Caps and korowai for young graduates
Te Rarawa’s HIPPY programme staged its 2018 graduation ceremony at Te Ahu in Kaitaia, the children resplendent in the korowai their mothers created especially for the occasion, and their well-earned caps.
Te Rarawa’s Te Amohaere, Strategy, Policy and Service Delivery, Bronwyn Bauer Hunt, said the Home Interaction Programme for Parents and Youngsters empowered parents to teach their tamariki the skills they needed to make a successful start in their schooling.
“It’s proven that tamariki who have been through HIPPY are better equipped to succeed in their education, particularly so when the whanau are there to prepare them for every day of their educational journey,” she said before presenting the graduates with their certificates and taonga, marking their completion of the 60-week programme.
Co-ordinator Kate Atkinson said HIPPY had been in Kaitaia since 1999, and, coinciding with its 20th anniversary, was introducing a brand new curriculum.
“The kaupapa is still the same — free resources, home visits from a HIPPY tutor while still providing manageable challenges that enable every person participating to grow and develop their capabilities in ways they may have not thought possible,” she said.
“If you are interested in doing HIPPY with your tamariki, who need to be between 3 and 4 years old, please contact me on 0800 teoranga,, text me on (022) 657-6369, or check out our HIPPY Kaitaia Facebook Page.”