Te Wiki o te Reo Māori Runner up in New Zealand poetry competition

Te Wiki o te Reo Maori

St Andrew's College, ākonga (students) and kaimahi (staff) in the Pre-school, Preparatory School, and Secondary School participated in a number of wonderful activities that explored te reo Māori and

Māori culture during Te

Wiki o te Reo Māori/Māori

Language Week.

These included the laying down of a hāngi, a daily whakataukī challenge, te reo Māori phrase competition, playing traditional games, Māori Art Exhibition, Te Wiki o te Reo Māori Assembly, tikanga Māori quiz, Secondary ākonga reading books in the Preparatory School, and kapa haka. The Year 9–10 students also enjoyed a special programme organised by Head of Middle School, Mikae Tuu’u and his team, supported by the Year 11 Middle School Leaders, which included competitions in sports, games and creative activities, and House singing.

Among the activities in the Preparatory School, kapa haka students explored the classic waiata Poi E, with poi as well as building their repertoire of waiata and haka. A hangi was put down on the Preparatory School field and classes were invited to visit to see its various stages.

Kaiako, teachers Mary Leota and Pete Westrupp, and Head of Middle School, Mikae Tuu’u, did a wonderful job of organising and leading the week’s celebrations.

Lucas Te Rangi (Year 12) was one of nine runners-up in the National Schools’ Poetry Award 2022 for his poem, I’m not fluent but I will learn. As one of ten nationwide finalists in this prestigious competition, this success establishes him as one of the top Year 12 and 13 poets in the country. As part of his prize, Lucas was flown to Wellington where he took part in a poetry masterclass with the other finalists.

The judges said about Lucas’s poem: “The title, echoed in the final line of the poem, is a powerful statement and one that looks to the future.”

Lucas had previously won the Year 12 section at the St Andrew’s Festival of the Spoken Word Competition for his speech along a similar theme, which he adapted for the National Schools’ Poetry Award. “Through the use of my speech and poem

Several College-wide activities were held during Te Wiki o te Reo Māori.

Runner-up in New Zealand poetry competition

I have been given the opportunity to speak about these types of issues and highlight how many Māori like myself have been disconnected. After being acknowledged for these, I have gained confidence and am encouraged to keep writing about my culture and my passion towards it. I am trying to reconnect with what I have lost and slowly relearn my language.”

Lucas says he feels well supported academically at St Andrew’s. “The teachers are always there to push us to be better and aim for the higher grades, and there are many opportunities for support if we are struggling.”

He says he sometimes finds it difficult not being as fluent in te reo Māori or having as much knowledge about his culture as other Māori students. “This has led to me working hard to reconnect with my cultural identity to fit in with my Māori and Pasifika peers.”