Te reo Māori me ōna Tikanga

Tēnā koutou katoa, 

Te reo Māori me ōna tikanga is an important part of our school. We are currently reviewing our teaching and learning programmes and practices so that we can continue to make improvements to these. Every classroom and teacher is expected to teach te reo Māori and support our ākonga to grow in their understanding of Māori language, culture and knowledge. 

In recent years we partnered with Kurahaupō, an iwi led professional development provider, to further develop our cultural capability as a staff.  We are grateful to have their expertise and support as we develop are local curriculum and ensure that Birchwood School honours Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

We hold whānau hui at our school to consult about our school programmes. We hope to build a strong partnership with our families to ensure that we are providing a culturally responsive and supportive environment for our ākonga. One suggestion from our hui this year was to incorporate karakia into our days consistently. 

Each term we hold a Birchwood mihi whakatau in order to welcome our new students and their families to our Birchwood whānau. 

Our wānanga group is facilitated by Matua Simon on Thursdays. During these sessions the group explores Matauranga Māori, deepening understanding of ākonga whakapapa and the iwi of Te Tau Ihu o Te Waka-a-Māui

Our school has a kapahaka group and they practice weekly. We welcome parents and whānau to our kapahaka sessions and would love your support. 

If you would like to support our kaupapa please get in touch with Simon Tukaki or Amy Johnson: simon.tukaki@birchwood.school.nz   amy.johnson@birchwood.school.nz