He kaupapa whakaako taiao e whakaihu waka nei i te mātauranga Māori ki ngā tikanga o neherā me te auahatanga o te ao hurihuri nei – hei huaki anō hoki i ngā ara mahi mō te hunga rangatahi.
Ko te 'Waitī’ nei he whetū e tohu ana i te waimāori me ngā tini mea ora e noho ana ki ngā awa, ki ngā manga, ki ngā roto me ngā repo hoki.
Ko te hōtaka he mea whakamānu i te tau 2022 e Te Toki Voyaging Trust me te kaitautoko ā-pūtea, te Kaunihera ā-Rohe o Waikato, ā, he whakaako i te waka tētē me ngā kaupapa mātauranga Māori.
Kura Waitī Ki Kura Waitā is a programme of work developed to advance mātauranga Māori in environmental education – in both traditional and creative contemporary ways – and to develop career pathways for rangatahi.
Wai means water in te reo, and Waitī is the star that is connected to fresh water and all the creatures that live in rivers, streams and lakes.
Developed by Te Toki Voyaging Trust and funded by Waikato Regional Council, the programme was launched in 2022 and combines waka tētē with mātauranga Māori kaupapa.
“Ka whakaakona te hunga rangatahi ki ētehi o ngā tikanga tawhito, ki ngā kōrero tuku iho hoki mō te awa me te taiao, ki te tiakitanga o te awa, me ngā mahi tūpuna ki te awa.”
“We connect our rangatahi with some of the traditional ways of doing things, with traditional kōrero of the awa and the environment, how to look after it, and what our tupuna used to do with the awa.”
– Te Toki Voyaging Trust founder Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr
This important mahi provides meaningful approaches to support kura with environmental learning in a way that also promotes te reo, tikanga and mātauranga.
The programme helps young people understand how they can make a difference in protecting, restoring and revitalising our waterways and addressing the impacts of climate change.
It helps build the confidence of rangatahi and their sense of connection to te taiao, encouraging future kaitiaki through an intergenerational framework in which whakapapa, pūrākau, whānau and iwi all play critical roles.
“Kei te hoatu ki ngā tamariki taua rongo pai, arā, ko te noho ki tētehi kaupapa hirahira; ko te noho ki tētehi wāhi e rere pai ana te wairua. He hono ki te ao o ō mātou tūpuna – ō mātou hītori ake, ō mātou kōrero tuku iho hoki nō te Moana Nui a Kiwa, he wāhanga nui nō tō mātou Māoritanga, ā, ko te akohia i te ao hurihuri nei, ka mau te wehi.”
“We’re giving the kids that feeling of belonging to something good; it’s having a place where the vibe is positive. And it’s something that brings a connection to our past – our history and our kōrero as people of the Pacific, it’s all a part of who we are so being able to do it in this age, that’s real awesome.”
– Te Toki Voyaging Trust Project lead Turanga Barclay-Kerr
Hei whakamanawa i ngā kaitiaki o āpōpō | Encouraging the kaitiaki of the future
He kaupapa whakahirahira e tautoko ana i ngā kura ki te ako i te taiao, i te mātauranga, i te reo me ngā tikanga.
He mea whakamārama ki te hunga rangatahi me pēwhea rātou e whakapiki anō ai te kounga o te wai me te aro ki ngā hua o te huriāhuarangi.
Ka tuitui i te whakapapa, i te pūrākau, i ngā āhuatanga o te iwi me te whānau kia pakari haere ai te māia o ngā rangatahi, i te aronga ki te taiao, me te aha, ā tōna wā pea e tū ai rātou hei kaitiaki.
Te Ture Whaimana o Te Awa o Waikato | The Vision and Strategy for the Waikato River
E hāngai ana, e hāpai hoki ana te Kura Waitī Kura Waitā ki Te Ture Whaimana o te awa o Waikato.
E whitu ngā kura kei te hoe i tēnei waka i tēnei wā, heoi, ko te tūmanako ka puāwaitia i roto i ngā tau.
Ko te poutokomanawa o tēnei hōtaka ko te awa tupuna o Waikato me ōna waitī me ōna waitā, arā ko onā arawai, tōna mauri me tōna oranga.
Kura Waitī Ki Kura Waitā aligns with and helps give effect to Te Ture Whaimana, the Vision & Strategy for the Waikato River.
Twelve Kura are currently involved but, the expectation is that the programme will continue to grow over time.
The programme follows a social ripple effect framework that has our tupuna awa Waikato me ōna waitī me ōna waitā, the health and wellbeing of our ancestral river and connected waterways, at its centre.
“Ko tā te Kura Waitī he tākiri i te hirikapo rangatahi mā te whakangahau, mā te ako ā-ringa, mā runga i te awa, he ako i ngā tikanga o te waka, i te mātauranga me ngā pakiwaitara o te awa, mai i ngā iwi o te awa.”
“Kura Waitī is about engaging our rangatahi in fun ways, hands on, on the awa, learning about the tikanga of waka and the mātauranga, the stories of the awa from the awa people.”
– Waikato Regional Council Kaihapa Hotaka Mātauranga Arna Solomon-Banks
Tautoko ana i ngā ara mahi | Supporting career pathways
Ko tā tētehi ākonga a te Whare Wānanga o Waikato hoki he ārahi i ngā rangatahi ki ngā aramahi o te: pūtaiao, hangarau, pūhanganga, pāngarau me te mātauranga Māori. Nā te whare wānanga, te Waikato River Authority, me Te Pūtahi Rangahau Taiao te pūtea tautoko.
It is also supported by a University of Waikato intern to help promote career pathways for rangitahi in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and mātauranga Māori. This role is funded by the university, Waikato River Authority, and the Environmental Research Institute.
Te haere ake nei | Coming up
Pitonga Kōrero | Kura Waitī newsletter
Ki te hoe! | Get involved!
Ki te hiahia rā koe ki te whakauru i tō kura ki Kura Waitī Ki Kura Waitā, ki ngā kōrero whakamārama rānei
If you’d like to get your kura involved in Kura Waitī Ki Kura Waitā or learn more
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