First full immersion school opens

Butterflies were playing havoc on the stomach of student Tuhawaiki Heke yesterday but the foundation principal for Tauranga's first total immersion Maori language school said they were "excited ones".
Te Wharekura o Mauao was officially opened in Windermere with much fanfare after what has been a long wait.
Students sang an impromptu waiata and shared a hongi with  principal Tame Kuka.
"He's cool," Tuhawaiki, who is starting Year 7, said. "I'm looking forward to learning more of the reo."
A budget of $1.6 million has been allocated by the Ministry of Education to provide a temporary campus for Te Wharekura o Mauao at the Bay of Plenty Polytechnic.
Read more in today's Bay of Plenty Times