Whanau Ora making an Impact in Marlborough

A Te Putāhitanga funded initiative in Marlborough has had confirmation that it will receive $1 million to fund a bilingual school, distinctly guided by kaupapa Maori philosophy.

Kylie Nepia, General Manager at Omaka Marae says “We have long held aspirations for a kaupapa Maori school and we are pleased to be partnering with Renwick School to develop and deliver the curriculum for the school which will be called Te Pa Wananga or the learning village”.

Pouarahi / Chief Executive of Te Putāhitanga, Helen Leahy says “The Te Pa Wananga will be a significant development for the community of Marlborough and we are pleased to have helped back the shared vision for the school at Omaka Marae. The lack of opportunities for Maori to learn their language and culture in the Marlborough district is something that needed to be addressed to reflect the cultural landscape. These types of initiatives transform lives in terms of building capability within communities, which in turn supports cultural, social and economic gains”.

“Pa Kids is another Whānau Ora initiative that Omaka Marae provide for tamariki to learn and engage meaningfully in their culture. It is pleasing that the Ministry of Education share in our vision for Whānau Ora commissioned projects by backing initiatives that have been carefully targeted at the local needs of the community”.

Whānau Ora is a strengths based approach that aims to work collectively with whānau to address barriers and bring about positive change alongside visionaries in Maori communities. It recognises the collective strength and capability of whānau to achieve better outcomes in areas such as health, education, housing, employment and income levels”.

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