Charter 2023

Ki te moemoea ahau, ko ahau anake; ki te moemoea taatou, ka taea e taatou! (Naa Te Puea Herangi) Te Kura Kaupapa Maaori o Bernard Fergusson believes implicitly that when we work together, our tamariki can and will achieve!

Vision: Ka taea e taatou

Values: Mahia te mahi hei painga moo te iwi.

This tongi of Te Puea is the principle saying which re-enforces the following:
Manaakitia te iwi i.e. always provide hospitality (in the first instance for and to the people).
Whaangaihia te tangata i.e. the people must be fed no matter who they are or where they are from.
Kia mau ki te aroha me te rangimarie i.e. when all else fails, hold fast to the value of aroha, peace and good will.
Forced by Mahuta to take responsibility for the people and provide for their needs, coupled with her mother Tiahuia’s deathbed wish to care for the people, Te Puea worked tirelessly to uphold their demands.
As a landless people, all we had left was our faith that kept Waikato iwi strong. Waikato’s belief in this faith called Kīngitanga became its salvation.
(Interpretation given by Mamae Takerei, 17 October 2006)

Teaching and Learning Programme

Te Marautanga o Aotearoa is the curriculum framework that guides all teaching and learning. It is therefore, incumbent upon the kaiako to reference the document in all learning activities. Furthermore, the activities should:

  • Be authentic

  • Lay the foundations for further literacy and numeracy development.

  • Build strong moral character

  • Engender genuine concern for others

  • Contribute to personal prosperity and that of the whānau, hapuu, iwi and marae.

Our Tamariki

Most of our tamariki who enrol are graduates from Turangawaewae, Te Kaahu and Waikeri Kohanga Reo. On exit at Year 8, most of our tamariki enrol at Te Wharekura o Raakaumangamanga, Ngaa Taiaatea Wharekura and Te Wharekura o Kirikiriroa with a minority choosing the local secondary school or another in Hamilton.

Our Community

Te Kura Kaupapa Maaori o Bernard Fergusson is situated on the eastern bank of the Waikato River over the bridge from Ngaaruawaahia township. It is adjacent to Ngaaruawaahia High School and Tūrangawaewae Marae.
The kura community consists of parents and grandparents who have a long association with and hold steadfast allegiance to Tūrangawaewae Marae. Students come from a mixture of single and double income families, single and both-parent families.
The kura has access to community facilities such as Paterson Park playing fields and netball courts, the town swimming pool and library. The school has strong relationships with Tūrangawaewae Marae, three local koohanga reo, other local mainstream primary schools and the adjacent secondary mainstream school and two wharekura - Te Wharekura o Raakaumangamanga (Raahui Pookeka), Ngaa Taiaatea Wharekura (Kirikiriroa) and Te Wharekura o Kirikiriroa.
The primary feeders of tamariki to the kura are Tuurangawaewae, Te Kaahu, and Waikeri Koohanga Reo.
It is a strong desire of parents for the kura to support the Kiingitanga by:

  1. Providing support at poukai, koroneihana, tangihanga and other special events at Tuurangawaewae Marae;

  2. Attending similar functions at other Waikato Tainui marae;

  3. Imbuing the key principles of Kiingitanga throughout the curriculum; and

  4. Engaging with kaumaatua either at kura, or the marae, or elsewhere depending on the occasion and circumstances.