Tirohia ki uta, ki ngā maunga whakahī o te takiwā, ki a Maungawhau, ki a Owairaka, te matapuna o ngā awa e rere atu nei ki tai, ki te Waitematā. Ko Waiateao, ko Waitītiko ngā manga e hono ana rā ki te moana. Nā reira e tuku mihi ana mātou ki ngā mana whenua, ki a Ngāti Whātua, ki a Te Waiohua , ki a Tainui waka i takea mai ai ngā ingoa wāhi me ngā kōrero tuku iho mō te rohe nei.
Ka rere ngā kupu whakamihi ki ngā koroua, ki ngā kuia, ki ngā mātua i kaha tautoko i te whanaketanga o Ngā Uri O Ngā Iwi, koutou kua heke ki te karanga a Hinenuitepō, moe mai rā, takoto mai rā. Mei kore ake a Pā Achlee Fong, te kaihautū tuatahi o tō tātou waka mātauranga, a Whaea Dianne Adams, te pouako i tapa ai i tō tātou whare Te Hononga O Ngā Wai, a Nana Ma nāna i whakaako, i poipoi ngā tamariki me ō rātou mātua i te roanga ake o ngā tau, a Nana Pare, te poutokomanawa o te hapori, a Matua Paul McDade i whakapeto ngoi ki te whakatū i tō tātou akomanga.
Ko te pito mate ki te pito mate, ko te pito ora ki te pito ora. Tēnei ngā kaiako, ngā mātua me ngā tamariki o Ngā Uri O Ngā Iwi e mihi atu nei ki a koutou e mina ana ki te uru atu ki tō mātou kura o Te Rehu. Nau mai, haere mai, whakatata mai.
I ngā whārangi e whai ake nei, kua whārikihia ngā mātāpono, ngā mahi o te marautanga o tēnei o ngā kura Māori. Ko te tūmanako kei konei ngā whakautu ki ā koutou pātai, ā, ka whakapā mai koutou ki a mātou.
Our school Charter states - “At Westmere School, Te Rehu we are committed to honouring and implementing Te Tiriti o Waitangi with Ngā Uri O Ngā Iwi.”
At a strategic direction hui in 2005 the whānau defined the school’s Treaty-based relationship as a common venture between the governance structures (BOT, Principal, Senior leadership ) and NUONI. Together they ensure that Treaty obligations are actioned: te tino rangatiratanga of the unit is upheld, te reo rangatira me ōna tikanga are protected and promoted.
The school annual plan sets strategic goals to:
support Māori-medium education in the development of bilingual and immersion pathways.
embed Te Reo and Tikanga Māori programmes in the studios.
Te Poari: Board of Trustees
NUONI is represented on the BOT by co-opted members selected by the whānau and appointed by the board. The board engages with representation from Ngā Uri O Ngā Iwi, which sits alongside to provide information and advice about the operations of the unit. Whānau hui are the primary vehicle through which decisions are made to be conveyed by our representatives to the BOT meetings.
NUONI shoulders responsibility for the practice of tikanga at Te Rehu, officiating at all powhiri, tā i te kawa (opening of new buildings), formal occasions, tangihanga etc.
School days open with karakia and hui ā-kura (assemblies) are bilingual in their presentations. Teachers across studios receive training in tikanga to foster the cultural safety of students and resourcing to assist with the teaching of te reo Māori.
The establishment and sustainability of the programme wasn’t without obstacles. Area 4 had been the home for the first bilingual class, but with a steadily increasing roll ( 40 students by 1994) students had to move into the hall. Parents approached management to consider the relocation of a building onto the grounds. Agreement was given, but the MOE declined property funding for students in what was designated a “Special Programme”.
Undaunted, the community fundraised to purchase an old Hospital Board building which was moved onto the site in 1996, renovated, opened and named Te Hononga O Ngā Wai (The Meeting of the Waters) by NUONI teacher and kuia Whaea Dianne Adams. The name references the streams which originate near Maungawhau and Owairaka and flow through Te Rehu to the Waitematā.
The whare housed two classes, a teina and a tuakana and teachers in those early years included Mike Dunleavy, Jill Buckley, Anne Smith, Robyn Carruthers, Shane Edwards, Lorraine Taogaga, Ed Tuari, Hera Linter-Cole, Elsie Heke, and Toru Tara.
In 1991 Māori whānau living in Westmere requested that a bilingual programme be established. Tamariki graduating from local kohanga reo needed a kaupapa Māori environment in which to pursue their education and support their Māori language development.
The initiative was a community response to te reo revitalisation efforts throughout Aotearoa and the belief that mainstream schooling was failing Maori students. Educator Pa Achlee Fong guided whānau in setting the vision for NUONI and affirming their status as tangata whenua within the school, in accordance with the rights and responsibilities enshrined within Te Tiriti O Waitangi.
In 1999 Jane Cooper joined Whaea Toru as the teina teacher at a time when the unit’s roll had dropped to 25 tamariki and the school zone demographic was changing. Westmere was bulk funded and the viability of NUONI was threatened the following year by a proposal to cut its staffing to 1.6 teachers. This would have left one kaiako responsible for the education of all teina and tuakana students for one of the weekdays and every afternoon.
The whānau petitioned the BOT to retain two teachers, reiterating Treaty obligations spelt out in the National Education Guidelines, the school’s Charter commitment to Te Reo Māori me ōna tikanga and the overriding objective of enabling Maori educational achievement. Common sense prevailed and NUONI has maintained a successful working relationship with the BOT, a “common venture” in which the right of NUONI whānau to determine the educational priorities of their students is acknowledged and the equitable resourcing necessary to achieve these is assured.
Long-standing Westmere resident, Ripeka Nukunuku, known as Nanny Ma, whose children and grandchildren attended Te Rehu retired after many years teaching at Ritimana Kohanga Reo.
Born in Whangaparāoa of Te Whānau a Apanui and Ngāti Porou descent, Nan graciously accepted an invitation to work for the school, officiating as Kaumatua and teaching within NUONI.
Nanny Ma sat on the paepae at every school pōwhiri and major event, named and blessed all new buildings and structures and offered guidance and expertise to students, teachers and parents alike. The spiritual backbone of NUONI, students were privileged to have a native speaker to converse with and to hear her stories of an East Coast rural upbringing.
Nan passed on in 2014 and her tangihanga was led by NUONI in the school hall, Te Whare Kotahitanga, where hundreds of mourners gathered to recognise her contributions to Māori education.
In an effort to better meet the developmental needs of New Entrant students, a proposal was submitted to the BOT to establish a Nohinohi class, whose students would feed into a Teina Y2/3 class and finally graduate to the Tuakana Y4-6 grouping.
At this time the NUONI roll was capped at 56 students by the MOE and so the BOT agreed to subsidise the third teacher’s salary. Whaea Rachel Pierard joined the kaiako team under the leadership of Whaea Jane.
At a strategic planning hui, NUONI parents and caregivers discussed the possibility of establishing a new configuration for Māori medium education at Te Rehu.
They envisaged a parallel pathway programme that would offer either bilingual (L2) or immersion (L1) education for their tamariki.
After years of pressure from central Auckland Māori medium schools and the APPA, the MOE finally agreed to provide property funding for out-of-zone students in “Special Programmes”.
This breakthrough coincided with an agreement to increase the ceiling on enrolments within NUONI to 80 students. The BOT was therefore able to employ a fourth kaiako and establish a Y2-3 bilingual grouping.
With the development of the new school, the old hall and Te Hononga O Ngā Wai were moved across the school grounds to nestle in between Te Papa Kāinga and Te Whare Poipoi.
NUONI now had 4 class spaces and two purpose-built rooms with kitchen facilities, a science/art space, a resource room, a hui/performance area, decking and gardens. Whaea Laura Alpe was employed to teach the Y2-3 L2 class. The whānau was able to see many of its educational objectives finally coming to fruition.
The rapid changes of the previous years saw a need for consolidation. Whaea Jane came out of the classroom to take up a position as Paeārahi of NUONI.
Whaea Toru had moved to work in a middle school Studio in 2015 and therefore two new Provisionally Certificated Teachers were employed to work in the tuākana classes - Te Mete Lowman as the rumaki reo Y 4 - 6 kaiako and Whaea Waina Prime as the bilingual Y4 - 6 kaiako.
Whaea Tui Ross took up Whaea Laura's position as the teina kaiako. Matua Te Mete took up a managerial position at another school and Whaea Jane taught the Tuākana rumaki class.
Whaea Laura returned to teach the nohinohi in a job share with Nicky Swan, as Whaea Charlotte had been awarded study leave.
With kaiako moving out of Tāmaki or leaving teaching, two new graduates Whaea Maxine and Whaea Kahi were employed as tuākana kaiako, mentored by Whaea Jane. Whaea Louise took over the nohinohi class.
The Covid epidemic and lockdown meant students were taught online for much of Term 2. The Paeārahi submitted a proposal to the Board to create a fifth immersion Year 3-4 class in 2021, which was endorsed.
Whaea Keegan joined the immersion pathway as a new graduate kaiako and NE teacher Whaea Rebecca brought her expertise to set up the nohinohi class in a reconfigured larger akomanga space. Former Te Rehu administrator, Whaea Deborah Peace, returned to work as a Learning Assistant.
Under Whaea Jane's leadership as Paeārahi, Ngā Uri o Ngā Iwi enjoyed the largest kāhui kaiako and student roll since it was established 30 years ago.
Whaea Jane retired. Whaea Keeghan left at the end of 2022 to take a position at Waititko.
Whaea Lois joined us as the kaiako in the Year 3-4 class. Whaea Tui moved into a part-time role and Whaea Cate took over her position. Kōkā Maxine and Whaea Kahi shared joint leadership responsibilities. We moved all the akomanga into the Village.
Whaea Rebecca moved to Waititiko to provide learning support at their kura. Whaea Kahi took a position at St Kents.
Whaea Amokura and Whaea Awhi joined us, and Whaea Kirsty moved over from the English-medium. Kōkā Maxine took on sole leadership responsibility.
The structure of NUONI changed again to meet the shifting needs of learners.
NUONI is continuing to thrive and is still at maximum capacity.
NUONI differs in some fundamental respects from other pedagogical models of Māori medium education. The rationale for our approach has evolved from the specific learning needs and realities of our urban students and the expectation that they will leave primary school equipped with the literacy and numeracy skills required to succeed at whichever Intermediate and Secondary they attend. It also recognises that in Auckland there are currently fewer immersion Māori options at these next levels.
View more
The NUONI enrolment policy requires students to have attended kohanga or puna reo for two years or to live within a whānau where te reo Māori is the language of the home. This ensures that the New Entrant student will not feel disorientated by the practice of tikanga and use of spoken Māori within the classroom environment.
However, it is at Year 1 that the difference in our pedagogical approach is most apparent, as our students are taught to read and write first in English. This decision was made early on in the unit’s development when we realised there was a marked range in te reo oral language ability amongst our new entrants, despite tamariki having attended kohanga reo. The effects of intergenerational Māori language loss and English language dominance in wider society can account for much of this disparity.
Since, for the majority of new entrants, English is their first language, it was felt that this should be embraced to launch tamariki on their literacy journey, while equally emphasising the importance of conversing in te reo to maintain understanding and develop oral language. If we had chosen to teach students to read and write first in te reo, then realistically we would have had to delay literacy instruction until most students' oral language ability had grown and they had sufficient vocabulary to engage with texts and record their experiences.
Parents in general did not favour delaying their childrens’ interest in literacy, nor stalling the curiosity and love of learning which emerges when students start to unlock the building blocks of the written word.
Our experience of developing bilingualism and biliteracy within NUONI is that those students who achieve the expected school achievement levels in English in their second or third year of schooling, will transfer these literacy skills to learning to read and write in Māori, while applying their developing understanding of te reo to learn to speak it with ever-increasing confidence.
Those students for whom learning to read and write is a more demanding journey will benefit from hearing te reo spoken around them, but will not have the added pressure of writing and reading in both languages during their teina years. As tamariki progress through school, they are exposed to increasing levels of te reo depending on their readiness. Currently, there are two levels of reo available to tamariki as they become tuakana.
It is against the backdrop of te reo Māori revitalisation and the damning statistical evidence of Māori failure within the NZ schooling system, that NUONI has designed an approach which sets out to deliver high quality teaching in both languages. Whānau involvement in schooling also underpins success.
A commonly held misconception is that students in NUONI do not cover the same curriculum areas as students in the English-medium. Ngā Uri o Ngā Iwi curriculum planning is based on both the NZ Curriculum and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa, the curriculum in te reo Māori written for Kura Kaupapa Māori and Māori medium units.
Mātauranga Māori has always been integral to our programme, to ensure Māori students learn science and social sciences through their own cultural body of knowledge. The section on Curriculum explains what this looks like.
The New Zealand education system has two official national curricula, the NZ Curriculum, which is currently being revised and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa, a curriculum written for schools offering Māori medium education, which is also currently in the process of being revised.
Both curricula are used within Ngā Uri O Ngā Iwi to devise programmes, as they set the direction for what is to be learnt while allowing individual schools the freedom to determine the contexts for learning which are relevant to their local communities.
NUONI has developed its own curriculum over the years to ensure graduates leave with an understanding of the foundational tribal history and significant landmarks of Te Rehu | Westmere and the wider Tāmaki Makaurau region, both before and after Pākehā colonisation. Mātauranga Māori is integrated into all science and social science inquiries. Students are equipped with a diverse range of resources in te reo and English to access curriculum content, whether in texts, online or through visits and guest speakers. Science features prominently in planning, with the unit benefitting from outside gardens and deck areas and a science/art room in which to conduct investigations. The suburb of Te Rehu, Westmere itself provides a wealth of ecosystems for environmental studies including Waiorea-Western Springs, Te Tokaroa, our local streams and the zoo. As mentioned, annual noho ā-marae are an important learning opportunity and the arts both visual and performing are nurtured from school entry.
Te Rehu equally values the development of a child's emotional and social intelligence, teaching resilience, empathy and self-control to regulate feelings, thoughts and behaviour. These skills are integral to a life-long love of learning, which lies at the core of Westmere School’s vision.
Whānau joining Ngā Uri O Ngā Iwi are encouraged to participate in a range of activities to support student learning and the operations and development of the unit.
To support us to support your child on their learning journey, we expect whānau to:
Show a commitment to the ongoing growth of te reo Māori in your home and whānau to support your tamaiti in their learning journey. Learning te reo Māori is a joint partnership between home and kura.
Attend hui ā-whānau held once or twice per term.
Help with fundraising (most of these funds are used to pay for the noho).
Engage in the communications sent home (e.g. newsletters, updates, etc.).
If parents are available, other activities which need support include:
Participation in the annual noho ā-marae
Supervising students on class trips
Parent reading programme
Assisting kaiako with projects or resources
Term pōwhiri
Membership of the BOT
Coaching sports teams
Maintenance of Kapa Haka costumes
Fundraising takes place throughout the school year to finance the Term 1 annual noho ā-marae, so that whānau can attend for a minimal cost. For many years the standard money-making events were organised; bucket raffles, sausage sizzles, hangi and cake stalls and the ever-hopeful funding application.
Then in the early 2000s, Ngā Uri o Ngā Iwi organised an annual Matariki concert/disco attended by students and parents from throughout the school community and these events successfully raised the needed funds. With the school rebuild, fundraising was moved to the new hall, Te Whare Kotahitanga. NUONI has since benefitted from the expertise, commitment and generosity of it's whānau to stage an annual concert or quiz night.
The school newsletters provide weekly updates on school life. The kura uses Hero as the main communication platform (available as an App).
It is used to communicate minutes of the NUONI hui a-whānau and any urgent notices or whānau business matters. Each week a pānui is posted about the week’s learning with information about any upcoming events/trips.
Kaiako operate an open-door policy, inviting parental support in classrooms. However, if parents wish to meet with kaiako to discuss their child, an appointment time should be made.
School-wide education evenings are held throughout the year to assist parents to support learning (these may be stand alone for the whole kura or integrated into whānau hui).
A special New Entrant evening introduces parents to school routines, expectations and the programmes taught at the start of literacy learning at Westmere. Where specific areas of the curriculum require consultation with the community, hui are set up, for instance the Keeping Ourselves Safe programme, BYOD requirements, Puberty talks.
Kapa haka is taught formally each week to all year levels within Ngā Uri O Ngā Iwi by a professional tutor with the support of kaiako. Our students have been taught by many kapa haka exponents over the years. Currently, they are being trained by Te Ruki Pierce-Dunn and while we choose not to enter competitions, our students are always preparing for public performances.
View more
Patrick Gale, Principal of Rangitoto College, commented on NUONI’s performance at the APPA Choir Evening:
"I am sending a quick email to congratulate Westmere School on the exceptional performance of your students at the APPA Choir evening at the Town Hall last night. I was incredibly impressed by the range of their talents and their obvious pride and commitment to kapa haka. Your students were an inspiration to us all, and offer me a great guide as to what can be achieved through the dedication of your Ngā Uri O Ngā Iwi staff and students."
Singing is incorporated into daily tikanga and learning. Kapa haka has always been a part of the NUONI curriculum, with waiata composed for the unit by kuia Dianne Adams and a repertoire maintained over the years by Whaea Toru. Through our close ties with Western Springs College, students have at times been taught by former Te Puna O Waiorea students.
In 2002 a group of 6 Year 6 NUONI and former NUONI students travelled to China to represent Aotearoa at the Tianjin International Children’s Cultural and Arts Festival. They were tutored and accompanied by Whaea Toru and Whaea Rio and their performance showcased waiata a-ringa, haka, poi and tititorea.
NUONI used to perform at the Grey Lynn festival, the school’s Matariki disco and a variety of formal functions and powhiri around Tāmaki Makaurau. New boys and girls kapa haka costumes were created for the school’s 100th centenary school production, Te Rehu in 2015.
Many students from NUONI have also been members of the school’s choirs, Pasifika performance group, and dance groups. In 2004 a group of NUONI students, the Central Whānau Dancers won the Primary Schools Hip Hop Dance competition.
Music schools provide lessons both during and after school for tamariki who wish to learn a musical instrument. Details for Lewis Eady can be found on the website.
The annual marae stay is an integral part of the NUONI curriculum. It usually takes place in the fourth week of Term 1. A whānau will offer their home marae and the table below lists the many around Te Ika a Maui who have hosted us over the years. The noho ā-marae is an opportunity to build whanaungatanga within NUONI and to develop friendships between tamariki and mātua. It is an essential learning experience to develop students’ understanding of marae protocol and the marae complex, iwi/hapū histories and whakapapa.
Equally it provides an insight into the issues affecting mana whenua, often from an environmental point of view and over the years students have been fortunate to hear kōrero from kaumātua or tāngata kaitiaki, as well as kaimahi from Te Papa Atawhai (DOC), Forest and Bird etc. Above all noho a-marae are a fun-filled time, with lots of outdoor trekking, swimming, sports, tākaro Māori, kapa haka, concerts and visits to places of significance to hapū within their tribal rohe. They are also renowned for the tastiest meals and memorable hakari.
| Te Tau | Te Marae | Rohe/Iwi |
| 1991 | Motiti | Hokianga |
| 1992 | Owae | Waitara |
| 1993 | Piritahi | Waiheke |
| 1999 | Reweti | Ngāti Whātua |
| 2000 | Te Puna | Tauranga |
| 2002 | Rangitihi | Matata / Ngāti Rangitihi |
| 2004 | Takahiwai | Patuharakeke, Whangarei |
| 2006 | Te Uri O Hina | Pukepoto / Te Rarawa |
| 2007 | Tarimano | Rotorua/ Ngāti Rangiwewehi |
| 2009 | Omaha | Ngāti Manuhiri |
| 2010 | Waimango | Ngāti Whanaunga |
| 2011 | Ngāraratunua | Kamo / Ngāpuhi |
| 2012 | Waimango | Ngāti Whanaunga |
| 2013 | Te Kaha | Te Whānau -ā-Apanui |
| 2014 | Apumoana | Tuhourangi , Rotorua |
| 2015 | Orakei | Ngāti Whātua |
| 2016 | Umupuia | Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki |
| 2017 | Waitetoko | Ngāti Tuwharetoa |
| 2018 | Waiora | Ngāti Kurī |
| 2019 | Kōkōhinau | Ngāti Awa |
| 2020 | Whangara | Ngāti Konohi |
| 2021 & 2022 | Cancelled due to COVID 19 | |
| 2023 | Whakaue Ngāti Whakaue | |
| 2024 | Mangatoatoa Ngaati Maniapoto | |
| 2025 | Maniapoto 2025 | |
