Westlake Boys’ High School

Minister Kelvin Davis and Northcote MP Shanan Halbert with Te Rumaki students.

Te Whānau Rūmaki o Te Puna opening

Tēnā koutou kātoa! This year marks the inaugural year of Te Whānau Rūmaki o Te Puna - our Māori immersion class

First and foremost, the main purpose of any Māori medium setting is the revitalisation of the Māori language. Associate Minister of Education Kelvin Davis recently announced new pathways for Māori medium education; therefore the timing of the establishment of our rūmaki class is significant. There are currently only three other Māori medium programmes on Te Rakipaewhenua (North Shore).

On Wednesday 23rd February we were pleased to welcome Associate Minister Davis to Westlake Boys as he spent time with our Te Whānau Rūmaki students, chatting to them, answering their questions and finding out more about this foundation class.

Research has shown that if a child’s culture, language, and cultural practices are at the centre of their learning, it is more likely they will

Minister Davis listens to students say their pepeha.

Te Puna tāngata! Te Puna oranga! Te Puna Māori mana motuhake e! Tūwhitia te hopo! Mauri ora nui Johnny Waititi Te Kaihautū o Te Puna achieve their educational aspirations and those of their whānau.

Hence the significance of having such a class at Westlake Boys. Māori students make up around 10% of our total school roll.

We wanted to make a difference to the educational lives of our Māori students, and Te Whānau Rūmaki o Te Puna is another important step in Westlake Boys High School realising its full bicultural potential.

The group in action.

Jeff Knight with Jay Readings. Tony Sands with Thomas Leybourne.

Openground underway

Openground, our fully immersive business programme for Year 13 entrepreneurs, has taken off with 20 keen students involved in its inaugural year.

At Westlake Boys, we recognise that more young people today are running their own businesses, and increasingly this is beginning at school and university. We pride ourselves on preparing our school leavers for the future, and Openground is a welcome addition to this.

… they will be supported in researching, launching, establishing and running their own successful business.

Entrance is by application in two rounds – the first being a written application, and the second where students present their business idea or their skill set in more detail, to a panel of Westlake stakeholders. All successful applicants will still have access to achieving University Entrance and NCEA Level 3. At the same time, they will be supported in researching, launching, establishing and running their own successful business. They meet regularly with a business mentor and attend a range of inspiring seminars by business experts held here at school. There will also be access to some start-up capital from interested investors to support these businesses to get off the ground.

This is an exciting initiative of The Westlake Foundation, specifically Bill Smale, who is immensely passionate about supporting young entrepreneurs. We are extremely lucky to have the support and expertise of not only Bill Smale, but a number of Westlakers and people in the business community of Westlake who have offered their time and knowledge.

Keryn Russell

Director – Openground @ WBHS