide and care for our Facilitators that teach the many programmes TupuOra has to offer.

What kura did you attend?

Te Kura ā-Iwi o Whakatupuranga Rua Mano

Who was your favourite kaiako growing up and how did they influence you?

I was very fortunate to have been nurtured by some esteemed kaiako of te ao Mātauranga. Regarding my childhood, I can probably look no further than my own pāpā. Ko taku pāpā tonu taku kaiako tuatahi, ā, e noho kaiako tonu mai ana inamata nei. Something that was very favorable in my development as a youth was the notion that experience is the father of wisdom, of knowledge, of life’s lessons. Me kore ake taku pāpā i tino Māori ai au, i titihawa ai te āwhero nui ki te koha ki taku ao Māori ā haere ake nei te wā!!!

As a learner of Te Reo Māori, what is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

Nau mai te hapa!!! Mā roto mai i te hē, i te hapa e kite ai, e mārama ai ki te tika – Pretty simple, e hoa mā. If you are offended when someone corrects you, your own ego means more to you than the quality of our language, nō reira, he aha tō take?

What’s the weirdest or funniest thing a student has ever said to you?

You’re a superhero to many but a villain to the silly LOL

Upcoming events

Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori

  • 14th -21st September
  • Theme: ‘Ake Ake Ake – A Forever Language’

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