Whakatau kaupapa
Whakatau ki te Kura Waenga Whakangungu o Takapuna
Welcome to Takapuna Normal Intermediate School
The school holds a whakatau which is a traditional Māori welcome, which literally means to settle. This ceremony is our way of welcoming new learners, staff and visitors, along with their families, into the TNIS School community.
What to expect at the Whakatau:
- The manuhiri (visitors) will gather together outside the hall or Library then someone will lead you into the whakatau. There may be a closer to lead you in and there may be a haka powhiri also
- The tangata whenua (hosts) will be seated facing the manuhiri (visitors) to welcome you.
- A mihi (welcome speech) will be made by a representative of the school. Then the learners and staff will stand and sing a waiata (song) to support the speaker’s message. (There may be other speakers, a waiata will follow each speech. Learners and Staff will sit down.)
- A representative from the manuhiri (visitors) will respond, and then the group will stand and sing a waiata to support the speaker. The group will sit down.
- The last speaker will then be from the school.
- Hariru – the hosts and new families involved will shake hands, hongi (nose to nose) or kiss. During covid settings, this may also be an elbow touch.
- TNIS will offer a simple morning tea or kai for everyone to share. This concludes the whakatau and signifies the coming together of the visitors and the TNIS community.
After consultation with our school-wide community, including staff, parents and the Board of Trustees, as well as consultation with local Kaumatua, we have developed our own school tikanga (customs or procedures) for our school whakatau, to reflect the visions and values of our school.
- Men and women are allowed to speak – this is both for the Tangata Whenua and the Manuhuri. The Principal or their representative will open the whakatau with a formal mihi.
- Speakers are welcome to speak in any language they feel comfortable with, however, a greeting in Te Reo Māori is encouraged.
- Men and women can sit in the front row – speakers should sit in the front row
- To recognise the Māori worldview and respect the mana, members of the SLT, team leaders and the Tikanga team sit in the front row.
- If in the front row, you will be asked to take part in the Hariru, you can choose whether to hongi, handshake or kiss on the cheek. (During covid settings this may also be an elbow touch.)
- Learners representing the school will be invited to sit on chairs with the teachers as Tangata Whenua.
- A haka pōwhiri, welcoming chant, may be performed by staff and students
- We do not have karanga, ceremonial call, at our whakatau. Karanga is traditionally viewed as a connection between the living and spiritual worlds, the karanga is steeped in tikanga and epitomises the mana wahine — the power of women within the marae. It is a spiritual call that has been heard through generations of whānau across the country and is usually used at a Pōwhiri, not a whakatau. As part of our whānau consultation, the local Kaumatua and whānau, felt that it was not appropriate for girls of Primary school age to be asked to karanga. It is also something that would require specialist teaching and this is not something we are currently able to offer at school.
- Manuhuri are invited to stay for a cup of tea, coffee or drink and a bite to eat to remove the tapu, sacredness from the ceremony. A karakia kai will be recited before manuhiri are invited to eat.
Waiata (Song)
Please watch the video of the song here : Karakia Kai – here
Te aroha Love
Te whakapono Faith
Me te rangimarie And peace
Tatou tatou Be amongst us all (translation)
Manuhiri (Parents/whānau being welcomed to the school)
A possible outline for what you could say – you do not have to speak in Te Reo Māori.
Tēnā koutou e te whānau o te Kura o te Waeng Whakangungu oTakapuna
He mihi ki a koutou katoa
Tēnā koe (name of whakatau leader) (mō tōu kōrero whakatau)
Tēnā koutou ngā kaiako
Tēnā koutou ngā tamariki
Ko ____ tōku ingoa
→ Switch to English
Greetings to the family/community of TNIS
Greetings to all of you
Thank you (name)(for your welcoming speech/words)
Greetings to the teachers
Greetings to the children
My name is ___
→ Finish/wrap up with:
Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou,
tēnā koutou katoa.
Tikanga and Te Reo Māori Kaupapa
As a school in Aotearoa (New Zealand), we have a bi-cultural commitment. It is expected that as professionals, we “understand and recognise the unique status of tangata whenua in Aotearoa New Zealand.”
Our school Tikanga is aligned with Māori Tikanga therefore:
- The school karakia is recited at the beginning of each day to welcome the day
- We ask children not to sit at tables – this is because food may be eaten at the table
- We don’t wear hats or have hoods on while inside
- Food should never be wasted and should be taken home if uneaten
- Although this is a busy school, during lunchtime, we encourage children to be aware of not stepping over lunchboxes or other children whilst they are eating – food is precious and should be treated carefully, it’s not hygienic to walk over food. Heads are also considered to be tapu, sacred, in the Māori culture, as in many other cultures.
- Our whare nui is a place of meeting and has expectations to uphold tikanga such as-
- No hats or hood
No food and drinks are allowed
We always enter quietly and respond positively and respectfully to everyone who presents
- All Māori words and phrases are pronounced correctly
In all of our classrooms, we work with learners from a range of different cultures and backgrounds. It is important to get to know all of our learners and their cultural beliefs, traditions and values so that we can acknowledge them in a culturally responsive way.
Māori education plan
Part of our bi-cultural journey at Takapuna Normal Intermediate school is the development of the Māori Education Plan. This has been created with the help of The University of Auckland and support from the Māori Achievement Collaborative. With feedback from ākonga whānau (learners’ families), we have developed four key areas of focus for our school to develop.
- Te Aō/Te Reo Māori, Cultural identity as a means to success
- Positive and effective learning environments
- Productive partnerships between students, teachers and home
- Valuing people and the environment
Together as a school, we look at how to best support for our Māori learners to succeed. Part of this process is to connect with our Māori learners whānau to find out what they feel their children need to be successful. This is done through a whānau hui as part of our community consultation. See a picture from our most recent whānau hui below.
