Kua puta te whakatau a Te Minita Take Mātauranga a Chris Hipkins, he tekau miriona tāra ka tuku ki Te Wharekura o Ngāti Rongomai ki Rotorua kia whai whare pūmau, otirā ka tū hei wharekura motuhake.
Tekau tau e pakanga ana, ināianei kua tū motuhake ai Te Wharekura o Ngāti Rongomai.
“Kua ea, e taea noatia e au me taku rangatira a Renata te kī ake, kua mana, kua mana te kura.”
Kua whakamanatia Te Wharekura o Ngāti Rongomai hei kura pūāhua motuhake. Hei tā Tukiterangi Curtis, i ngā tau tekau ki mua i te mimiti haere ngā puna reo ki Ngāti Rongomai.
“He whāngai i te reo Māori, te reo rangatira o te whenua, ki roto i waku tamariki o Ngāti Rongomai, ka mutu ko te poutokomanawa o tō mātau nā kura o te reo.”
Nō te tau 2008 timata ai te kura i raro i te maru o Te Wharekura o Te Kaokaoroa o Pātetere. Hei tā Curtis, tēnei mea te pūtea tautoko, he āhuatanga hou ki a rātau.
“Ka hikina ka riakina ake ai i ngā taumahatanga, i ngā pōharatanga, ka mutu ka kite atu i te menemene pea i runga i te kanohi o ngā tamariki me te kite atu i wētahi o ngā rauemi e manakotia ana e māua ko taku rangatira a Renata kia hokona atu mā ngā tamariki.”
Ko ngā whānau katoa o te kura nei he uri nā te tipuna Rākeiao, koia ko ngā uri whakaheke o Ngāti Rongomai.
“Me āta manaaki i ngā pua hekehekenga iho o ōku tūpuna kia whāngai ake i te ao Māori, i tupu ai matomato ai i ōku tūpuna ki ngā uri whakaheke o tēnei ao mārama ināianei.”
Hei tā Tukiterangi Curtis, ināianei ka tarea te whakatū i ētahi akomanga hou hei whakawhanake i te āhuru mātauranga mō ngā tauira.