Te Hītori o Whakawātea
OUR HISTORY
Whakawātea was set up as an Incorporated Society to establish a quality Kōhanga Reo and a range of community services honouring and supporting others from a Māori perspective. Our organisation began in Hereturikōkā / August 1991, in a whānau member’s (Susanne Simmons-Kopa) garage with eight tamariki. In Pipiri / June 1992 the whānau completed a purpose built whare / building on Melville High School grounds which was licensed for 30 tamariki, and progressed to the community base we desired.
To continue the education passion and vision that was set down at the outset, the planning for a kura began in 1993 and opened with twelve tamariki in January 1994. The vision was to continue to provide quality education for these and other tamariki for at least the rest of their primary and hopefully their secondary school years. Our overarching aspiration being, to provide quality education from conception through life.
We are dedicated to purposeful, relevant education and committed to providing the best for our tamariki. Our Service once consisted of Kōhanga Reo, Kura, Adult courses targeting parenting, budgeting and te reo Māori, a Budget Advisory Service, Library and Referral Service. We have always networked extensively with the wider community and have a reputable and positive profile.
Over the years we have reduced our services to specialise and prioritise Whakawātea Te Kōhanga Reo our ECE and Te Kura Amorangi o Whakawātea our full primary school. These are now our sole focus and we remain committed to quality education.