Unwavering Commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi
Tēnā koutou katoa parents, whānau, carers, and kaimahi
I am writing to you today with a deep sense of responsibility regarding our future direction at Arohanui Special School and a matter of significant national importance in education. We are aware of the government’s recent announcement proposing to remove the requirement for school boards to ‘give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi’ from the Education and Training Act 2020.
Arohanui reaffirms its unwavering commitment to enacting Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Despite the recent announcement about removing Board obligations, Arohanui Special School’s senior leadership and staff will continue to enact its obligations to Te Tiriti o Waitangi - it will be business as usual for us.
Our School Board fully supports maintaining this commitment. This commitment is fundamental. It not only supports our Māori students but also benefits all New Zealanders by fostering a truly inclusive and strong learning environment for every child. We value our bicultural heritage and will continue to embrace Te Ao Māori and resource mātauranga Māori in our curriculum and learning.
We believe that this current government’s move puts us completely out of step as global leaders. This approach creates a school culture where all our tamariki and rangatahi see themselves reflected, and their language and culture are valued and respected. This supports all cultures - critically, when we commit to the principles of Te Tiriti, we create a framework for genuine respect and inclusion that extends far beyond biculturalism.
By upholding the unique status of Māori as the indigenous people (Tangata Whenua), we establish a foundation of equality and dignity that naturally empowers and respects the diversity of all cultures within our community. It models how differences are valued, ensuring that every student's identity is welcomed and contributes to the richness of our learning environment.
As a self-managing school, our Board will continue to prioritise our commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. We are very proud of the:
- Progress our kura has made in building strong partnerships with mana whenua (Te Kawerau a Maki) and will continue to walk alongside our iwi to ensure local pūrākau (historical stories) and Mātauranga (cultural knowledge) are shared for many generations to come.
- progress we have made towards normalising biculturalism - examples you know of are our strong and treasured partnership with Te Kawerau ā Maki, and our involvement in the Māori Achievement Collaborative kaupapa. We encourage our entire community to support and celebrate this crucial foundation for an equitable and inclusive future for all our students.
Ngā mihi mahana
Shaki Padayatchi, Principal
and
Andrew Anisi, Presiding Member
