Ngā Kāhui Whetū - Ngā Kaiako

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Ko Te Amorangi ki mua

Ko Te Hāpai `Ō ki muri

Ko te ira whānau ngā kaihoe i tēnei waka o ngā hau e wha

Ko au to pouako, te kaihautu, te Matariki

Nei ko Ngā Kāhui Whetū

Turou Hawaiki!

A translation of our whakatauki through a student’s eyes:

Te Amorangi are the leaders; directing the waka; keeping Ngā Kāhui Whetū tuturu ki te kaupapa,

Te Hāpai Ō are the kaihoe, the workers that uplift from behind and support the kaupapa,

This waka has travelled far and wide to receive kaihoe from all 4 winds.

I am the learner as well as the teacher, the leader, the guiding star,

This is Ngā Kāhui Whetū; The Clusters of Stars.

Return to me the gifts, the talents, the knowledge of our tūpuna from Hawaiki!

Arie Dargaville

Ngā Kāhui Whetū - The Clusters of Stars

Dual Language Medium

It is hard for those of us who are monolingual to understand the benefits of bi and multilingualism. Research has been with us for decades highlighting the increased brain agility and nimbleness as well as the ability to better think outside the square, have superior problem solving skills and being able to develop areas of the brain that extend us in ways we mere monos cannot imagine.

One of Thames South’s developments includes the dual language unit called Ngā Kāhui Whetū.  The kaiako work their magic, delivering between 50 per cent to 80 per cent of the day in the target language and extending them in who they are as New Zealanders, their knowledge of Tikanga and kapa haka as well as all the other areas of the curriculum.