Change of status for Rangiriri kura

Education

A change of status for Te Kura o Rangiriri sees it become a designated character school within the Māori-medium network, Associate Minister of Education Kelvin Davis announced today.

“This kura has been providing Māori immersion learning since 2003 in the historic town of Rangiriri, so I’m delighted that it is now being formally recognised as a kura-ā-iwi.” Kelvin Davis said.

The number of students attending the year 1-8 kura has expanded to 31 in recent years, with provision now for a roll of up to 100.

The kura will have an ongoing affiliation with Ngā kura-ā-iwi o Aotearoa.

“The history, values and practices of Kīngitanga underpin learning at the kura, which has operated for over 140 years.

“Much importance is placed on the significance of Rangiriri in the New Zealand Wars, and the site of the kura – where a battle took place in 1863.

“The new designation will mean Te Kura o Rangiriri can continue to strengthen the use of Waikato reo and tikanga for local ākonga, with the support of local hapū - Ngāti Naho, Ngāti Pou and Ngāti Hine, and local marae Horahora and Maurea.”

Other schools in the area were consulted and supported the change of status to a Kura-ā-Iwi, which will be effective from Term 3, 2021.

Note:

Māori-medium education is where students are taught all or some curriculum subjects in the te reo Māori language for at least 51 percent of the time. As at 1 July 2020, 22,391 students were enrolled in Maori-Medium education throughout New Zealand, which was 2.7 percent of the total school population.