PRINCIPAL SPEAKS
Community Lessons I Bring As Tumuaki, Principal
All Images courtesy of Tangaroa College
In this Principal Speaks column, Principal Davida Suasua talks about the abundant lessons learned during her prosperous time at Tangaroa College as she gears up to take over as Principal at Rosehill College in Term 3… Māori and Pasifika people and their Polynesian ancestors lived close to the sea and relied on it for food and other resources. The sea also has spiritual importance. According to Māori traditions, the god of sea and the progenitor of fish is Tangaroa, the son of Ranginui and Papatuanuku. Māori believe that water is an
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relevance and importance to the community it sits in. The estuary that runs along the back of the school connects to the Waikato River, which we know connects to the sea, therefore, Tangaroa is our neighbour.
Davida Suasua Tumuaki, Principal, Rosehill College, Papakura
energy, with many moods: it can be calm and life-giving, or dangerous and destructive.
Tangaroa the energy of the sea We often take for granted the name behind a school and its
The school motto, Waiho i te toka tu Moana - steadfast like a rock in the ocean, reflects the challenges we face, the need to be resilient, the understanding to hold on as the storm passes, giving respect and understanding to the mood. There is relevance in knowing who you are, your history, your turangawaewae and for many of us Tangaroa has been there as a surrogate, stepping in, in good times and bad. I have been in the Tangaroa College community for more than 25 years and as the
EDUCATION
Tumuaki for 7 years. I have learnt to appreciate, admire and at times envy the cultural capital and intelligence the Tangaroa College community has. There is something humbling and raw about the honesty of a community which faces adversity as much as Otara has, from the Dawn Raids to gang rivalry and everything else that sits in between, when you tell people you teach in Otara. Leaving a community that you have strong ties with sits outside your job description and has been a difficult decision, but I know that Tangaroa College has given me an abundance of kai which has fed my wairua, my tinana and my ngākau and that they are in a good place with excellent staff.
Term 3, 2022 | schoolnews.co.nz
