Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Heywood Kuka appointed principal for Te Wharekura o Mauao

Bay of Plenty Times
16 Feb, 2018 02:00 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Te Wharekura o Mauao's new principal Matua Heywood Kuka. Photo/Supplied

Te Wharekura o Mauao's new principal Matua Heywood Kuka. Photo/Supplied

Mātua Heywood Kuka has been appointed Te Wharekura o Mauao's new principal.

Kuka will replace Mātua Koa Douglas, who stepped down as principal of the Māori immersion school in October last year.

The new principal has been with the wharekura since its inception in 2010 and was previously associate principal.

"I'm extremely honoured to accept this position as the new tumuaki at Te Wharekura o Mauao," Kuka said.

"I have a real connection with this school. My father, Tame Kuka, was the founding tumuaki [principal] here, and my son has gone through as a student."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Kuka said his aspiration was to carry on the work and vision that local tipuna and kaumatua [elders] had for the school.

"Their vision was about our tauira [students] being proud of who they are and where they come from, being proud of being Māori and of our traditions, being fluent in te reo, and being able to succeed in the mainstream world," Kuka said.

He was excited about the way forward and said the school had a strong teaching group.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Our community is 100 per cent behind the school and our philosophy brings out the most in our tauira," he said.

"My goal is that each student who leaves this place can stand resolute in this community and in the world, knowing they can be whoever they want to be and take their culture with them."

In 2016, Te Wharekura o Mauao introduced a new curriculum that encouraged students to choose their own learning path, based on what they are passionate about.

"This school is something I thoroughly believe in – it's about students having a place to learn in their own way," Kuka said.

Discover more

Meet Merivale School's new principal

20 Feb 01:00 AM

"We are challenging mainstream traditions here - flipping everything on its head. We are making sure that the centre of everything is the student and what they want. They are leading their own learning, and it's working."

Te Wharekura o Mauao chairman Graham Cameron said Kuka represented a new generation in Māori and educational leadership for Tauranga Moana.

"We are very excited to see Matua Heywood step up as tumuaki of this school," he said.

"Over the last few weeks we have seen him in action as acting principal and it's only emphasised to us that we have made the right decision."

Cameron said the school board had spent a lot of time working out what they wanted in a new principal.

"We wanted someone strongly connected to Tauranga Moana, and who would help build up Māori and educational leadership within our rohe – that is very important to us as a wharekura," he said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"We also needed someone committed to carrying on the passion-based learning we have implemented and helping students achieve quality standards in the areas they want to learn in."

Cameron said Kuka was deeply immersed in his marae, hapu and iwi, and truly committed to the school. "We are all excited about the future of Te Wharekura o Mauao."

Te Wharekura o Mauao:

- Located in Bethlehem, Tauranga
- Te Wharekura o Mauao provides tikanga Māori education for Year 7-13 students
- Recently welcomed an additional 70 students
- School roll of 240 this year

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

live
Bay of Plenty Times

Up to 50 people evacuated from homes after wild weather, clean-up begins

11 Jul 08:08 PM
Bay of Plenty Times

'Powerful example': Mum overcomes addiction to build a life helping others

11 Jul 06:00 PM
Bay of Plenty Times

Bay home crowd rallies behind netball's Magic

11 Jul 05:00 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Up to 50 people evacuated from homes after wild weather, clean-up begins
live

Up to 50 people evacuated from homes after wild weather, clean-up begins

11 Jul 08:08 PM

The North Island is expected to get off to a wet start this morning, with lingering rain.

'Powerful example': Mum overcomes addiction to build a life helping others

'Powerful example': Mum overcomes addiction to build a life helping others

11 Jul 06:00 PM
Bay home crowd rallies behind netball's Magic

Bay home crowd rallies behind netball's Magic

11 Jul 05:00 PM
Tearful hunter admits shooting and killing friend

Tearful hunter admits shooting and killing friend

11 Jul 05:00 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP