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See below for English translation
I whakarewangia te kaupapa ko Te Āhuru Mōwai i ngā tau e rua tekau kua pahemo.
He ahakoa tēnā, kai te ia o te awa ia e tere tonu ana. He kaupapa manaaki, he kaupapa kauawhi i ngā māmā rangatahi kia eke ai rātou ki ngā taumata o te mātauranga o te ao hou nō rātou e poipoi pēpi tonu ana.
E rua tekau mā wha ngā whare pēnei i tēnei puta noa te motu he kaupapa i whakaarangia hai whakamana i ngā māmā katahi nei ka puta i te kura tuarua rānei ko ngā māmā kai te kura tuarua tonu e ako ana.
Ko te whāinga mātua kia pakari ake ai ōu rātou mātauranga ki a kāua rawa e wetekina ou rātou aka matua ki te ao hou. Ka rua, hei kōhanga e ako ai ngā māmā rangatahi ki te whakapakari i ou rātou mōhiohio ki te whāngai ki te kauawhi me te whakatupu i tā rātou pēpi.
Ko Anahera Katipa te Pou Mātangirua nō te rua mano kotahi tekau mā iwa tēnei tūnga ki a ia, hai tāna kai te whakamiharo rawa atu ngā poumahi katoa ki ngā māmā nei, e tiaki pēpi e ako ana i te wā kotahi.
"E noho takakau ana te nuinga o ēnei māmā, e noho ana me tō rātou hoa tāne i ētehi taimā, engari ko te mea nui kua pirangi rātou ki a hoki atu ki te kura, ako ai, he ahakoa kai te kahakina ētehi ko te mana o te mahi kai te whakaotia e rātou, rangatira ana!
He kaha katoa nō rātou ki te amo tangata, ko te māuri o tēnei kura he mea ngāwari nā reira e taea ki a Māori noa ai te tuku i tō rātou wairua.
Tokorima ngā pou mahi o tēnei whare. E haumarungia ana mātou e te kura o ngā kōhine. Ko ngā poumahi ko Natasha Rogers, ko Kate Feisst, ko Olivia Gibbons, ko Amadia Didsbury, ko Liz Pitman. E rua tekau ngā tau ēnei tangata e whakapau kaha ana ko te kaupapa te take, kāore he paku aha ki a rātou te mahi, me he tangata hautū waka, he mahi pepa, ka tere oti i a rātou me he tī!
"E pūare ana ngā tatau ki ngā māmā kotahi tekau mā iwa te pakeke iti iho me e hapū ana te wahine, me e tiaki pēpi rānei ia, me te nui hoki o ngā mātanga kai kōnei e tatari ana ki te amo ki te whakamāhea ngā tini taumahatanga kai ngā pokowhiwhi o ēnei māmā. Pouārahi mai, nāhi mai otīā he mātanga whakatakoto rautaki ki a anga atu ai te hiahia o te ngākau ki tāna e pirangatia.
"Nō te tau kua pahemo ai i whakanuia te ekenga o tēnei kaupapa ki te taumata e rua tekau o ngā tau te pakeke, hoki mai ai ngā tauira tawhito me te pouako tuturu.
Ko Barbara Stewart me te tini noa atu o ngā pouako me ngā tauira kua whakatata mai i ngā tau kua hipa noa atu'.
Hai tā Anahera kī i whakaarangia tēnei kaupapa e tētehi kōmiti itiiti ko Sandy Hall te ūpoko kākā, ara anō ētehi atu tangata mana nui, wheoi ano whāia rawangia ai tēnei kaupapa i te terenga o te kaupapa Teen Parent Unit i Te Whanganui-a-Tara.'
Ka kitea e rātou e tika ana tēnei kaupapa ki te puku o Rotorua. Kai te piki ake ngā māmā rangatahi engari anō te hiahia o ēnei māmā ki a mau tonu i a rātou ngā ringaringa ki te aka o te mātauranga. Kua kitea e rātou te rawe o te ao hou, engari me pēwhea e māia ai tō rātou whatumanawa whaihoki me kaha hoki rātou ki te whakatakoto hua hai painga mō rātou otīā me tā rātou pēpi.
Ko te tāhūhū o te mātauranga te puna awhina e rewa ai tēnei waka i ngā ngaru tukituki o te wā. He rerekē ngā whāinga tawhiti, whāinga pakupaku nei ki ia tauira.
Ko te nuinga e aro tika ana kia oti pai i a rātou te taumata tuatoru o te NCEA, ā, kātahi te hiahia ki a hau noa atu ki te mahi, rānei he whakawhanake i tō rātou puna mātauranga. 'Ko ā mātou noa, he kauāwhi, he ārahi, he manaaki i a rātou ā māmā nei ā wāhine rangatahi nei.'
Ae, kua hinga ētehi o ngā māmā nā te māuiui korona, na te māuiui urutā he wehi nō rātou ki tēnei māuiui taumaha, engari ko te nuinga kai te kaha whakapono mai ki te hiahia o tō rātou whatumanawa.
He mōhio hoki nō Anahera ko te hīkoinga tuatahi te mea uaua, wheoi anō hai tāna, e pūare ana ngā tatau ki ngā tini tangata katoa. Kai Toi Ohomai tēnei wānanga e tū ana, nō reira e te tini, e te iti, e te rahi, e te hunga whakamā, nau mai, haere mai.
E mihi ana.
—Na Raimona Inia tenei purongo i whakamaori.
More than 20 years after its inception as Rotorua School for Young Parents, Te Āhuru Mōwai is still going strong in Rotorua, supporting teen māmā to achieve educational goals while raising babies.
Te Āhuru Mōwai is one of 24 Teen Parent Units throughout the country enabling young parents to access education in an environment that understands their needs and supports the whole person — basically high school for teen māmā; supporting young mothers to complete their NCEA Levels and transition into further study or work whilst also being supported on their parenting journey.
Anahera Katipa — Pou Mātangirua since 2019, said the staff are amazed and proud of the girls; teenagers, full-time mothers and full-time students.
"They are often living independently, dealing with relationships, and the fact that they have chosen to get to school, that they can and do produce quality work, albeit at a slower pace, is admirable.
"They support each other and appreciate being treated as the responsible adults that they are. For them our kura is a place where they can be themselves, judgment-free.
"We have a team of five like-minded teachers, and we operate under host school Rotorua Girls' High. The staff are Natasha Rogers, Kate Feisst, Olivia Gibbons, Amadia Didsbury, and Liz Pitman who has been with the kaupapa for 20 years, as admin support and van driver.
"We can take students aged 19 and under who are hapū or have baby in their care.
"We have awesome wrap-around care with counsellors available, an amazing nurse, and a coach to support those looking to transition.
"Last year we celebrated the 20-year reunion with founding students and teacher in charge, Barbara Stewart, alongside current staff and students and all those who have been part of the kura over that 20-year period."
Anahera said the kura was the vision of a steering committee driven by Sandy Hall and local educational leaders, having followed the establishment of the first Teen Parent Unit in Wellington.
"They saw a great need in Rotorua, with our high teen pregnancy rate, for a chance for young parents to continue their education with a group that have so many shared experiences. They develop confidence in their abilities, their worldview widens and so do their choices and future outcomes."
The kura is fully funded by the Ministry of Education and most of the students also access Young Parent Payments as education is one of their obligations.
Students have their own personal and educational long and short term goals, said Anahera.
Most aim to complete NCEA to Level 3 and move into full-time work or further education.
"Our goal is to support them in that journey which is twofold — as mothers and young wāhine."
The kura has lost a few students due to Covid fears for their babies and staff feel the enrolments have been impacted also but would love to see more students make the most of this truly worthwhile opportunity.
Anahera understands that taking that first step is always the hardest but urges anyone interested to come visit the school, now based at Toi Ohomai, and see if it is a fit for them.
E mihi ana
A woman, 25, has been charged with assault.