Given the geography of Ngāti Kahungunu and how the iwi are divided into the six taiwhenua as well as the taura here regions throughout Aotearoa New Zealand, our diversity as Ngāti Kahungunu, as 87 marae that make up Ngāti Kahungunu and as over 400 hapū that make up Ngāti Kahungunu, it is important that Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated recognise the aspirations, rangatiratanga and vibrancy of all of its stakeholders; taiwhenua are mechanisms for facilitating this process. Te Tōpuni Tauwhāinga is about recognising the autonomy of its six taiwhenua and to support the taiwhenua in the development and implementation of their respective educational plans and or strategies. That is, an education strategy such as Te Tōpuni Tauwhāinga that empowers and supports its iwi stakeholders to nurture growth and development according to their own contexts is seen as a cohesive pathway forward for Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated and its stakeholders as we progress through the 21st century.

 

Te Tōpuni Tauwhāinga contextualises and facilitates a pathway for aspiring to educational success across a number of layers and contexts for Ngāti Kahungunu, for Māori who reside in Ngāti Kahungunu and indeed, for all learners engaged in education in Ngāti Kahungunu from Early Childhood through to tertiary education. The national education strategy, Ka Hikitia, also aligns with Ngāti Kahungunu’s strategy too and so while it is about the nurturing of Māori educational success as Māori, Te Tōpuni Tauwhāinga not only endorses the broad aims of Ka Hikitia but also champions the application of these in specific contexts of Ngāti Kahungunu and the distinct local cultural traditions and history of each including, iwi, taiwhenua, hapū, marae communities, whānau and, centres and schools.

 

Click on a link below to learn more about the five strands of Te Tōpuni Tauwhāinga: