Whāngai te iti kahurangi
Nurture that which is small
A group of parents created Te Wharekura o Te Kaokaoroa o Pātetere, in Putāruru, because they wanted something special for their children.
Learning at our school is built on te reo (Māori language), tikanga (customs), respect, manaakitanga (caring for people), loyalty, honesty, and whanaungatanga (family connections).
In the region of our famed ancestor, Raukawa, our students have a strong sense of belonging within their community. They’re included in activities that help them develop as ngā rangatira mō āpōpō – the leaders of tomorrow.
Our school’s logo is taken from the kaokao pattern used in weaving. It represents the armpit, when elbows are raised in a warlike stance. It also symbolises the mountain ranges around our local region, Kaokaoroa.
I whakatūria Te Wharekura o Te Kaokaoroa o Pātetere, in Putāruru, e ētehi mātua hei kura motuhake mō ā rātou tamariki.
Ko te tuāpapa o ngā akoranga i Te Wharekura o Te Kaokaoroa o Pātetere, ko te reo Māori, ko ngā tikanga tuku iho pērā i te manaakitanga, i te whakaute, i te piripono ki te tangata me te whanaungatanga.
Ka tangata whenua ēnei tamariki i runga i te papatupu o tō mātou tupuna rongonui, a Raukawa. Ka whakangungua, ka whakawhanakehia rātou kia tū hei rangatira mō āpōpō.
Ko te tauira raranga o te kaokao te tohu o te kura. He pērā te āhua o te kaokao i te wā ka hīkina ngā ringa mau rākau i ngā wā o te riri. He hononga anō ki te pae maunga o tō mātou rohe, Te Kaokaoroa o Pātetere.
Stories of our people
Our school curriculum is based on Raukawatanga – the history and pride of the people of Raukawa. In our art, we’ve tried to symbolise the life of our ancestors Raukawa and his parents, Tūrongo and Māhinaarangi. We’ve also represented some of our school’s themes and values.
We studied the work of today’s Māori artists. As you can see, we were really inspired by glitter artist Reuben Paterson!
One of our stories tells how our meeting house got its name, Kōtukutuku o Kaimai. It all goes back to the time when Pukenga and Te Ahuru climbed the Kaimai ranges. At the summit, Pukenga asked Te Ahuru to share a meal with him by saying, ‘Kia kai mai tāua i konei.’ That’s where the name of the Kaimai ranges comes from. What did they eat? The sweet, fragrant berries of the kōtukutuku.
He kōrero nā ngā tūpuna
Ko tō mātou Raukawatanga te pūtakenga mai o te marau motuhake o tēnei kura – ko ngā kōrero tuku iho me te mana o te iwi o Raukawa. E whakaatuhia ana ā mātou mahi toi i ngā kōrero mō ngā tūpuna nei a Raukawa rātou ko ōna mātua, ko Tūrongo rāua ko Māhinaarangi. E whakaatuhia ana hoki ētehi o ngā tino kaupapa, o ngā tino uara o tēnei kura.
I rangahaua e mātou ngā mahi toi o ngā ringa toi Māori o nāianei. He mārama te kite, nā te ringatoi mahi rikoriko a Reuben Paterson mātou i whakaawe!
Ko tētehi o ā mātou kōrero, ko te ingoa o te whare tupuna, te Kōtukutuku o Kaimai. Ka hoki ngā mahara ki te wā i kake ai a Pukenga rāua ko Ahuru i te pae maunga o Kaimai. Nō te kakenga ki te taumata o Kaimai, ka kī a Pukenga ki a Ahuru, ‘Kia kai mai tāua i konei.’ Nō reira te ingoa o te pae maunga, Kaimai. He aha tā rāua kai? Ko ngā hua kakara, ko ngā hua reka o te rākau kōtukutuku.
The great migration of Tainui waka
We’re all senior secondary school students – and, most importantly, we’re all descendants of Tainui waka.
Here are some of our treasures. We made them for family members during our unit on whakairo kōhatu (stone carving). They reflect the concept of koha (gifting) within the theme of ‘Te hekenga nui o Tainui waka’ (The great migration of Tainui waka).
We worked hard to create designs that would suit the people we were making them for. We noted down each recipient’s key personal traits. Then we linked those with local landmarks and stories that relate to the journey of Tainui waka from East Polynesia to Aotearoa New Zealand. We used local Hinuera stone. You see it everywhere around our region – in houses, fireplaces, paving, and ornamental landscaping.
So the birth of these named carvings stems from our ties with Tainui waka, with our region, and with our immediate family.
Te hekenga nui o Tainui waka
Ko mātou ngā ākonga tuākana o te wharekura, katoa mātou he uri nō Tainui waka.
Koianei ētehi o ngā taonga i hangaia e mātou. He mea waihanga ēnei taonga mō o mātou whanaunga i raro i te whakaakoranga whakairo kōhatu. E whakaatuhia ana te tikanga o te koha i raro i te kaupapa matua, ‘Te hekenga nui o Tainui waka’.
I whakapau kaha mātou ki te whakahoahoa i ēnei taonga, e rata mai ai te whanaunga, mōna te taonga. I tuhia ngā āhuatanga motuhake o tēnā, o tēnā o ō mātou whanaunga. Kātahi ka whakahāngai i aua āhuatanga ki ngā tohu whenua, ki ngā kōrero tuku iho i ahu mai i te hekenga nui o Tainui waka i Hawaiki rā anō ki Aotearoa.
Ko te momo kōhatu i tāraia, ko te Hinuera. Nō tō mātou rohe tonu tēnei tū kōhatu. Kei ngā wāhi katoa e kitea ana – kei ngā whare, kei ngā takuahi, kei ngā ara hīkoi, me ngā whakarākei kāri.
Nā, i whānau mai ngā ingoa o ēnei whakairo i ō mātou hononga ki te waka o Tainui, ki tō mātou rohe pōtae, ki ō mātou ake whānau.