Tipuranga programme enriches community at Waihī Beach School

Since 2023, Waihī Beach School has seen growing enthusiasm for Tipuranga –an optional programme centred on te ao Māori, te reo Māori and Mātauranga Māori. Grounded in hapū collaboration and student choice, the initiative has had a ripple effect across the wider community.

Each Thursday, over half of the children enrolled at Waihī Beach School head out for an optional block of learning called Tipuranga, focused on te ao Māori, te reo Māori and Mātauranga Māori.

Since beginning the programme in 2023, there has been rapid growth and enthusiasm for the offering, which has been carefully designed by local hapū Te Whānau a Tauwhao, kaiako Māori, whānau and ngā tamariki. The positive impact of Tipuranga is felt across all levels of the school community.

Waihī Beach School is proudly a Te Tiriti o Waitangi-led, inclusive and diverse primary school nestled at the northern end of the Western Bay of Plenty.

When tumuaki, Rachael Coll took on the challenge to lead the school six years ago, she brought with her a keen desire to explore what it meant to be Te Tiriti-led within the school community.

“Waihī Beach School was already on a journey with te ao Māori, however I had a feeling that as a community we were ready to go much further,” says Rachael.

Across nearly six years, the community has come together regularly to discuss ways in which Te Tiriti is lived.

There has been intentional transformation in approaches to governance (the constitution has been amended to ensure there is a hapū seat on the Board of Trustees), appointing educators with skills to support understanding, targeted professional learning, connection to wider community organisations who share similar values, and productive relationships have been forged and sustained with the local hapū to chart the direction for the school.

Kaupapa Māori learning

Through consultation processes, whānau expressed a desire for their tamariki to have more exposure to te ao Māori (the Māori world), tikanga Māori (Māori practices) and te reo Māori (the Māori language) each week.

Although the school had been committed to ensuring every tamariki was given a strong foundation in te ao Māori – such as instruction in te reo Māori, waiata, pepeha, pūrākau, kapa haka – in response to the community, this was extended further.

Following a series of board meetings and whānau hui, a pilot was developed and launched in the school in term 3 2023.

Tipuranga, which is loosely translated to mean “a place to grow”, continued in 2024 expanding to a third of the tamariki in the school enrolled. This has increased to over half the school in 2025.

“Tipuranga is in line with our philosophical belief that children and their whānau should have choice and autonomy to control their own learning and we felt this extension programme should be an optional opportunity,” says Rachael.

Tipuranga is inherently strengths-based, which has been diverse and full of rich learning experiences.

These include mahi toi, using locally sourced uku (clay); taonga pūoro (pūrerehua); traditional food and fishing practices; oral literacies (including whakaari) and written texts. Experiential learning has also been embraced by taking children on field trips to deepen connection to waka Mātaatua.

The programme embraced seasonal learning and the curriculum was structured to allow for freedom to explore global, national and local kaupapa.

For example, Taumahekeke o te ao (World Olympic games) became a way in which to explore identity, while responding to questions associated with the national hīkoi and appointment of the Queen in the Kīngitanga movement.

At a local level, the children were exposed to the intersection of STEM and indigenous knowledge systems through outdoor learning in the small native bush grove located on the school grounds.

Empowered educators, inspired learners

Staffing Tipuranga has been key to the success of the programme with Kararaina Sydney (Te Whānau a Tauwhao) guiding the curriculum, supported by experienced educators Sarah-Kay Coulter (Ngāti Porou) and Whetū Watene (Ngāti Kahungunu).

It has been a steep learning curve for all the educators involved as questions were raised about how to plan for learning with the maramataka (Māori lunar calendar) along with the strengths of the children.

Top and bottom: Outdoor learning and music play an important role in Tipuranga.

The team utilised aspects of the Niho Taniwha model as guidance, referred to Te Marautanga o Aotearoa and the strands of the New Zealand Curriculum, considered Ka Hikitia – Ka Hāpaitia | The Māori Education Strategy, while working collaboratively with the local hapū.

Each week the learning was structured to place emphasis on te taiao (the natural world), with new karakia and waiata composed to support the learning as it progressed.

The educators were all given the opportunity to learn from Harko Brown (an expert in indigenous games), who enriched the programme with a range of physical and cognitive games, ensuring the children could be supported in boisterous and competitive gameplay.

Sarah-Kay says they have seen the ripple effect of Tipuranga in unexpected ways.

“This is from positive whānau dialogue, to extending on concepts associated with environmental learning. As kaiako Māori we have been both awakened and empowered that we can authentically teach our values and it has inspired us to make our teaching resources with the children, all of which are derived from the natural world.”

She adds that there are many rich stories from whānau about the learning in Tipuranga. One family shared that Tipuranga has extended their son’s knowledge and created a foundation where he is curious and eager to ask questions to learn the answers.

“We have noticed his love for sharing all he’s learned in Tipuranga and filtering that knowledge into our home for his younger brother. It has created many conversations about our iwi and whenua. The Māori games were definitely a hit; we’ve had a lot of fun playing them at home too.”

Student feedback highlights the joy and connection felt by tamariki.

“I love Tipuranga because it is so much fun. I get to do lots of creative work and I enjoy learning about our environment and water,” says a Year 6 ākonga.

“We do fun activities, play lots of Māori games, learn about the maramataka and I love learning our special Tipuranga waiata,” says a Year 4 student.

Another Year 6 ākonga shares, “I loved drawing the ngā huruhuru (feathers) of the birds and making puppets to retell the stories.”

Looking ahead

The aspiration for Tipuranga is to continue enhancing the programme for the learners at Waihī Beach School, says Sarah-Kay.

“As the wider teaching team began to see the successes in ākonga engagement and attendance, it was discussed if the programme should be extended to ‘all’ ākonga. However, we feel that this is not the goal, rather whānau and tamariki connect to a learning opportunity they feel aligns with their values.

“We feel passionate that it is time to start sharing and providing the wider education community with rich evidence of our programme and its triumphs as we see there is tremendous opportunity to translate the programme into a broad range of schooling contexts.”

Rachael acknowledges there have been challenges in launching and scaling Tipuranga. A challenge had been making sure there was the physical space to accommodate all the tamariki who wished to join in.

“Originally, we wanted Tipuranga to operate as a mixedage offering – all ākonga together – however due to the size of the group and timetabling, we had to compromise and find solutions to ensure that the programme could fit into wider school life with minimal disruption. This led us to create three smaller groups based on age.

“A further important consideration has been creating a supportive and collaborative teaching team. Employing more than one teacher into the programme (even when it was just starting out) supported Tipuranga to grow and flourish.”

Inclusive learning

Kararaina says the programme’s impact is clear, and that, “Simply, our tamariki want to come to Tipuranga.”

Staff noticed increased attendance on a Thursday and positive engagement for learning, and Kararaina says there is a genuine excitement to attend on a Thursday, with ākonga saying, “I wish it was Tipuranga every day.’”

Beyond attendance, the programme has fostered strong community ties. They believe Tipuranga breaks down traditional school/home boundaries.

“We have had numerous whānau come into the programme to share their skills with us. One family came in to help us create pūrerehua (Māori musical instruments); while other whānau have come in to share taonga (precious treasures); and wider whānau attending excursions such as walks to learn local stories about our environment.

“With numerous takiwātanga and neurodiverse ākonga with additional learning needs, Tipuranga has created an inclusive learning environment that is geared toward positive associations for schooling and learning.”