Puna Mātauranga - The Next Generation
Nā Bianca Elkington
Being raised in Takapuwāhia was the greatest childhood I could have asked for. The ability to move from one house to another to be fed, disciplined, seek advice, and learn the responsibilities that would one day be expected of me was something special. I, along with many of my cousins, wanted this for the children we'd have one day.
We thought we could become anything we wanted because that's what we were told. However, there were certain things we could only learn from our whānau. We learned our roles during tangihanga, and we observed through others how that would change as we grew older. We knew one day it would be expected of us to run the wharekai, to set a beautiful table so our manuhiri could feel the manaakitanga that Ngāti Toa excel at. We knew some of us would be guided to uphold the paepae one day. We observed the time to collect kaimoana, and that the harvest was to be shared. We knew when to speak up and when to listen. This form of education wasn't found behind any school gates; it was learning that needed to be lived.
Over the years, I have heard the experiences of each generation raised this way. While there are elements of difference that surface throughout each era, there are fundamental values that have endured through the generations. These values include the importance of knowing who you are and where you come from, the responsibility of being a good kaitiaki – of our environment, of our tikanga, and of what would become my own line of work, kaitiaki of our precious taonga – our Tamariki, our future.
In 2015, the inception of Puna Mātauranga marked the beginning of a transformative journey to redefine the delivery of education to align more with the experience of ‘Pā’ living. I was in my final year of a Masters of Education with growing excitement about what could be if we rewrote the rules. My own experience in compulsory education varied – it went from a place of nurture and growth to an environment where being Māori meant you would be lucky to succeed, and succeeding meant leaving a part of who you were at the gate.
One thing was always clear to me throughout my own journey in tertiary education: I didn't want the stories of failure to move across the generations, and I knew I wanted to be a part of the change. The goal was clear – create space where our whānau could access the support they needed to make demands from a system that was not created for them. The challenge became obvious; a mind shift was required. A shift in thinking from the government that small communities did not need to rely on what was on offer, a shift in thinking from whānau that they should always be in the driver's seat, and a reminder to our Tamariki that they are and have always been great!
With a small amount of pūtea and an even smaller team, we went to work designing a program that inserted iwi into the relationship between schools and whānau. This insertion created an even playing field for some whānau in their interactions with the system because with iwi educationalists next to them, they found the courage to question, to disrupt, and to thrive.
We started with 60 tauira, no physical location to call our own, 2 kaiako, the trust of Uncle Matt Rei and Aunty Raylene, and a whole lot of assumptions. With those in tow, we went to work building the right networks, gaining the trust of whānau, MoE, and industry, and delivering well above what was required. We spent months dragging our box of teaching resources around the community, finding a space to teach a group of kids to read and do math, and we had fun!
While this wasn't ideal, we always worked with the end goal in mind, and we were determined. Create a space for teaching and learning that would offer Tamariki a choice in how they accessed education. Why did we need to accept what was on offer when what we wanted to include in our curriculum could only be taught through living it?
Over the years, Puna Mātauranga grew, and at one stage, we had a team of 7 with 5 of us as trained kaiako and 2 with tohu in education and fine arts. We were growing, and our rangatahi were too. They would come every Wednesday night to secondary study nights and ask us why they needed to be in school to do this work when they had access to Puna Mātauranga and their kaiako. It was a question that drove us further toward our goal.
The rangatahi fueled us to keep moving, and now in 2024, through the efforts of those who have gone before us, those who have stayed the course, and those who have trusted in our abilities, we have created a third pathway into correspondence education designed specifically for Ngāti Toa. We will soon be opening our doors to 10 tauira across years 9-13, offering a curriculum designed by them and delivered by our dedicated team at Puna Mātauranga and partners. This milestone marks an exciting time, providing an opportunity to develop a curriculum that is truly student-centered, embracing flexibility, and choice, and embedded in the values of Pā living.
The educational philosophy guiding this model is based on place-based and experiential learning, incorporating a project-based curriculum. This ensures that students' interests are mapped out through a personalized MauriOra plan, allowing our kaiako to develop a curriculum based on those identified passions. Flexibility is key, allowing students to balance learning with commitments at home, work, and other activities.
I’m so excited to announce Expressions of Interest are now open for Ngāti Toa students Years 9-13. If you and your tamaiti are interested in being part of the next evolution of Puna Mātauranga then we want to hear from you.
Joint Initiative between Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu, Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira, and Te Mahau: Criteria for Enrolment
Te Puna Mātauranga o Toa Rangatira is piloting a joint initiative with Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu, to host a satellite school for small group of secondary students in years 9 to 13. This pathway will provide a culturally enriched experience for students. The curriculum will be individualized and determined by the aspirations and interests of students identified in their Mauri Ora plan. To be eligible for enrolment, ākonga and whānau must meet the following criteria:
Be a registered iwi member
Be in years 9 to 13 for the 2024 school year.
Reside in the Porirua region and can attend classes in Takapūwāhia
Commitment to te reo me o ngā tikanga
Commitment to abide by the kawa and tikanga of Te Puna Mātauranga
Consent to sharing of information for reporting and evaluation purposes
Whānau commitment to attend progress hui and whānau hui each term