Nau mai, haere mai ki te Kura o Ōtaki
Te Kura o Ōtaki is a unique school nestled between te maunga o Tararua and Ōtaki Beach. The Ōtaki River and Mangapouri Stream protect us and give us life on each side. We are guided and uplifted by the tikanga of Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga.
We proudly offer two pathways to learning for our students. A total immersion reo Māori learning pathway and a bi-lingual learning pathway.
Our vision is to educate, challenge and inspire our children to be the best that they can be.
They are our leaders of tomorrow.
Ko ā tātou tamariki ngā rangatira ō āpōpō.
He kura motuhake Te Kura o Ōtaki e noho ana ki waenganui pū i te pae maunga o Tararua me te moana o Te Rau o te Rangi. Ka ora mātou i te mauri o ngā awa e tere nei ki ngā taha o te Kura, ara, ko Ōtaki awa, ko te Mangapouri manga ēra. Ka whaia e mātou ngā tikanga e hāngai pū ana ki te iwi nā rātou mātou i manaaki i roto i ngā tau, ara, ko Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga tēna.
E rua ngā ara ako kei tō mātou nei kura. Ko Te Korowai Whakamana - he whānau rūmaki i te reo Māori. Ko Ngāi Kete - he whānau ka ako ki roto i ngā reo e rua.
Ko tā mātou whainga matua ko te whakaako, ko te wero, ko te whakaohooho i a tātou tamariki kia eke rātou ki ngā taumata tiketike e tika ana mō rātou.
Ko ā tātou tamariki ngā rangatira ō āpōpō.
On the 23rd June we gathered as a community to celebrate Matariki. We shared karakia, waiata and offered our wishes to Hiwa-i-te-Rangi. We observed the rising of Matariki and blessed the names of our new Ngāi Kete classrooms. We shared breakfast together and shared our learning about Matariki.
Mānawatia a Matariki!!
Our Learning Pathways
In each of our learning pathways special emphasis is placed on catering for the individual needs of all students in our school community. The Ōtaki School curriculum therefore caters for all students inclusive of gender, ethnicity and ability. The teaching and learning reflects our lives here in Te Rohe o Ngāti Raukawa.
Te Korowai Whakamana is our total immersion unit which consists of four classes catering to students from Year 1 - 8. This pathway is for kōhanga reo graduates and whānau who would like their children to be educated in te reo Māori me ōna tikanga. After eight years in this programme, these talented high achievers graduate as fluent speakers, readers and writers of te reo.
Ngāi Kete
Ngāi Kete is our bilingual pathway which offers learning programmes in both English and Māori for students from Year 0 - 6. While the majority of the instruction is in English, there is a fair amount of te reo Māori spoken and taught in the class.
The classrooms in Ngāi Kete range from level 4 bilingual through to level 2 bilingual. In Level 2, the children are taught in Māori for between 51% and 80% of the time. Level 3 is between 31% and 50% teaching in Māori and Level 4 is between 12% and 30% teaching in Māori.
Te reo Māori me ōna tikanga play an important role in Ngāi Kete, while also embracing multi-culturalism, enjoying the richness and diversity presented by the many cultures here..
Ōtaki School Kapahaka Performances 2021
Kia Manawanui & Matariki
Te Korowai Whakamana 2021
Video credit: Emily Hakaraia & Co.
Video credit: Emily Hakaraia & Co.