After a decade of taking care of children after school, Te Aka Charitable Trust, based in Flaxmere, has now turned to increasing literacy and numeracy inside the classroom.
Its iwi and education initiative in conjunction with the Ministry of Education (MOE) focuses not only on lifting achievement in the Maori language but English as well.
"MOE came to us because of our already established links in the community," says Te Aka co-founder Alayna Hokianga.
"It enables teachers to be helped in the classroom as well as the students to tackle subjects that they find challenging or tough to understand."
The new initiative started in July this year and is aimed at the primary and intermediate age groups, with students able to have a mentor to help them in the classroom.