Te Whānau a Taraika – Wellington High School

Once each term a group of parents and school staff meet whose main aim is to support and lift achievement of Māori students.

We try to do this by supporting whānau, students and the school. For example, we hold information evenings about NCEA to help parents, and students, understand NCEA. We seek views of whānau and students about school, their needs and future goals and work through ideas to address these. We support the kapa haka and te reo teachers, support school Matariki activities and the student end of year prize giving events. And we are currently working on an online te reo resource for WHS students and whānau.

We would like to invite all whānau to come along, meet other parents and members of the school staff. Everyone is welcome. The meetings are interesting and organised, but there is no obligation to take part, or to put your hand up for activities. We try to identify and carry out activities that will be valuable to whānau, students and the school to raise student achievement.

In any one year, around 17% of the Wellington High School roll is Māori. In addition, both Māori and non-Māori students take part in activities such as kapa haka and learning te reo. We are very keen to do our best to support these students and these activities.

Message from Te Whānau a Taraika chair

Ngā manaakitanga o te wā ki a tātou

He mihi nui
Tuatahi, e kore e mimiti te puna aroha mo Te Tumatakuru, ko ia te kaihoe, ko ia te kaiwawao, ko ia te kaitiaki o tātou, ngā whānau o te kura o Taraika i roto i ngā tau. Tungāne, ko te painga atu, ka whai wāhi anō tāua ki te tiaki i ā tātou tamariki i te kura kaupapa ki te kura auraki, me taku mihi nui ki a koe i ngā whawhai o mua me ngā hua ka puta.

Tuarua, ahakoa, kāore i tae ā-tinana atu ki te hui whānau tuatahi o te tau 2022, ka tautoko ngā kōrero me ngā whakataunga, mea rawa ake, ka whiriwhiria te kaitiaki (heamana). Nau mai, haere mai ki ngā whānau katoa ki te kura ki ngā whānau hoki o te kura.

Tuatoru, tēnā rawa atu i tautoko mārika mā i te tūnga rā me ngā ringa āwhina i toro mai, ko whaea Char, ko Te Tumatakuru, ko Annette, ko Huria koutou ko Richard. Nei au, ka mihi.

Heoi, he uri ahau o Rāhiri, nō Te Whare Tapu o Ngāpuhi, arā, ko Ngāpuhi te iwi, ko Te Māhurehure ko Ngāti Pākau ōku hapū, e rua ō mātou kāinga ko tētahi ki Te Upoko o te Ika, ko tētahi ki Te Kōhanga, Ahipara, Te Hiku o te Ika. E rere tonu ana ā mātou mihi (ko Phill, ko au, ko Māia Āria, ko Kiri Lucia, ko Tama Paati) ki a koutou katoa me ōu koutou whānau.

Acknowledgement and thanks
Firstly, I want to our on behalf, thank and acknowledge Te Tumatakuru and his leadership, advocacy and skill at caring, supporting and leading whānau hui with the support of Whaea Char. As a friend and a parent of tamariki raised in Kōhanga and Kura to now in High School, I feel fortunate to have crossed paths with him again at Taraika. Piki mihi to you Te Tumatakuru and Whaea Char.

Secondly, and belatedly, I wanted to welcome all our whānau back to Taraika in 2022 and to our new whānau welcome to our whānau of Taraika. And while I was unable to attend our first hui of the year, I appreciate your tautoko as kaitiaki (chair) of our whānau and the Board rep for our kura.

Thirdly, thanks to all the support extended for this mahi and our whānau.

A bit about our whānau, we hail from the North, South Hokianga to be specific and Tāheke and Waima to be exact. These are the places we call home. My husband also hails from the North, Whangapē and Ahipara. From our whānau – Phill, me, Māia Āria, Kiri Lucia and Tama Paati to you and yours, e mihi ana!

We are connecting back with the whānau for three kaupapa:
Staying connected to each other – to be able to connect and communicate directly with each other, could you please forward your email address to us C/- Nicky Birch and/or give your consent for the school to share your email address with Nicky to be able to form a whānau email group.

Setting hui whānau dates and agendas, noting that the whānau at the Monday, 27 March hui, agreed to a hui once a term with extra hui if needed. Dates currently confirmed for 2022 are:

6.30-7.30pm, Monday 1 August
6.30-7.30pm, Monday 24 October
6.30-7.30pm, Monday 14 November

Board dates for 2022 are listed below and agenda item includes reports from whānau representatives.
Monday 16 May
Monday 20 June
Monday 25 July
Monday 15 August
Monday 12 September
Monday 17 October
Monday 14 November

Ngā manaakitanga

Nicky Birch

Te Whānau a Taraika