Ko te Pā o Rākaihautū, tētahi kura hou e whai ana i ngā tikanga me te reo Māori, mō te hunga nohinohi tae ake ki ngā pakeke.

I tūwhera tēnei kura ki Ōtautahi i te 19 o Hongongoi, ā kāti koia hoki te tuatahitanga o tēnei momo kura. He poipoi i te tangata mai i te pēpī ki te pāpā me te āki i te mahi ā whānau, hei tā Kaiurungi Tauira Takurua

E ai ki a Tauira, ko Te Rākauhautū, he pērā i te pā – kāore pea he ritenga ki tētahi kura.                 

Ko tā mātou hei whakatakahuri i te aronga, tuatahi ki te ao Māori, tuarua kia piki te taha mātauranga.

He 400 tāngata i tae atu ki te whakatūwheratanga o Te Pā o Rākaihautū ki Linwood me te whare kōhungahunga –       Nōku Te Ao.                                                           

He mea nui kia noho tata mai te whare kōhungahunga, ka mutu, kua kotahi, koinā te aronga nui o te tūwheratanga                               

Kua kapi katoa ngā taumata mātauranga i te whakakotahinga mai o Nōku Te Ao, ka mutu, kua ea taua taha o te whakakitenga. Kei konei te katoa mai i te hunga nohinohi tae noa atu ki te hunga pakeke.

I whakamānawatia e Tauira ngā taunakitanga a Te Wānanga o Aotearoa me Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi ki te whakatuwheratanga.

Ka tū ngā akoranga reo Māori, toi hoki o TWoA ki reira.

Ko ngā akoranga o Ngā Mana Whakairo a Toi o Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi e whakahaerehia ana hoki ki aua whare.

He mea nui te mahi ngātahi ki ēnei wānanga. Mā tēnei mahinga ngātahitanga e whanake ake ai ngā ara mātauranga ā pakeke nei.

E iwa tekau mā rima ngā tauira 1 ki te 10 tau kua uru kē, ka mutu, e rua tekau tonu e tīmata ana i tērā wāhanga tau e haere ake nei.

Hei te tau 2017 kitea ai ngā akoranga tau 11 ki te 13.

E ai ki a Tauira, ka tupu tonu ngā tatau tauira. He 240 ngā tūranga tauira, ka mutu, e whakakite ana aua tatau me ngā tauira kōhungahunga 40 hei te tau 2017.

Hei tāna, ehara te reo i tētahi aukati.

Te Pā o Rākaihautū, is a special character school founded on tikanga and te reo Māori                        for all ages.

The school in Christchurch was officially opened on July 19 and offers a first for New Zealand by providing learning initiatives that engage “pēpi to pāpā” and encourages whānau participation says Kaiurungi (principal) Tauira Takurua.

“Te Rakaihautu is more of a pā – a pre-European community-based way of living - than a school,” says Tauira.

 “We are trying to flip mind shifts and give first and foremost a Māori worldview while raising academic achievement for everyone.”

About 400 people attended the official opening and blessing of Te Pā o Rākaihautū  in Linwood and its early childhood centre - Nōku Te Ao.

“Having our early childhood centre now on site makes us whole and was the major thrust of our opening celebrations.

“Nōku Te Ao completes our vision of how we see the total provision of education for whānau. From early childhood to tertiary provision on one site.”

Tauira acknowledged the support of Te Wānanga o Aotearoa and Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi  at the official opening of Te Pā o Rākaihautū.

TWoA classes for te reo Māori, tikanga and arts are held at the site.

Bachelor of Māori Performing Arts students from Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi also utilise the facility for study space.

“These wānanga are integral to our present and future developments and growth and play a major role in our grand scheme of things with the provision of tertiary education.”

There are 95 Year 1 to 10 students enrolled and another 20 ready to start in the new term.

Year 11 to 13 enrollments will come on board by 2017.

Tauira says the roll will continue to grow with 240 compulsory entrants and up to 40 early childhood centre enrollments expected by 2017.

He says te reo is not a barrier to enrolling at Te Pā.

“Our language is not a fence you have to hurdle over to reach us.”