Our Vision

Our governance facilitator and board chairperson led the discussions that developed our vision in July of 2017. It was a truly co-constructed and democratic process. We are very proud of our vision as it reflects the narrative of our area, is aspirational and is inclusive in it's very nature. The following video captures key aspects of our cultural narrative. The following padlet reflects the initial brainstorming and resulting vision prototypes for consideration. We look forward to seeking feedback from our community about the vision and future work around the vision principles and logo.

A New School in Huapai– Te Kura Tuatahi o Matua Ngaru - To matou...

The Ngati Whatua chief of the Waimauku/Huapai district could see the changes occurring to the land where his iwi lived by the Kaipara River. He climbed Pukeatua Mountain seeking spiritual support and guidance as to what he must do.

He witnessed the approach of a great wave coming up the river against the river current.

This sign gave him reason to descend to his village where he instructed his iwi to move the village to the edge of the track that had been cleared in preparation for future changes. That track became the railway line that is still in use today and the road that crosses over the line is called Matua.

Matua Ngaru refers to the vision that the chief had seen from Pukeatua. Hence the name “Te Kura Tuatahi o Matua Ngaru”

Our vision explained- working draft

This is how we got the ‘wave of change’ aspect of the vision. A future focused rangatira and kura must be prepared to alter perspective based on evidence and act on new noticings for the good of the tangata just like the Ngati Whatua chief did.

• This ‘wave of change’ is our bravery and our commitment to put the learner first by being ADAPTABLE

The ‘ubiquitous learning’ component of the vision fell out of discussion with the EBoT about ‘what do we want for our learners in this new school’ (‘what will learning look like’) , ‘how can we celebrate identity’ and finally how can we ‘build community’? (**”building community” is also the vision of Arohanui Special School**)

To us, this means that our tamariki will be :

• COLLABORATIVE- INCLUSIVE & ENGAGED- they will discover, create and direct their learning anywhere, anytime and with anyone, connecting with whanau and experts in their pursuit to explore and celebrate our unique individual and collective identities
• CURIOUS- they will explore their curiosities through immersive and self-directed learning experiences that can extend outside of the school day which enables our young people to connect with and build community
• CREATIVE/ INNOVATIVE-they can using a variety of pathways (including DTs), models, strategies and materials to make,build, construct and design
• COMMUNICATORS- they will practice and develop skills for successful sharing our learning with all types of audiences and through all types of media