• Mount Maunganui College, overlooking the Bay of Plenty, a school that “ is everything to everyone. ” The College sets two clear and equal goals - Ako (academic) and Hauora (well - being). The College highlighted its obligation to improve and acquire fit - for - purpose facilities to improve and enhance student learning. • Raukura Boys High School, a place for young Māori men to find identity, connect to language, community, and story, and to reach educational equity. The prestigious school leverages personal and community relationships to bring Māori culture to life. Its sporting and pathways programs are world renowned. At each of the schools we were greeted with a powerful pōwhiri, a Māori welcoming ceremony, where students exemplified the culture with authenticity and pride. Students facilitated the ceremony involving whaikōrero (formal speech), waiata (singing), and kai (food). The main learnings from our trip have been the obligation of schools to regenerate and preserve First Nations culture, leaving us to consider what we see, hear, experience, and feel in our own schools that make explicit our origins, our connections to country and stories of the land and its first peoples, and our connectedness as a collective within our College – looking at the importance of storytelling and the rich tapestry of connection that binds us as a united College community.
We now look forward to bringing our learnings back to The Lakes community and adopting many exemplary practices that we have learnt whilst on our travels.
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