Fear school zone will affect Māori community

Otago Daily Times

03-06-2025

The Māori community at a Dunedin secondary school says its looming enrolment zone will diminish the roots of an important cultural partnership.
Queen's High School has turned its roll around so drastically, the Ministry of Education is proposing an enrolment zone to limit its growth.
One of the reasons for that growth has been the success of the combined Queen's and King's High Schools' kapa haka group, He Waka Kōtuia, which has drawn Māori students from across Dunedin.
Now, group leaders Komene Cassidy, Cherie Ford, Angelina Kiore and Paulette Tamati-Elliffe fear Māori students outside the enrolment zone will miss out on a cultural experience they cannot experience elsewhere.
Mr Cassidy said no other school could presently provide the culturally informed experience the group offered.
Queen's had a strong connection with Ōtākou Marae and a lot of Māori peninsula whānau wanted to send their children to the school.
If the proposed home zone came into effect, it would take away an option Ōtākou Rūnaka whānau had had for years, Mr Cassidy said.
"That then becomes an issue for mana whenua and for us, and our ability to continue to support."
There was a concern that the relationship between the Ōtākou Rūnaka and the school was being overlooked and not valued as it deserved.
A line had been drawn in the sand that did not fit with the existing relationships between the school and its community, Mr Cassidy said.
"There's a lack of forethought about what the effects are going to be."
Mrs Ford said North Dunedin Māori whānau were also concerned their children would not be able to continue their learning down a te ao Māori pathway in a mainstream setting.
She had two sons who had grown up attending the bilingual classes at North East Valley School and Dunedin North Intermediate School.
"[Families] are very concerned that the students have had eight years in a te ao Māori-focused setting and then where do they send them from there.
"For many of them, they already have connections to He Waka Kotuia and they would like their students to come out this way."
Queen's High School Māori prefect Jade Taani stands centre stage in front of He Waka Kōtuia as they pūkana. Photo: Peter McIntosh
The support from the school for the He Waka Kotuia programme had enabled it to grow and be successful, she said.
The school had one of the biggest Māori rolls in Dunedin, with 142 enrolled Māori students in 2024.
Queen's High School Māori prefects Jade Taani, 17, and Mahinārangi Maihi, 18, both chose to go to Queen's because of He Waka Kōtuia.
Mahinārangi said growing up, it had been a goal for her to go to Queen's and be a part of the group.
"If it didn't work out I would be like extremely upset."
The connections the students in the group made with each other were different from the ones they made in class, she said.
"It's more than just a kapa haka group.
"It's a safe space to be Māori."
During her time at Queen's the group had grown into a big family, Mahinārangi said.
"If I didn't have this I wouldn't be who I am today."
Jade said the group had helped her stay in school and stay connected to her culture.
She used to attend a bilingual class with Mr Cassidy every Tuesday and he helped her develop a passion for kapa haka.
The group helped her understand what was happening in politics from a Māori perspective, she said.
It would be a lot harder for her to connect with the Māori side of her identity without being a part of the group.
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