
"Mehemea ka moemoeā ahau, ko ahau anake. Mehemea ka moemoeā tātou, ka taea e tātou"
" If I am to dream, I dream alone. If we all dream together then we shall achieve".
- Te Kirihaehae Te Puea Herangi (1883 - 1952)
Working together to grow our learners and community
Our Kāhui Ako schools will work together in a collaborative way with students, parents, whānau and community to accomplish the achievement goals.
All ākonga attending a school in our Kāhui Ako will receive quality teaching and support to achieve the expected progress.
Working together to grow our Learners and our Community
The Māori name “Waiuku” comes from a legend that two prominent brothers, Tamakae and Tamakou, vied for the hand of a beautiful high-ranking Waikato chieftainess. Tamakae washed in the wai (water) and uku (a white mud) of the stream that flows into the Manukau Harbour, before he met her. Tamakae won her heart and married her. From then on, the place was named Waiuku.
The local Iwi of Waiuku or mana whenua of Waiuku is Te Iwi o Ngāti Te Ata Waiohua. A striking statue of Tamakae stands in the township, carved from swamp kauri logs found during some excavation work at New Zealand Steel and gifted to the local iwi, Ngati Te Ata.
Waiuku came into existence as a port in about 1843, and an important trade route between Auckland and the agricultural area of the Waikato. Waiuku later grew as a farming centre and from 1914, it has been a town district of Franklin with now approximately 8,000 people.
A major development for the town was New Zealand's first steel plant at Glenbrook to convert iron sand brought from the black sand deposits at Waikato Heads into steel. The company continues to be a major employer in and influence on the town.
English is the most commonly spoken language in Waiuku, spoken by virtually the entire population.
The group of schools that comprise the Waiuku Kāhui Ako is centred on Waiuku with all schools being within close proximity. These schools have similar demographic characteristics which reflect their local communities.
A high number of children entering primary school have participated in early childhood education, 95.5% of Māori students, 91.4% of Pasifika students and 95.6% European/Pakeha students.
The ethnic makeup of Waiuku is European 62.6% ; Māori 26.4%, Asian 4.4%, Pasifika 3.8% and 2.1% other ethnicities.
Schools in the Waiuku Community of Learning have a significant Māori roll (21%) when compared to the national average (15%) and smaller than the national average Pasifika roll (6%) when compared with the national average (20%).
Together we can achieve things that we cannot achieve alone