| 113 T T Kelly Deeks New location the perfect solution The relocation means the kura has more capacity and flexibility to provide for its growing roll. Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngāti Ruanui COMMUNITY A new location for Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngāti Ruanui in Hāwera has ensured the kura can continue to provide education with a Te Ao Māori context for generations to come, while also catering to its growing student roll, their wider whānau, and the community. Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngāti Ruanui was established in 1998 and has just recently moved from its Manawapou Road site to the former Hāwera Intermediate School site on South Rd. Ministry of Education delivery team manager, Gina Thompson, says the wharekura is continuing to grow, and although three new classrooms had been added over the past three years, the size of the Manawapou Rd site meant that there was no more room to add further classrooms. With continued national growth predicted by the Ministry of Education in the kura kaupapa Māori space, the relocation means the kura has more capacity and flexibility to provide for its growing roll. The Ministry’s closure of Hāwera Intermediate in 2023 left the capacious six-hectare South Rd site available, and just a few kilometres away from where Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngāti Ruanui were on Manawapou Rd. “This provided an opportunity to create a really good solution and quickly,” Gina says. “We’ve relocated the three modular classrooms from the Manawapou Rd site and refurbished most of the existing buildings on the former Intermediate site as stage 1 of this project.” This not only provided a sustainable solution by reutilising a vacant school site, it was also done economically, within a tight time frame, resulting in an amazing outcome for the wharekura, its community and the Ministry. The new location is significant for Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngāti Ruanui, as at Manawapou Rd, the school was settled on Ngāti Tupaea land. As the new site sits within the hapū boundary of Ngāti Tupaea, the kura is still located within the territory that the origin of Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngāti Ruanui was built on. The Ministry of Education engaged Hāwera building firm Arthur Brown Construction for this project, which only began in late October. Gina says the company has done some fantastic work to get the wharekura relocated and operational in time for term one. “The director has gone above and beyond,” she says. “He is invested in his community, and really supportive of the wharekura and what they are trying to achieve.” Stage 2 of the project involves the refurbishment of Block D, a science and technology block. This is a transformative bestowal for the wharekura and its curriculum delivery, as their previous site had no designated specialist spaces for these subjects. In fact, food technology lessons were undertaken using the single stove in the former staffroom. “We have staged this relocation to allow the wharekura to move in and then have time to work through what their technology curriculum delivery is going to look like.” A whare manaaki will also be created adjoining the food technology kitchen for use both inside and outside of school hours, and the Ministry will continue to have open dialogue with whānau to ensure Block D meets their needs. Specialising in rural services with over 25 years in the trade means you are choosing an Electrician you can trust. (06) 272 8210 027 515 5442 We are proud to be the chosen electrician for TKKMO Ngati Ruanui. Call Chris for all your electrical needs. Available 24 hours a day 7 days a week PH. 06 278 4449 admin@evergreenplumbing.co.nz www.evergreenplumbing.co.nz Have complete financial confidence in your new build call 027 471 3421 haymanqs.co.nz Proudly associated with Arthur Brown Construction
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