Māori and Pasifika at Scots

We achieve this by: 

• Setting and monitoring achievement targets for Māori and Pasifika learners. 

• Providing support for Māori and Pasifika learners to meet their individual learning goals. 

• Providing opportunities for Scots College, its students, teachers, and wider community to engage culturally with Māori and Pasifika learners.

The Scots Board and Senior Management are committed to their Treaty of Waitangi obligations as a College in including Māoritanga at all levels of learning at Scots College.

Te Reo Māori in the Curriculum 

Junior School (Years 1-6)

As an IB school, which delivers the Primary Years Programme (PYP), all students in the Junior School participate in Te Reo as one of their specialist subjects. Te Reo Māori is taught as a multidisciplinary subject in which students develop an understanding of Māori culture and language by being respectful to the Tangata Whenua, the indigenous people of Aotearoa, New Zealand. The resurgence of the Māori language, culture, and people is a shared responsibility for all who reside in New Zealand, under Te Tiriti o Waitangi.  

Students in our Junior School learn a range of new Māori vocabulary and protocols, karakia (prayer), waiata (song), and everyday commands in an interactive and respectful way. Students use online Māori language programmes, Haka, music, and Māori art concepts to assist them in their learning journey. Vocabulary acquisition includes counting, place names, colours, knowledge of the Māori calendar, body parts, NZ geography, Mihimihi, and whānau connections. Students become risk takers as they gain new vocabulary and take responsible risks in trying to learn a new language. Te Reo Māori is encouraged to be spoken at home, in class with peers, and within the wider Scots Community. 

Middle School (Years 7-10) 

Te Reo Māori is an important part of our IB Schools Middle Years Programme (MYP) Languages Programme for students in the Middle School.  

Under MYP, all languages are approached as more than just a system to be explained. They are considered as our most important link to the world around us. The study of Te Reo Māori in the Middle School provides students with the opportunity to develop unique insights into language and culture,   

Students in Year 7 are given the opportunity to examine how language, culture, customs, and family shape their identity. For Years 8-10, knowledge and insights will be built on, and students’ learning will be enriched with performance opportunities both in and out of school, as well as workshops from members of the Te Ao Haka community.  

Senior School (Years 11-13) 

Our Year 11 programme includes the option of a full year Te Ao Haka course, which provides students with opportunities to engage in Māori culture, language, and traditional practice.  

In Years 12 and 13, we offer Te Ao Haka as an NCEA Level 2 and 3 option, providing students with access to Te Reo Māori, which they may not have previously had, and facilitating learning about reo a-waha as well as reo a-tinana. For more information, please browse the Senior School Curriculum Handbook.

Meet The Team

Emerson Nikora
Teacher of Te Reo Māori (Language and Culture)
DipEd (Prim); BEd; DipPE
Email: nikorae@scotscollege.school.nz

Emerson has previously taught at Te Puna Reo o nga Kakano, a Māori based Early Childhood centre to Year 13 as a release Teacher in Aotearoa, and in NZ Schools and the UK. Much of his teacher experience is in Primary Schools as a Kaiako of Māori language and culture. Emerson’s experience is also based in emotional literacy with teenage students. For Emerson, the decision to teach Te Reo Māori and culture here at Scots was based on genuine and honest conversations with the Principals of the Junior School. Their korero centred on Scots long term vision of strengthening Māori language throughout the College. Ako in Māori means to teach as well as learn. Emerson describes his responsibility as a Kaiako is to provide engaging and interesting programmes for students of all levels in Te Reo Māori. The motivation and passion to teach his culture derives from Te Atiawa and Maniapoto Whakapapa, and also a personal educational goal of supporting and protecting an essential cultural taonga in Aotearoa.