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At Te Puna Reo o Te Waonui a Tāne, we see our learning community as a living ngahere. Tamariki are the seeds, each full of mana and potential. Whānau are the rich soil, grounding these seeds in whakapapa, aroha, and identity. Kaiako are the nurturers, offering mātauranga, care, and guidance so each seed can flourish.
Guided by the whakataukī “Kotahi karihi nāna i ruia te wao nui a Tāne” — one seed sown gave rise to the great forest of Tāne — we honour the mana of every child, every relationship, and every contribution to shape the strength of our collective ngahere. As each tamaiti grows, they become part of the strength of our ngahere and in turn, kaitiaki of its future.
No matter your whakapapa or where your journey into Te Ao Māori begins, all who enter our puna are welcomed, valued, and supported as part of this growing ecosystem. This inclusiveness and celebration of diversity is at the heart of our kaupapa.
I Te Puna Reo o Te Waonui a Tāne, ka titiro mātou ki tō mātou hapori ako me he ngahere ora. Ko ngā tamariki ngā kākano, kī tonu ana i te mana me te pitomata. Ko ngā whānau te oneone haumako, e karapoti ana i ngā kākano ki ōna whakapapa, ki te aroha, me tōna tuakiritanga. Ko ngā kaiako ngā kaipoipoi, e whāngai ana i te mātauranga, te manaakitanga, me te aratakitanga, kia puāwai ai ia kākano.
He mea ārahi e te whakataukī "Kotahi karihi nāna I ruia te wao nui a Tāne" - nā te ruinga o te kākano kotahi i hua ake ai ko te wao nui a Tāne – e whakamānawa ana mātou i te mana o ia tamaiti, o ia hononga, ā, o ia takohatanga ki te whakaahua I te pakari o tō tātou ngahere. Ka tipu haere ana ia tamaiti, ko rātou hoki ka whāngai i te pakari o tō tātou ngahere, ā, ka noho ai hei kaitiaki o tōna anamata.
Ahakoa tō whakapapa, te āhua rānei o tō haerenga i te ao Māori, katoa ka tomo mai ki tō mātou puna ka whakatauhia, ka wāriutia, ā, ka tautokona i roto i tēnei pūnaha hauropi e tipu ana. Ko tēnei momo kauawhitanga, whakanuitanga hoki o te kanorautanga, ka noho ki te iho o tā tatou kaupapa.
Our values are lived every day through the way we care for one another, build relationships, and honour identity. We are guided by manaakitanga, whanaungatanga, kaitiakitanga, and aroha — values that uphold the mana of each individual and strengthen our collective. Te reo Māori is central to our daily life, a living taonga that connects us to our tūpuna and nourishes our mahi like sunlight and rain. Through playful, holistic learning, we nurture confidence, curiosity, and pride in every tamaiti.
We draw from the mātauranga of our tūpuna through reo, waiata, pūrākau, and connection with Papatūānuku, weaving together the voices of the past, present, and future to grow a sense of belonging that transcends time.
Our puna is a whare wānanga, a place of transformation, grounded in real relationships with people and place. As tamariki grow within Te Waonui a Tāne, they are supported to explore, discover, and take pride in who they are, standing tall and confident in their reo, their tikanga, and their role as future kaitiaki for Te Ao Māori.
Ka whakatinanahia ō mātou uara i ia rā, mā roto I te manaaki a tētahi i tētahi, te whakawhanaungatanga, me te whakanui i te tuakiri o ia tangata. E arahina ana mātou e te manaakitanga, te whanaungatanga, te kaitiakitanga, me te aroha — he uara e hiki ana i te mana o tēnā, o tēnā, ā, e whakakaha ana i tō mātou kotahitanga. Ko te reo Māori kei te iho o te ia rā, he
taonga tuku iho e hono ana i a tātou ki ō tātou tūpuna, ā, he mea whakakīkī i ā mātou mahi, pēnei i te rā me te ua e whakatipu ana i te tipu. Mā te ako ngahau, te ako torowhānui hoki, ka whakatipu mātou i te māia, te pākiki, me te whakahī o ia tamaiti.
Ka tō mātou i ngā mātauranga o ō mātou tupuna mā roto mai i te reo, i ngā waiata, ngā pūrākau, me te hononga ki a Papatūānuku, e tuitui tahi ana I ngā reo o te onamata, te inamata, me te anamata ki te poipoi i te noho huānga mauroa.
Ko tō mātou puna he whare wānanga, he whare whakaumu, ko tōna tūāpapa ko ngā hononga pūmau ki ngā tāngata me ngā wāhi. Ka pakeke haere ana ngā tamariki i roto o Te Waonui a Tāne, ka tautokona rātou ki te toro, ki te tūhura me te tū whakahīhī i ō rātou tuakiritanga, te tū māia i te wāhi ki ō rātou reo, ā rātou tikanga me te wāhi ki a rātou hei kaitiaki o te ao Māori hei te anamata.
We are proud to be a pouaka kai (lunch box) centre. This promotes independence as well as encourages self-help skills in preparation for kura. We encourage families to make healthy food choices and ensure their child’s pouaka kai (lunch box) meets centre guidelines as well as Ministry of Health criteria for Early Learning Services.
We are committed to follow the aspirations of the New Zealand National ECE Curriculum, Te Whāriki. Te Whāriki envisages kaiako in early learning settings working in partnership with parents, whānau and community to realise this vision. The expectation is that, in their early years, children will experience a curriculum that empowers them as lifelong learners, right from their early exploration of the world around them, through to preparation for kura.
