INDEPENDENT NEWS

Māori Party Welcomes Puāwaitanga Scholarships

Published: Tue 4 Dec 2012 01:25 PM
MEDIA STATEMENT
Te Ururoa Flavell
MP for Waiariki
Tuesday 4th December 2012
Māori Party Welcomes Puāwaitanga Scholarships
The Māori Party is proud to support more educational opportunities for our rangatahi – the latest announcement from Dr Pita Sharples that there will be ninety scholarships established for students attending Māori Boarding School is excellent news that supports our vision for education.
“We are extremely pleased that these scholarships have been put in place. Māori boarding schools have a long and proud history which stems back over a century,” says Te Ururoa Flavell.
“All of them were established at some point in the 1800s as a means of providing education for Māori students. They were private boarding schools, so they could take pupils from right across Aotearoa.”
“These schools have been known to provide an environment that fosters academic excellence, as well as cultural and social leadership. Many whānau have had multiple generations of kuia, koro, aunties, uncles, nieces and nephews attend these schools so there is also a deep element of feeling and legacy attached to them.”
“Alongside our wharekura and other secondary schools, they provide yet another quality option for the education of our rangatahi.”
“We are pleased to see that the focus of these scholarships will be on leadership and achievement – our kids need to be recognised for their skills. They also need support and motivation to achieve their goals. These scholarships will provide for that. It signals a change in focus on to student achievement rather than on a deficit model of students falling through the cracks.”
“We are also pleased that each school will have the ability to develop the other criteria for the scholarships that fit within the special character of their kura.”
“We are extremely proud to support this scholarship initiative. As an ex-Tip boy, I would also like us to remember the contribution of schools like St Stephen’s, Queen Victoria and Te Waipounamu who were once a part of this fine group of secondary schools.”
ENDS

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