Our place
As part of our New Brighton School's merger the rūnanga, through Ngāi Tūāhuriri Education Committee wrote the cultural narrative for our school. A school’s narrative might talk about sites of significance near it, mahinga kai, the flora and fauna in the area, or any historical events and provides an opportunity to layer in Māori history, language and practices.
The narrative acknowledges and embeds Ngāi Tahu as mana whenua.
“We want the children in the school to know the story of why a school is called something, and be able to explain how it relates to them. For schools being rebuilt, this was also an opportunity to help create a design that would be culturally responsive.”
Elizabeth Brown
Chair of Mātauraka Mahaanui 2019
Our cultural narrative also forms the base to our school localised curriculum which reflects Ngāi Tahu culture, reo, and tikanga.
An Example of Modern Māori Learning Environments
A Ngāi Tūāhuriri Perspective
New Brighton Schools Merger
Cultural Identifiers
The visibility of culture throughout the school is an important signal for conveying to students and whānau that their culture is acknowledged and valued by the school. This includes the design of the buildings themselves, the presence of cultural artwork throughout the school, and the incorporation of cultural symbols or patterns in multiple media. Artwork, along with names given to learning spaces and buildings, should link the school to the history of its community and the local environment.
[Wall, G. (2014) Modern Learning Environments to support priority learners, Ministry of Education Wellington]
Ko ahau te taiao, ko te taiao, ko ahau.
I am the environment and the environment is me.