Nga Puna o Waiorea has been serving students for over 21 years. The Kura started as a bilingual unit and for the past six years has operated under the philosophy of total immersion. 1999 saw the graduation of the first Rumaki seventh formers who had started as third formers in the whanau five years earlier. Currently there are approximately 135 students in the Rumaki.

The subjects and curriculum areas offered by the Rumaki follow the national curriculum and are planned in consultation with the relevant department heads in the mainstream school. Delivery of content is through the medium of Te Reo Maori and focuses on topics relevant to Maori.

Academic achievement is a focus for the unit. The Rumaki homework centre operates on Wednesdays after school and is staffed by experienced and specialist tutors. Kapa Haka is another important aspect of life in the whanau – Nga Puna O Waiorea placed first at Polyfest in 2010 and second in 2011 – but it is certainly not the only thing Rumaki students excel at.

A high proportion of Rumaki students play sport or are involved in other extracurricular activities. In and out of the classroom, Rumaki students enjoy being together and supporting one another as a whanau. After 5 years in the Rumaki students are well equipped to move on to tertiary education where they enjoy success in a variety of employment fields including medicine, engineering, accounting and computer studies.

Whaia te matauranga, ki te tuohu koe me he maunga teitei. Seek knowledge. If you bow down, let it be to a lofty mountain.

Rumaki

Ko te Rumaki Reo o Nga Puna o Waiorea

Ko te manu e kai i te miro nona te ngahere,
Ko to manu e kai i te matauranga nona te Ao.
The bird that partakes of the miro berry survives in the forest,
The bird that partakes of knowledge owns the world.

The purpose

The Rumaki aims to provide a comfortable learning environment for all of its students and encourages Maori students to have pride in their origins, language and culture. The unit’s aims include:

• competence in written and spoken Maori, and genuine respect for Maori customs and protocol;
• respect for one’s own culture, respect and appreciation of other cultures;
• high achievement at all year levels across all subject areas through the supportive networking of Rumaki teachers.

Te Take

Ko te tino take o te rumaki, kia tino marama ai nga tamariki tauira ki nga tini ahuatanga me nga tikanga e pa ana ki to tatou Ao Maori. Ma te rumakitia nga tamariki i roto i te reo me ona tikanga e puta Maori mai nga mahi o te kura, me o ratou putaputa atu te reo i nga tumomo wahi katoa. Kati, ma nga kaiako/pouako te wairuatanga e whakato i roto i nga tamariki tauira, o te rumaki.