Our School

At Rongomai School, we have a team of innovative, hardworking, passionate and caring teachers and support staff. We work extremely hard as a team to ensure that we provide the most culturally and academically rich, learning experiences for all our tamariki.

 

Rongomai School has a proud, rich heritage. Our namesake, Rongomai, was a chief on the Mahuhu canoe. His whanau settled in Kaipara around 1225. Legend has it that around 1350 his canoe came to rest near our site on the East Tamaki estuary.

WHAKATAUKI

Whaia te iti kahurangi, ki tūohu koe, me he māunga teitei.
Aspire to the greatest heights, should you bow, be it to a lofty mountain

RONGOMAITES

Will have the courage to take risks; will be resilient and determined to succeed!

Values

R – Respect ~ Whakaute

I – Integrity ~ Ngakau Pono

C – Courage ~ Mātātoa

H – Heritage ~ Taonga tuku iho

RONGOMAITANGA

Our school is made up of children from different backgrounds, and it is important to us that we create an environment that supports, enhances, and imbues pride in our students. We do our best to afford proper respect to tikanga Māori (Māori protocols) and tangata whenua (people of the land) so our students are exposed, even if in a small way, to the beautiful attributes of the Māori culture.

Rongomaitanga is significant to our curriculum design; enabling us to create a curriculum that is localised, authentic and meaningful to our community. Because of these factors, we can acquire the stories of Rongomai School – the korero about our whenua, landmarks and objects unique to Rongomai; the people of Rongomai School (past and present); the struggles and the victories endured and celebrated over time.

Rongomaitanga is an expression of our beliefs and values of what we aspire to live by and be, and therefore, determines the culture of our school – The Rongomai Way. The true essence of Rongomaitanga is providing an education that is founded on inclusion, aroha (love), whanaungatanga (sense of belonging, family, relationships), whakaute (respect), ngakau pono (integrity), mātātoa (courage) and taonga tuku iho (heritage).

Steps to incorporate Tikanga Māori

The school acknowledges and respects the language, heritage and culture of all members of the school community. Rongomai School promotes and acknowledges Māori as Tangata Whenua and their obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi, reflecting the unique position of tikanga Māori

We will regularly consult with our Māori community.

Rongomai School will acknowledge tikanga Maori (Maori culture and protocol) into the school’s curriculum by:

  • Welcoming visitors, new staff, new students and their families with a Powhiri
  • Celebrating and learning about Māori events
  • Strengthening students’ learning about tikanga Māori
  • Identifying local and regional history
  • Including karakia, waiata and other protocols in school routines
  • Providing opportunities for any interested student to be involved in kapa haka

Cultural Diversity

Our school shall reflect New Zealand’s cultural diversity and all stakeholders will be encouraged to value the differences in each other by: Celebrating cultural days, performances and the arts, Incorporating cultural dimensions into learning and teaching programmes, Providing resources that reflect our school’s cultures, Implementing programmes that promote partnerships between school, home and the wider community

Māori Culture

The unique place of Maori culture and customs will play an important part in the way Rongomai School operates. A vital element of our school is the success of Maori as Maori, our students’ desire for identity – their place in the world, their sense of belonging and connection, their integration, their understanding and their acceptance.

Pacific Cultures

The unique place of Pacific cultures and customs play an important part in the way Rongomai School operates. A vital element of our school is the success of Pacific Islanders  as Pacific Islanders, our students’ desire for identity – their place in the world, their sense of belonging and connection, their integration, their understanding and their acceptance. We aim to embed as many aspects of the different Pacific cultures as we can.

Culture Groups

These are times for children to have the opportunity to learn the cultures of Māori and the Pacific. This will include learning cultural values, basic language, traditions and customs, cultural performances and song.