Cultural Diversity and Māori Dimension
Maungakaramea School, as appropriate to its community, is developing procedures and practices that reflect New Zealand’s cultural diversity and the unique position of the Māori culture. Catering for cultural diversity at Maungakaramea School makes a difference for all children.
The priority is for Māori children to feel positive about being Māori within our school environment.
In recognising the unique position of Māori, Maungakaramea School, provides instruction in Tikanga Māori (Māori çulture) and Te Reo Māori (Māori language). We have an active Kapa Haka group, which performs at a number of events throughout the year. We celebrate Māori achieving as Māori to ensure that we embed this philosophy within the school. Maungakaramea School’s Performance Management System requires teachers to prepare programmes that reflect the culture of the school and include elements of Te Reo and Tikanga.
To achieve this the school will:
Use local whanau if applicable and if available, to help develop knowledge in the above areas
Consult regularly with the community in order to seek their views and advice on the programmes offered at Maungakaramea School
Expect teachers to follow the school wide implementation plan on Te Reo and Tikanga and use appropriate resources to support these programmes
Implement aspects of Māori culture and language in all curriculum areas
Include a questionnaire for parents in the school’s enrolment booklet to ascertain parents wishes for their children’s learning of Te Reo
Identify Māori achievement results for Māori academic targets, plan to accelerate those Māori children who are deemed to be underachieving
Children are encouraged to:
Be accepting of other cultures and differences
Value each other’s heritage, culture and people
Reflect the nature of multiculturalism in classroom activities
Be involved in Tikanga Māori protocols within the school setting
