Waimarino teachers first Te Rangakura graduates

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 10, Issue 465, 8 December 1992, Page 5

Waimarino teachers first Te Rangakura graduates

Waimarino primary school teachers Agnes Mareikura and Colleen Hansen are among the first in New Zealand to graduate with a Diploma of Teaching for Primary Schools from Te Rangakura - Bilingual, Bicultural Teacher Training Programme. They were among seven graduating at the Wanganui Regional Community Polytechnic last week. The course is the first outside New Zealand's colleges of education to offer a teacher training programme. It comes under the polytechnic' s M aori S tudies Department Programme and is an iwi initiative run in partnership with the Whanganui River Maori Trust Board. Both Waimarino teachers have been working for several years towards the qualification, and will now work for one year as teachers before becoming registered. Agnes will teach at the new Kura Kaupapa school

based at Maungarongo Marae, which starts up in 1993. Colleen is still to finalise plans for her 1993 teaching year. Both express thanks to the many people who helped them in their stud-

ies, especially Biddy Mareikura at the Manu Kohanga Reo at Maungarongo Marae. The two Waimarino teachers were also presented with Kiwisport teacher's certificates.