Te Puna Akoranga o Ngati Whakaue - Te Puna Akoranga o Ngati Whakaue 2B Ranolf Street

The boards of Ngāti Whakaue Tribal Lands, Pukeroa Oruawhata Trust and the Ngāti Whakaue Education Endowment Trust came together and agreed to umbrella this new entity.

Te Taumata o Ngāti Whakaue Iho-Ake Trust was established by Ngāti Whakaue in 2005 to achieve the aspirations of the Iwi in the areas of education, te reo and well-being. A series of workshops, hui and wānanga from 2001 to 2004 led to the adoption of a strategic outlook document that outlined Iwi aspirations in reo and tikanga, and in the care and education of mokopuna and their whānau.

In partnership with Te Puni Kōkiri and the Ministry of Education, two projects were launched immediately: Paepae Wānanga: our flagship wānanga series for those who serve on the Ngāti Whakaue paepae, men and women. The goal was to enable a paepae “three rows deep”.

Tiaho Tamariki: promoting participation in Early Childhood Education, our team aims to increase the number of tamariki Māori arriving at school with a quality early learning experience either through Kohanga Reo or other early childhood education service.

During those early years we set up Moko-Puna Te Ao Kapurangi, a supported playground for whānau with pēpi under the age of 5 years, and we opened Te Puna Akoranga o Ngāti Whakaue, an Iwi based puna reo structured on the Early Childhood Centre model for tamariki aged 3 months to 5 years.

In 2008 we produced the first Te Reo strategy for Ngāti Whakaue and subsequently launched two major reo projects: Whakarauorahia Te Reo and Te Reo Hōkoi. The first was a Te Arawa wide pilot that tested five different methods of reo revitailsaition. The second was an in-home mentoring programme that worked with whānau to develop whānau reo strategies and resources.

This was the year that the Ngāti Whakaue Life-Cycle Option was adopted and this has driven development within the Taumata since then. It’s a philosophy that looks at Iwi obligations to meet the needs of whānau, hapū and marae; and the organic, cyclical and reciprocal nature of tribal development.

In 2013 the government launched a new initiative, the Social Sector Trials, and Te Taumata won the tender to deliver the trial in Rotorua. Through this four year programme we co-ordinated and funded over 10 key cross-sector initiatives that brought together government agencies, communities, services and the education sector to collectively focus on what can be done better to support educational outcomes for rangatahi. Two collective impact projects born of the social sector trial continue today, ensuring that agencies, services and community are joined up with a common focus on better outcomes for whānau and rangatahi. These two projects are: Ngā Pumanawa E Waru, driving equitable access to education through digital connectivity, and the Rotorua Working Together Group, a quarterly meeting of local government agencies and community.

Also in 2013 we launched Matakōkiri Science Wānanga for rangatahi and the Te Rangihakahaka Professional Development Wānanga for Rotorua teachers.

In 2017 we opened Kōkiri – an alternative education service for rangatahi who are at risk of disengagement. We have successfully partnered with Rotorua’s four state secondary schools to provide a nurturing learning environment for these young people to “reset, refocus and relaunch” their education aspirations. The Kōkiri team love their work. Everyone who comes through their gates are treated as whānau. The rangatahi feel like they belong and are taught the tools they need to achieve their goals.

Also in 2017, the government opened the fourth round of Partnership Schools Kura Hourua. We saw this as a prime opportunity to scale up the science wānanga and provide an Iwi based, STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education for Ngāti Whakaue and Te Arawa rangatahi. We were successful in the tender process and in January of 2018 we opened Te Rangihakahaka Centre for Science and Technology.

Within six months we exceeded initial roll projections, average attendance and target academic progress statistics. A change of government came with a change in a number of policies, of which partnership schools were one. Te Rangihakahaka now sits under the state school system.

During 2017-2018 year we saw the birth of two new projects:

Whiria Te Ako: professional learning and development for teachers and other professionals.

Te Puna Manawa o Whakaue opened, catering to 3 and 4 years olds.

Both these projects continue the hallmark of the Taumata brand – partnership, innovation, leadership and connectedness.

In 2018 we broadened our focus to respond to the needs of our iwi, and included a Ngāti Whakaue Health Portfolio – We have established the Te Kahui Hauora Problem Gambling Harm Minimisation and Patient Transport services as well as Housing First Rotorua, providing quality, safe, affordable and stable accommodation to our most vulnerable whanau. We continue to work in partnership with two nationally recognised Non-Government Organisations – LinkPeople and Lifewise delivering quality to services.

Our team took a lead role during Covid19 lockdown in 2020, to secure emergency housing and transition over 50 people from the streets. We continue our mana whenua role as kaitiaki by not only providing a soft place to land for those who need it but a kaupapa Māori approach that links whānau to the support needed for a better life. In 2021 we continued to lead in the housing support space through the establishment of Te Pokapū/Housing Hub, triaging and assessing those seeking emergency housing and assisting with placement into short term accommodation. Te Taumata o Ngāti Whakaue coordinates and leads a collective of associated providers who work together to better support whānau into stable housing.

Te Ahu o te Reo Māori, established in 2021, aims to grow and strengthen an education workforce that can integrate te reo Māori into the learning of all ākonga mai Maketu ki Tongariro. Te Ahu o te Reo Māori means the future pathway of te reo Māori – a pathway that seeks to inspire and aspire for improved te reo Māori proficiency, acquisition and use across the education sector. It also provides opportunities for te reo Māori to be normalised, and Māori identity and culture, to be shared and embraced.

Te Taumata o Ngāti Whakaue are excited about the future and the opportunity to continue to support our iwi, hapū and whānau.