Welcome to Te Whanau Whariki
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Richmond Road - Te whaia te huarahi teitei
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Kia Ora!
Thanks for your interest in Richmond Rd Primary School and Te Whanau Whariki. This information is provided as a service to our existing whanau and also for new parents who are looking for Maori-English bilingual education choices.
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If you are a parent looking at bilingual education options for your child, a good place to start is the kaupapa. This will give you an introduction to our underlying philosphy.
If you would like to know more about bilingual education, and how it works, have a look at our explanation of what is bilingual education and how this is managed in a classroom. | |
About Te Whanau Whariki
Te Whanau Whariki is the bilingual Maori - English language unit/learning family at Richmond Rd Primary School.
Our whanau is centred around our tamariki, led by our kaiako and sustained by the awhi, active and ongoing support, of the parents, caregivers, friends and family that come with our tamariki, to Te Whanau Whariki .
At the heart of our whanau, are the tamariki, ranging from year one to year six. That's 5 year olds to 10 and 11 year olds. The Kaiako (teachers) who lead Te Whanau Whariki are introduced on the attached sheet and as for our parents and caregivers, well you'll have to come and meet them for yourself!
The people that make up our whanau are from all walks of life. We live our lives in many different ways holding varied beliefs and opinions. But just as there are many ways to tell us apart, there are also many things that bring us together, perhaps the most important one is a shared commitment to the kaupapa (purpose/vision) of Te Whanau Whariki.
What is bilingual education?
Bilingual education
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| The tamariki in our unit come from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds. Some are Māori, some Pakeha, some are a real mix! Some use Māori as a first language in the home, some use it as a second language, some have never used it before coming to TWW. The important point is that all of the whanau are committed to giving our children a gift of language that is unique to this place, Aotearoa. |
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Māori and English
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| Children learn both languages at TWW. In the junior years it the teaching is done in approximately 75% Māori and 25% English. For the senior years it evens out to about 50:50. What this means is that we try to give the children a "kick start" in te reo, building their confidence and skills, while drawing on their existing English knowledge and developing that further. The exciting thing is that the most recent results show that TWW tamariki across all classes are performing in advance of national averages on English assessments. |
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Language learning
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| The basic premise is that language and culture are flip sides of the same coin. Culture is expressed through language, language developes and expands culture. Learning a language is not just about vocabulary, grammar rules and spelling. It is about understanding the underlying logic that underpins the culture. At TWW we take a holistic view of the language learning process, we follow a Māori kaupapa in all aspects of what we do in order that the tamariki (and mums and dads!) can develop that deep understanding. The gift we want to give then is not just a language skill, but the ability to look at the world from different points of view, to be able to approch challenges and problmes from slightly different viewpoints, and to look for solutions in a variety of cultural contexts. |
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In the classroom
| The tamariki |
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Tamariki are split into three main groups. Pepi teina are the new entrants (year 1 students). Teina are Year 2-4 students, and Tuakana are year 5-6 students.
Ropu 4 - Maori-English
Ropu Leader: Chris Whaanga
Ruma Teacher Year
Ruma 11 Nerina Howe & Jenny Matheson New Entrant to 1 Jessica Williams to return T3 09
We operate a tuakana - teina system in the whanau. Just as at home older children are expected to look out for and support the younger siblings, so too at TWW. We believe this gives all our tamariki strength, support and responsibility. |
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Frequently Asked Questions
| Is Te Whanau Whariki for Maori only? |
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No way. Like Aotearoa and knowledge, Te Whanau Whariki is for everyone. |
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Does Te Whanau Whariki cover the mainstream curriculum? |
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Of course. Our children achieve all expected unit standards and by learning in a bi-lingual environment, learn a little more besides. |
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How much of the learning is done in te reo Maori? |
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This depends on what age your tamariki is at. As the comfort, confidence and competence of your tamariki with te reo grows, so does the amount of learning done in te reo. |
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Do I need to speak te reo for my child(ren) to join Te Whanau Whariki? |
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No, but you will need to encourage and support their learning of Te Reo and the whanau will support you in that. Many of our parents have a lot of fun learning te reo teogether, which has the added benefit of motivating and modelling a love of learning for our tamariki. |
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Do I need to understand Maori culture for my child(ren) to join Te Whanau Whariki? |
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No, but you do need to encourage and support their learning and practice of tikanga, by building your own knowledge and modelling, respect for and appropriate involvement in the tikanga of Te Whanau Whariki. |
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Does Te Whanau Whariki interact with the rest of the school? |
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Sure does, every day! We and our tamariki are fortunate to be part of a unique learning community here at Richmond Rd and we have a range of regular and frequent whole school, peer and interclass activities. In fact, because of the role of tikanga maori in the school community, our tamariki receive abundant opportunities for additional and enriching interaction. |
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What will I need to do to support my tamariki at Te Whanau Whariki? |
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We have regular parents hui, usually one a month and you or a representative of your whanau are expected to attend. These are brief and you will receive an agenda ahead of time, either emailed to you or for you to collect from Te Whanau Whariki.
Our kaiako lead our unit and can only do so with the support and participation of us all. The more supportive parents and caregivers are, the more extraordinary the educational experience for our tamariki. Te whanau whariki believes in inclusive participatory learning. Or to put it another way, many hands, make light work. You will be expected to pitch in. |
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Need to know more? |
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Come see us or just leave your name and contact details with the office and we'll be in touch soon.
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| Enrolment process |
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TWW is a part of Richmond Road Primary. There are two steps to enroling your child in TWW. The first involves being accepted as a student by the school as a whole. The second involves being accepted as a student by TWW. TWW has developed a reputation and a profile within our community, and as such has limited spaces available.
It is imperative that if you wish to enrol your child in TWW you begin the process early! |
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| General Enrolment |
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Every year the BOT determines the number of spaces that will be available. We have a school zone, and students within the zone must take priority. Following this there are several criteria that the BOT applies to all applicants. Please see the attached document (refer attachments section at bottom of this page) for a full outline of the process. |
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| TWW enrolment |
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TWW has its own specific enrolment criteria. The primary step in enroling your child in TWW is an undertaking to support the kaupapa of TWW. This means supporting and using Māori in the home, undertaking to enrol in and study Māori formally (if you are not proficient at the time of enrolment; TWW endeavours to provide part-time Māori classes in the evenings at the school with the support of Te Wananga o Aotearoa), attendence at whanau hui and ongoing support of the kaiako and the whanau.
Where there are too many applicants for the places available in TWW, further selection criteria are applied. Please see the enrolment section for further details. |
Click on the link below to go to the Te Whanau Whariki Website
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