Whaea Paula, Miss Tiari and Whaea Jazz

Kia ora koutou,

Today we had a farewell celebrations for our 3 beautiful student teachers who have been with us for the past 6 weeks on their third year practicum.  They are Miss Tiari who was with Whaea Nicky, Whaea Jazz with Ma Ngamamaerua and Whaea Paula with Ma Cynthia.

We the tamariki and teachers in Te Whanau Awhina would like to wish these 3 student teachers a huge thank you from us all. We hope that they are able to practice what they have learnt in the various schools they are to work at in the future.

We will remember the tremendous contributions you made to our school when you all came to school in the weekend to help paint our hall with the TWA teachers and the many lessons you taught our tamariki in Te Whanau Awhina.

We will miss you all dearly.

Na Te Whanau Awhina.

Kei te haere mai a Whaea Rowyne ki te karakia mo Te Whanau Awhina i tenei ata.  Ko ia te teina a Ma Cynthia.  Tokorima ona tamariki.  I titiro tetahi taniwha i roto i te awa.  He tino ataahua te taniwha hei kaitiaki mo te awa.  He nui tona tinana, Ko te mea nui he kaha i a Whaea Rowyne i te kaitiaki o nga whenua me nga wai Maori i ona whanau, hapu, iwi hoki.

Kia ora koutou,

Whaea Rowyne came to karakia with Te Whanau Awhina today.  She is the younger sister of Ma Cynthia and has 5 tamariki.  Once she saw a taniwha in the river.  He was beautiful and he sparkled like diamonds.  He is very big and when he wiggles his tail it can mean that he is angry.  Whaea Rowyne lives and works to look after the lands and waters of her people.

Na Mersaydyz

Kei te haere mai a Whaea Rowyne ki a mätou nei kura ko Clendon Park. 

E 5.5 putu tönä täroaroa.  He kaitiaki ia i ngä whenua me ngä wai Mäori mö ngä iwi o Ngäti Tüwharetoa räua ko Rereahu.  He kötiro tino ätaahua ia.  Ko Mä Cynthia tönä tuakana i tiaki a Whaea Rowyne.

Nä Andy Hindmarsh

Whaea Rowyne comes to visit Te Whanau Awhina

Ko Whaea Rowyne te teina a Mä Cynthia

Ko ia tëtahi kaitiaki mö ngä whenua me ngä wai Mäori o önä hapü, iwi ränei. E 5.5 putu tönä täroaroa. He ataahua tana wairua.  

He tino pai te körero ki a mätou ko Te Whänau Äwhina i tönä mahi manaaki ki te whenua, me te wai Mäori hoki.  E toru ngä rauemi tino pai ki ai ia.  Ko te tuatahi te aroha, tuarua te manaaki, tuatoru te moemoea. 

He aha te kaha i tana mahi?  Ko te mea nui i kitea e ia te taniwha tino ataahua i roto i te wai kei te whenua i önä tüpuna.  He nui te taniwha, he roa tana whiore, he ataahua önä karu.  Pënei tana körero a Whaea Rowyne.  He tohu tënä ki ai ia.  Ko wai i manaaki te whenua me te wai o önä whänau? Ko täna whakaaro ko au i manaaki te whenua me te wai Mäori o önä whänau, hapü, iwi Mäori kätoa. 

Na mätou te mihi ki a Whaea Rowyne mo tana korero tino hohono rawa.

 

Na Te Whänau o Kereru.

Whaea Rowyne is a younger sister to Mä Cynthia and has 5 tamariki.  She is one of the many kaitiaki who help to look after the lands and waters of her whänau, hapü and iwi.  She is 5.5 feet tall and has a beautiful wairua. 

Whaea Rowyne believes there a three ingredients that have helped her most in her life.  One is love for one another, support for each other, and to have a dream. 

What inspired her to do the work she does?  She referred back to a time when she and her cousin were at the marae and after visiting the sacred house with four doors she went to the river with her dad.  There she saw a taniwha who shone like diamonds in the water.  He was huge and he had a big long tail.  She was 8 years old at the time but remembers him so vividly in her mind. 

“Look Dad there’s a taniwha?” said Whaea Rowyne. 

“Where?”, said her Dad. 

“There!”, she pointed into the river.  But still her dad could not see the taniwha. 

Whaea Rowyne believes that this taniwha inspired her to do the work that she does today.  A message from when she first saw the taniwha a kaitiaki of the river back home when she was only 8, believes he would have said to her how will you help to look after the land and waters of our whänau, hapü and iwi?  Today she works for her whänau, hapü and iwi Mäori looking after the lands and waters of her people and loves the work she does every day. 

Te Whänau o Kereru would like to thank Whaea Rowyne for coming to share her work and her life with us and will never forget the inspiring story she gave about her taniwha the kaitiaki of her awa.

Nä Te Whänau o Kereru

Tangata Rongonui

Kia ora koutou,

On Monday we had Matua Te Kohe Tuhaka come and visit us at Clendon Park School.  He is a qualified chef and an aspiring New Zealand Maori actor of Ngati Porou and Tuhoe descent.  He shared his journey from rags to riches with us.  Through his years in acting here in Aotearoa and overseas he has managed to follow his dreams of becoming an internationally recognised Maori actor.  He continues to follow this pathway and in his down time he is a personal trainer for Cross Fit.  We in Te Whanau Awhina were so inspired and in awe of his achievements in recognition of attending a bilingual kura himself at a young age. He spoke to us in Te Reo Maori making links with his native tongue of Tuhoe and Ngati Porou descent of whom he carries on his many journeys here and abroad. We in Kereru were so privileged to have Matua TK spend some private time with us in class to ask the questions we wanted to ask of him.  He injected a spirit of belonging with his confidence in who he is as a person and a profession in Toi Whakaari.  His passion for cooking helped pay his bills and feed the many who surrounded his life.  We hope to one day see Matua TK again in the very near future.  Hopefully when Whaea Paula and her colleagues come and visit us again.

Thank you Matua Te Kohe for spending this precious time with us that we will treasure for a life time.

Thank you Whaea Paula for asking Matua Te Kohe to come and visit us too.  

Na Te Whanau o Kereru.
Room 21

Sheryl-lee comes to visit Te Whanau Awhina at Clendon Park School

Yesterday we had Sheryl-lee, Ma Cynthia and Matua Cyril's daughter come and visit us at Clendon Park School in the whare with Te Whanau Awhina to share her journey to becoming a Lawyer.  She is of Nga Puhi, Rereahu, Ngati Whatua and Ngati Tuwharetoa descent and lives in Henderson.  She attended Mangere Bridge Primary School, Royal Oak Intermediate and Onehunga High School. She then decided to pursue her studies to become a Lawyer at Auckland University.  There she met many Maori, Pakeha, and Pacifica students who became her new family in Te Rakau Ture.  They later graduated together as a contingent of 60 Maori Lawyers in 2013.  She likes to help people who are in need, eat healthy, exercising through participating in Triathlon events, Swimming, Touch Rugby, and Indoor Netball.  She was a great role model for us to listen to.  We all wish to become Lawyers one day just like Sheryl-lee.

Thank you Sheryl- lee for coming to visit us and sharing your journey with us.

Na matou te mihi nui ki a koe,

Na Te Whanau o Kereru

My mum an aspiring leader.

Hi everyone!  I just thought I would add how much of an influence our mums can be.  

My mum is the most beautiful person in the whole wide world.

Kia ora everyone.

Welcome to week 5 of term 3.  We are busy learning about Tangata Rongonui in class and getting to know the values/uara o te marautanga o Aotearoa.  

Aspiring Lawyers 2014  

To become a Lawyer you would need to be focused on reading, writing and speaking in both Te Reo Maori and English.  You need to also have a love of people.