Who we are

Our Pouwhenua

Our college firmly stands on its pouwhenua: our core purpose, our vision, and our values.

Our pouwhenua are important to us because they:

 

  • provide a focus for all aspects of the school’s life by saying what we stand for and what we
    aspire to be.
  • inform our planning, and where we should be putting our resources – they are our
    foundation for actions that will lead to ongoing school improvement.
  • clarify and prioritise the role and work of each individual.
  • help us to express our shared beliefs and understanding of what the school is for, and to
    develop a common language to achieve this.
  • are a statement of our way of being, of who we are to the wider community.

Core purpose – Pouwhenua te Koronga
Ad Altiora; Mauri Ora!

(translated to ‘Towards higher things; have life and flourish!’)

‘Ad Altiora’ was bestowed upon the college when it opened in 1958, and served as its motto. Along with the crest, a winged bolt leading towards the stars, it was described at the time as ‘This represents a constant striving for higher things – for knowledge, for truth, for wisdom, for peace on earth.’

When we reset our pouwhenua in 2020, we decided to add ‘Mauri Ora’ to balance the aspiration with our desire to flourish – in other words, we want to achieve higher things in order to live life to the fullest and be all that we can be.

    Vision – Pouwhenua Tūrua Pō
    Building an engaged, empowered, and flourishing learning community that knows no limits, and where we honour ourselves, each other, and the world around us.

     

    ‘Engaged’ – because it is more than just turning up and being here. It is about connection, active involvement, commitment, being motivated and intent.

    ‘Empowered’, because we want all in this kura to have the capacity to make sound choices and decisions, about having control over themselves and their future, about self-responsibility, self-management, and not be rootless or lacking purpose.

    ‘Flourishing’, because we want all in this learning community to do more than just grow. Most plants will grow with a bit of water and sunshine. Most young people will grow in their learning every year without much effort – and without teachers for that matter. But to flourish – well, that speaks about quite a bit more, and demands a quite a bit more. This is about being the best you can be, about thriving, about character, about wellbeing, about being ‘in your element’.

    ‘No Limits’ because being in Marton at a small rural school is a huge advantage, and is not a barrier to providing opportunities to go wherever you want. To dream dreams, to be extended and believe in yourself.

    A ‘learning community’ because we are all in this together. This is not just about students. This is about all of us: students, staff, Board members, whānau and others. And learning means finding out new stuff, it means trying new ways to do things better, and it means we will make mistakes along the way. It means that our understanding of learning and teaching will continue to grow as the world around us continues to change.

    And we want to ‘honour ourselves’ – because without that we have no self-respect, no self-esteem, no dignity; ‘honour each other’ because we live in community and to thrive in community we must recognise – and seek – the good in other people, treat them with respect, with kindness, to be mana enhancing. And finally ‘honour the world around us’ – our physical world, our social world, our cultural world. We are not an island, disconnected from our wider environment.

    Values – Pouwhenua Ngā Mea Matapopore

    Respect / Kauanuanu
    Endeavour / Takakawe
    Aroha
    Perseverance / Māia

    Respect is about honouring others, behaving appropriately, being non-prejudiced, and considerate to all.

    Endeavour is about trying hard, about realising potential, about being the best we can be. It reflects an intention to ‘be excellent’ – being excellent in our efforts, no matter our ability.

    Aroha is about how we relate to others, and thinking beyond oneself. It is about showing compassion and empathy, being kind, and seeking the best for other people.

    And perseverance is all about sticking at something, not giving up, reaching towards a goal, overcoming barriers and setbacks, building resilience, and stretching oneself.

    The first letter of these values together make REAP – we reap what we sow.

    Notes on te reo translation (Mike Paki, Ngāti Apa)

    Kauanuanu means a number of things: awe inspiring, awesome, amazing, impressive, but also respect. It is the last part which convinced me that it is the right word. As a part of the meaning of this word is the theme of deference, or humility whilst at the same time being strong in the knowledge of their abilities. I have an expectation that the students of your school will be leaders in their own right, and by being kauanuanu, they are able to be all of those things – awe inspiring etc, whilst at the same time being role models for others, giving respect when respect is due, but also being respected.

    Takakawe is a verb used to encourage people to strive forward, persist, try hard in their endeavours, and like the above, it ties everything together nicely. By encouraging our students to keep going, to chase their dreams and aspirations, and never give up, they grow stronger.

    Māia is a quality that we all aspire to in our many dealings throughout life, it represents courage, resilience and the ability to follow your path regardless of the barriers that may be put in front of you. We have a saying, ‘Kia kaha, kia māia, kia manawanui’, which roughly translates to ‘Be strong, be brave and courageous, be stout-hearted” and is a call to keep going despite everything, to persevere even when the road is difficult.