Wānanga tuatahi – Hauraki.
Earlier this term, a group of Year 11 and Year 12 students took part in the first of three iwi wānanga with Ngāti Pāoa. On Wednesday 15 April, we travelled to Hauraki to explore the whakapapa and history of Ngāti Pāoa through visits to significant cultural and environmental sites. Highlights of the haerenga included visiting Makomako Marae, the Pukorokoro Miranda Shorebird Centre, and other important landmarks along the coastline as we made our way back to Auckland.
Wānanga tuarua – Tāmaki.
Our second wānanga took place on Saturday 24 May and focused on the whakapapa of Ngāti Pāoa in Tāmaki Makaurau. Throughout the day, students visited Maungarei, Te Kai-ā-Hiku, Mokoia Pā, and Karaka Bay, gaining valuable mātauranga and strengthening connections to the whenua and local history. The wānanga was filled with learning, challenges, meaningful kōrero, and plenty of delicious kai shared together.
“I really enjoy the Ngāti Pāoa wānanga, as they give me the opportunity to learn more about the history of Auckland and Ngāti Pāoa. The past two wānanga have been both educational and enjoyable. We have had the chance to meet new people and take part in different team challenges, which have brought us closer together while also helping us learn more about each other and Ngāti Pāoa.
I am really excited for the overnight stay at Piritahi Marae on Waiheke Island, as it provides an opportunity to learn more about the culture while being immersed in a warm and welcoming environment. The marae carries so much history, from the moment the karanga echoes across the ātea to being inside the wharenui, surrounded by ancestral carvings that breathe life into history. The space is a sanctuary for learning, curiosity, and mutual respect. It is an environment defined by manaakitanga, where knowledge is shared like family stories. Having the opportunity to be part of this wānanga series is such a privilege to me. ” – Aiyanah Letham-Haenga
E rere ngā tai o mihi ki a Ngāti Pāoa mō ō rātou koha mai i tēnei whai wāhitanga ki ētahi o ā mātou ākonga kia whai wāhi atu ki tā rātou raupapa wānanga, ‘Whīkoi tō Whakapapa’. Ahakoa kāore mātou e whakapapa ana ki a Ngāti Pāoa i runga i te toto, he kaitiaki mātou nō tō rātou whenua, ā, e mārama ana mātou he mea nui kia mōhio, kia mārama hoki ki ō rātou kōrero tuku iho.
We are deeply grateful to Ngāti Pāoa for generously offering this opportunity for some of our students to take part in their wānanga series, Whīkoi tō Whakapapa. While we do not share whakapapa with Ngāti Pāoa, we are kaitiaki of their whenua, and we recognise that understanding and respecting their history is essential.
We have one more wānanga left at the end of the term which is an overnight stay at Piritahi Marae.
