Te Ao Māori

Tō Mātou Wāhi, Our Place

At Te Kura Tuarua o Te Awakairangi (Hutt Valley High School), we acknowledge the local iwi Te Ātiawa upon whose land the kura sits. Our awa – Te Awakairangi is our boundary and links us to Te Whangaui-a-tara. We are offered protection by the maunga and landmarks surrounding us – Pukeatua, Pukeariki, Tararua, Remutaka, Ōrongorongo and Matairangi.

Hotuwaipara, Our Marae 

The Hutt Valley High School marae was given the name Hotuwaipara by the late Jock McEwan and the late Sir Ralph Makere Love of Te Atiawa.

The archway seen on the front of the school marae was carved in 2004-2005 by Terry Deverall and Year 10 students studying Māori. It features Hotuwaipara at the top, Whatonga on the left and Tara on the right. The two figures seen on the carving represent Graeme Marshall, a former Principal at Hutt Valley High School who established the marae, and Hine Amoamo, a long-standing Māori language teacher on the right.

Hotuwaipara is used for various purposes, including as a learning space, for hui (meeting), āhuareka (celebration) and as a safe space for tauira.

Ō Mātou Mātāpono, Our Values

Our school values are:

• He kura Rāhiri (we are welcoming) 
• He kura Ngākaunui (we are kind)
• He kura Manawaroa (we persevere)
• He kura Eke Taumata (we achieve our goals)

Ko Tātou, Our People

Pūwaha

Pūwaha is our staff rōpū to support our Māori ākonga, and all things Māori within our kura.  Pūwaha’s focus is for Māori students to be engaged and experiencing learning environments that are inclusive and reflect them as Māori.  Pūwaha meets in Hotuwaipara, our school marae.

2024 Māori Student Leaders – Māori Leadership Committee

Our Māori Student Leaders run many school events celebrating and uplifting Te Ao Māori. Events include Te Wiki o te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week), Kī-o-rahi competitions, Matariki, and presenting at Hutt Valley High School’s Te Whānau a Hotuwaipara Awards.

Previous projects undertaken by our Māori Student Leaders include Otago University’s focus group researching school uniforms and wrote a submission in response to Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Authority consultation on He Tohu Huarahi Māori bilingual traffic signs.

The seven students in our 2024 Māori Leadership Committee are Mila Haami, Ava Kirk, Matiu Lowrie-Ronson, Eden Pākai, Wade Ronson, Māia Waldegrave and Macy Warbrick.

2025 Māori Student Leader

Congratulations to Māia Waldegrave who has been appointed as Māori Leader for 2025.

Te Pae Kōrero, Our Community

Hutt Valley High School values relationships with whānau and our community. To maintain these relationships we hold a whānau hui each term where kaiako and whānau are able to discuss up and coming events, initiatives in the school for tauira and any changes we can make to help our tauira succeed while they are here.

Te Ao Māori Learning Area

The Te Ao Māori Learning Area is one of nine Learning Areas at Hutt Valley High School. The following Te Ao Māori subjects are available to study in 2024:

• Te Reo Māori in Years 9, 10, 11, 12 & 13
• Te Ao Haka in Years 10, 11, 12 & 13
• Te Āra in Year 11, 12 & 13
• Māori Creative Arts (Toi) in Years 12 & 13

Outside of the classroom learning opportunities include:

• Māori Student Leadership Days
• Ngā Manu Kōrero Speech Competition
• Kapa Haka

Te Whānau a Hotuwaipara Awards

Each year in Term 4, Te Kura Tuarua o Te Awakairangi celebrates the success of our Māori ākonga across a range of areas including manaakitanga, hākinakina, toi, kapa haka, tikanga and mātauranga at the Te Whānau a Hotuwaipara Awards.

Special congratulations to the following students acknowledged at the event on 26 October 2023:

• Mia Brown (13EV) – Aronga Matauranga Tau 13 Taitamahine (Top Year 13 Female Academic)
• Zack Roberts (13LN) – Aronga Matauranga Tau 13 Tane (Top Year 13 Male Academic)
• Coco Holland-Waterson (10SAWL) – Taitamahine Teina (Outstanding Female Junior Student)
• Kaitoro Walker (10LMMO) – Tamatane Teina (Outstanding Male Junior Student)
• Allie Knox (13EV) – Taitamahine Tuakana (Outstanding Female Senior Student)
• Faenza Snowden (13EV) – Tane Tuakana (Outstanding Male Senior Student)

Māori Student Leadership Days

Māori Student Leadership Days focus on building our tauira into engaged and active members of the community. Breakouts throughout these days can focus on leadership, mentoring (tuakana-teina), resilience, perseverance and planning events for the kura. Tauira has the opportunity to engage with many kaiako and facilitators throughout these days. Hutt Valley High School aims to hold one of these per term.

For more information contact Deputy Principal, Grace Wright at grace.wright@hvhs.school.nz

Kapa Haka

Te Rōpū Kapa Haka o Te Awakairangi is the Hutt Valley High School Kapa Haka. The group is comprised of students from Year 9-13 and is open to all students from all cultures. For more information, please contact Krystal Clarke at krystal.clarke@hvhs.school.nz

Our Haka and Waiata

Our Waiata

E Tipu was composed in 2017 by students Tane Rolfe, Grace Tafili, Meli Pitolua and Gian Domdom. The words were selected by Ben Ngaia.

Our Haka

Moe Araara was composed by former HVHS student Ben Ngaia and choreographed by the students of Hutt Valley High School.

Download a printed copy of Moe Araara and E Tipu (PDF)

Watch one of the first public performances of the HVHS haka and waiata here