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TE REO NAME FOR NEW QUEENSTOWN SCHOOL

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August, 2020

A new Queenstown schools been gifted an official te reo name from
local iwi.
Ngai Tahus blessed the 600-pupil Hanleys Farm school as Te Kura
Whakatipu O Kawarau, which itll be officially known as.
Te Kura means a place of learning and Whakatipu is a place to grow and
nurture.
Kawarau is the Maori name of the Remarkables mountain range which
the school sits beside.
School board chair Gigi Hollyer says as part of the schools
establishment process her team wanted to engage with local iwi and
whanau around the facilitys vision and mission.
Theres a school in Wanaka, Te Kura O Take Karara, and they were
gifted a name by iwi.
So I did throw that into the conversation, we would be so honoured to
have one, and it came to be, which is awesome.
Mrs Hollyer talked to local Ngai Tahu leader Darren Rewi about the
history of the land the school sits on and thinks the new names relevant
to its vision.
Previously it has been used European-wise for farming, but prior to
that with the iwi it was
actually a natural place to gather and for the tamariki [children] to
learn and to distribute food.
Our vision is to gather, learn and grow and it fitted in really well with
both the European use of the land, and the Maori use of the land.
Iwi rep, Darren Rewis son Mike, says its exciting to have an educational
development in the district that embraces tikanga Maori Maori
culture, or worldview.
Thats all we really want as an iwi in these partnerships, it to embrace
the tikanga Maori, the Te Ao Maori space.
And for Gigi and her team to be real receptive and actually put the
front foot forward to have that is good to see.
Its a good benchmark for future things to come, I think, in the
region.
Born and bred in Queenstown, Mike says there was very little embrace
of tikanga Maori when he attended Wakatipu High a decade ago.
Part of the role of the principal is going to be a lot about putting that
tikanga Maori into the school & something I wish I had growing up
here.
The schools in the design stage all going to plan itll be finished and
open for classes by 2022.

Source: Mountain Scene