Welcome back!
Tēnā kōutou i runga i ngā moemoea me ngā tumanako o te tau hōu. Ka tangihia, ka mihia, ka poroporoakitia ki ngā mate huhua kua wheturangitia. Haere atu ra, moe mai, okioki e. Kāti ngā pitopito kōrero mo rātou mā, kei te mihi, kei te mihi, kei te mihi. I sincerely hope that all of our whānau have had a great break with friends and family, and welcome everyone back to a very positive year at Te Kura o Te Pāroa!
Special Character Designation
Since 1891, when Mr. Hone Taupepourura made overtures for the establishment of a school on the banks of the Oriini Channel, Te Kura o Te Pāroa has existed under many names and for many purposes.
When the Rūmaki unit was added in 1989, it was the intention of the Board of Trustees to change the designation of the school in order to reflect its newly established character. As with the name of our kura, this change was never registered with the Ministry of Education. Almost thirty years later, as far as the Ministry of Education is concerned, Te Kura o Te Pāroa is a State Full Primary School with a Rūmaki unit – no different than Awakeri School down the road, or any number of other Primary Schools in town.
The Board of Trustees of Te Kura o Te Pāroa feel that there is most definitely a very special point of difference between our school and our neighbours. As you well know, whānau choose to send their tamariki to Te Kura o Te Pāroa for very specific reasons, and the Board would like to see those reasons recognised.
Over the past two Terms, the Board of Trustees have investigated the possibility of seeking Special Character Designation for Te Kura o Te Pāroa. As it does with Catholic Schools and Kura Kaupapa Māori around the country, this designation would recognise the unique character of our kura and guarantee the preservation of that character into the future.
Special Character Designation would have a number of benefits for our students and our community:
- It will guarantee whānau the right to send their tamariki to a school that will educate them in the context of Te Reo Māori me ona tīkanga from a Ngāti Awa perspective – essentially, the right to achieve success as Māori within their own community;
- It will guarantee that both Rūmaki and Auraki students would be entitled to free transport to and from school, freeing up nearly $65,000 in transport subsidies that the kura provides from its funding each year and putting this money back into the classroom where it belongs;
- It will protect the school from mergers with “mainstream” schools – a cost-cutting measure outlined by the Minister of Education as a way to deal with the expense of maintaining school properties and currently being modeled in Kawerau;
- And it will protect the unique character of Te Kura o Te Pāroa as many recent initiatives from the Ministry of Education seem to be focused on the removal of self-governance and mana motuhake from New Zealand schools.
Special Character Designation will not turn Te Kura o Te Pāroa into a Kura Kaupapa Māori incorporated under Te Aho Matua. In fact, Special Character Designation will have little effect on the day-to-day operations of our school. Under the National Administrative Guidelines, all areas including curriculum delivery, strategic planning, finance/property, personnel, health and safety, and legislative requirements are already designed to support the unique nature of our kura. According to several Ministry of Education officials, Te Kura o Te Pāroa is already a Special Character School. As with the process of officially re-naming the school last year, pursuing Special Character Designation would serve to formalize a situation that everyone in our school community (and indeed, the entire Whakatāne region) already presumes.
The Board of Trustees would like to correct this situation, but needs your support in order to do so. We strongly encourage all members of our community to please complete this Survey Form and return it to the school as soon as possible. You are also welcome to complete this online survey:
Whānau hui will be set early in Term 4 for anyone who would like further information.
