Maori charter school for Hamilton
Hamilton kids who want to learn te reo Ma¯ori will have another option from 2017.
The city’s first partnership school – Te Ko¯puku High – will start teaching Year 7 to 9 students in February although its exact location has not yet been revealed.
It was one of two new schools that David Seymour, undersecretary to the Minister of Education, announced on Tuesday.
The other, Te Aratika Academy, will be a boys-only, senior secondary school in Napier.
Partnership schools are also known as kura hourua or charter schools, they have faced strong opposition from teacher unions and one was shut down two years after it opened.
The schools are state-funded but work under a fixed-term contract with the Crown and have greater freedom in certain areas.
In Hamilton, Te Ko¯puku High will allow students to move into a Ma¯ori immersion programme later in their school years.
The co-educational school will be run by Kia Ata Mai Educational Trust – a charitable trust focused on learners in immersion and Ma¯ori-medium programmes.
‘‘Te Ko¯puku High is a call to action and our mission is to ensure that our students are exceeding national standards and NCEA in pursuit of vocational pathways of their choosing,’’ a statement from trust chairwoman Cath Rau said.
The first intake of up to 90 students will be for those in Years 7 to 9, but it will extend to Year 13 by 2021. The school will target Ma¯ori students and those from low socio-economic backgrounds.
Innovative education leaders helped design its curriculum, a statement from the trust said.
The two new partnership schools are both kaupapa Ma¯ori and were selected from 26 applications, Seymour said in a statement.
Te Ko¯puku High is accepting enrolments through tekopuku .school.nz.
The first information session is 6-7pm tonight at Turangawaewae Rugby League Club, Ngaruawahia.