News

Hamilton kids who want to learn in te reo Māori will have another option from 2017.

The city's first partnership school - Te Kōpuku High - will start teaching Year 7 to 9 students in February though it's exact location has not been revealed.

It was one of two new schools announced by Under-Secretary to the Minister of Education David Seymour on Tuesday afternoon.

The other, Te Aratika Academy, will be a boys-only, senior secondary school in Napier.

Partnership schools are also known as kura hourua or charter schools, and have faced strong opposition from teacher unions.

One Northland charter school was shut down two years after it opened, as its challenges proved too great to overcome.

The schools are state funded but work under a fixed-term contract with the Crown and have greater freedom in areas such as employment and teaching methods.

In Hamilton, Te Kōpuku High will offer students a chance to move into a Māori immersion programme later in their school years.

The coeducational school will be run by Kia Ata Mai Educational Trust - a charitable trust focussed on learners in immersion and Māori-medium programmes.

"Te Kōpuku High is a call to action and our mission is to ensure that our students are exceeding national standards and NCEA in pursuit of vocational pathways of their choosing," a statement from trust chairperson Cath Rau said.

The first intake of up to 90 students will be for those in Years 7 to 9, but it will extend to Year 13 by 2021.

The school will target students who are Māori and those from low socio-economic backgrounds.

The curriculum was designed with input from educators who are recognised as leading innovators in teaching and learning, a statement from the trust said.

The emphasis on language and literacy will be strong, but context will come from science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.

The school will have a projects-based approach using digital technology, and cultural identity and sustainability will be central concepts.

It also aims to get Māori students' results in national standards and NCEA on par with non-Māori, and the core curriculum will be delivered by registered teachers.

The two new partnership schools were selected from 26 applications, Seymour said in a statement.

"These new schools will help raise educational achievement, in particular for those groups of students who have not been successful in the mainstream schooling system," he said.

Both will have kaupapa Māori special character.

Eight partnership schools are already operating.

Round four of partnership school applications, for schools intending to open in 2018, is now open.

Te Kōpuku High is accepting enrolments and has information sessions listed on its website
All sessions run 6-7pm.
Wednesday 31 August, Turangawaewae Rugby League Club, River Road, Ngaruawahia
Thursday 8 September, Te Runanga o Kirikiriroa, 59 Higgins Road, Dinsdale
Wednesday 14 September, Tainui Group Holdings, 6 Bryce Street, Hamilton