Exciting times lie ahead for new Manukura principal and school
Ilane Durie has started as the new principal of Palmerston North school Manukura at a time when an important transition is about to take place.
Durie (Te Aitanga a Hauiti) started as tumuaki at the special character school this term, taking over from Nathan Durie, who finished at the end of last year.
Nathan Durie and wife Yvette McCausland-Durie helped found the school in 2005, but they left to reopen the historic Māori boys’ boarding school, St Stephen’s School, or Tīpene, at Bombay near Auckland. Nathan is a cousin of Ilane Durie’s husband.
It is one of two major changes at the school. Manukura has been based in unused buildings at the old teachers’ college in Hokowhitu since its inception, but is about to move to a new purpose-built premises on the Massey University campus.
The buildings where they started near Jickell St have already been demolished to make way for housing. The buildings they are in now, the former library and cafeteria, are destined for the same fate.
Ilane Durie said they had many ideas about what they could do at the new school, but it was a big transition, so they were focused on getting their students and staff settled first. “When you haven't had much for years and years, for a long time, it can be quite overwhelming walking into the facilities that we’re about to move into.
“I think we’re deserving of this, our students have worked hard over the years and have just made do with whatever we have had. We’ve used the riverbank, running the streets of Hokowhitu, pushing vans up Pork Chop Hill,” she said.
The students have long had to be ferried across town for trainings or gym sessions because of a lack of sports facilities. Having their own fields, courts and gym would be a big boost. “These students have spent years just making do with whatever they have, rain, hail or shine,” she said.
Manukura’s roll was capped at about 200 now and would be 300 at the new site, although that was expected to grow gradually.
While it was exciting to move to a new site, it would also be sad to leave their current site, Durie said.
“Most of our staff went to teachers’ college here. Our learning journey started before Manukura or Tu Toa and we’ll putting these buildings to sleep at the end of term, whakamoe e te whare. We’ve loved being here and through all the challenges of 18 years of history that stays here.”
Staff had input into the new school and there was a sense of excitement among students about things such as lockers.
The classrooms can open up into a large space for everyone to work together.
Durie said just because they had a new facility, their values wouldn’t change, as students would still be adaptable and continue doing things such as cleaning up after themselves.
The opening ceremony is at Easter weekend, then movers start the week after. The first official day is at the start of term two.
“We’re in a privileged position, we’re going to be the first secondary school in the country based on a university site. That's a special opportunity,” she said. “We’re looking forward to the next few years, seeing that relationship grow and see what we can offer in that space and vice versa.”
While there had been a leadership change, Durie, who has been at the school for 13 years, said she was well supported by a leadership team and they all believed in the potential of rangatahi (youth).
Improving the disparity in education for Māori children was a continued focus.
“We exist here to ensure change occurs, to ensure that people understand that this is possible, that rangatahi have potential that’s not fully realised.”
While they didn’t tell students they had to go to university, the expectation was students achieved university entrance.
“There has to be examples in society of Māori success. You’ve got to see it, you’ve got to see schools that are performing at high levels.”
This would set the example that it was possible for Māori to succeed. “There's no reason why our kids should be failing in any school or kura in this country,” Durie said.