Wairere Ako
Wairere Ako
We support and advocate for ākonga and whānau success within the education system.
Wairere Ako launched in 2021 in response to the growing need for more effective relationships between whānau and schools.
While schools voiced difficulty getting consistent engagement from whānau of ākonga Māori, whānau voiced frustration with an education system they felt left them marginalised and consistently on the fringe.
Whānau wanted an avenue to communicate with schools on their terms and in a supportive way.
Wairere Ako has more than 80 families engaged, working toward a better school experience for their families. The support we offer may include helping parents better understand their child’s learning needs, helping families with budgeting advice or even offering support for whānau going through the disciplinary process.
While whānau started off as the focus for Wairere Ako, a more hands-on function to support individual pupils in the classroom has been added to the service.
Unlike the traditional teacher aide system, Wairere Ako brings kaupapa Māori mentoring to the fore and a specific focus on our tamariki Māori who aren’t able to access specialist funding for support.
For many of our ākonga Māori, support is needed in the classroom but many are ineligible to meet funding standards, there is still a great need for a consistent level of support alongside them in the classroom with a kaupapa Māori lens.
Our team fills this gap, by supporting tamariki to flourish, socially, academically and culturally to raise their confidence and help unlock their full potential.