New kura planned for Porirua
‘‘That would be awesome for kids on this side of the harbour.’’ Anita Baker, Porirua mayor
Porirua is set to get a new Māori medium school as part of the Government’s goal to increase the number of Māori learners.
The new school in the western side of Porirua will open as a year 1-8 wharekura with a roll of 45 by 2027 but is expected to grow to 200 as secondary levels are added in subsequent years.
‘‘The establishment of Te Kākā Kura o Ngāti Toa Rangatira will over time provide a local option for up to 200 tamariki and rangatahi on the western side of the Porirua harbour,’’ Associate Education Minister Kelvin Davis said last Tuesday.
There was ‘‘growing demand’’ for kaupapa Māori education, especially in Porirua, where a third of ākonga (students) identified as Māori, he said.
As of 2022, 9575 students were enrolled in Porirua primary and secondary schools, of which 3137 were Māori, according to data from the Ministry of Education.
There was a ‘‘need and desire for kura to be established’’ to help local ākonga succeed in an environment that uplifted and protected iwi values, he said.
The Government wants the number of Māori leaders to grow by 30% by 2040.
‘‘Tikanga and kawa will be embedded in the curriculum and teachings of Ngāti Toa kaumatua and kuia, underpinned by the Ngāti Toa Education Strategy and Māori Education Strategy, Ka Hikitia.’’
It was especially relevant, providing further schooling opportunities for western Porirua, a growth area where hundreds of homes are being built.
A site in the Tītahi Bay area has yet to be chosen, so Davis could not yet give an estimate for how much the kura would cost.
Davis said the Government had been working with Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira and local schools would be consulted to
ensure any impact on them was mitigated.
General manager of education and employment services Bianca Elkington said it was a ‘‘long-held aspiration’’ to establish a kura-a-iwi that would educate rangatahi in Ngāti Toa reo and help provide ākonga with a solid grounding of education that takes them out of traditional classroom learning, into te taiao (the environment).
‘‘We know that for many ākonga, a focus on classroom learning is outdated and does not give them the practical and hands-on learning and experiences that they need to keep them engaged.’’
Plans to establish the kura began in 2020 and the application had progressed much more quickly than anticipated.
While they had not yet worked out the next steps, including the likely opening date, Elkington said they were working towards confirming potential sites for Te Kura Taiao o Ngāti Toa.
‘‘We see this kura based at Whitireia in Tītahi Bay or at another site of historical significance to our people.
‘‘What better place to house our mātauranga where our ākonga can learn our reo and about our tūpuna than at a location that carries so much inspiration and meaning for our iwi.’’
With many of Porirua’s schools already close to capacity, news of a kura in the western part of the city has been met with excitement.
‘‘That would be awesome for kids on this side of the harbour,’’ Porirua mayor Anita Baker said. ‘‘It is so much closer for kids and means they don’t have to travel, so it keeps them in Porirua.’’
The new school gave people ‘‘another option’’ and was something [the] council had been pushing for over several years, she said. While she was unsure where the new school would go, she was pleased something was planned.
She said more funding and support was also needed for other schools across Porirua, many of which were nearly full.
The Porirua wharekura follows the announcement in September of a new Feilding wharekura.