Te WEHI
Ko Au te Awa, Ko te Awa Ko Au
Te Herenga Ora o Tūpoho
Kei te wahapū o te awa o Whanganui, i te wāhi e hono ai ngā wai ki te awhi a Tangaroa, e tū ana ko Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Tūpoho — he pou mārama mō te mātauranga, mō te ahurea, mō te tuakiri hoki. Mai i konei ka tiro whakararo te kura ki ōna wai tūpuna, e kawe tonu ana i te manawa ora o Ngāti Tūpoho me te kōrero pūmau: Ko au te awa, ko te awa ko au.
Ko te whenua tonu e kōrero ana. Ko te kohatu mauri, i hauhaketia mai i Mataitira, te pito rāwhiti o te rohe o Tūpoho, e tū mātāra ana — he kaitiaki mō te whakapapa me te mauri. Ko ngā koru i whakairohia e Papa Fred e kōrero ana mō ngā hau e whā, e hono ai ngā iwi maha, e whakaatu ana hoki i te kanorautanga o ngā whakapapa o ngā mokopuna e ako ana i konei . Kei ia tamaiti tōna ake aho tūpuna e rarangahia ana ki te whāriki o te kaupapa o te kura.
E arahina ana e Ngā Mātāpono o te Ora, ka whakatipuria i konei ehara i te hinengaro anake, engari te tangata katoa. Ko Te Ihi, Te Wehi, me Te Mana kāore i konei hei ariā noa iho — engari hei wheako ora. I te rangi pakari o te kapa haka, i te manawanui o te toi, i te katakata o te kura ā waho, me te tiakitanga tōtika o te tikanga, ka tupu ngā ākonga i te manahau, te tūrangawaewae, me te whakapehapeha .
Ehara te ara i te mea māmā. Pērā i ngā ringa mārō o ngā tūpuna i kōrerotia e Morvin Simon — He Raupā, He Tunga, He Tohu Iwi Whakauaua — ka ū te kura ki te mahi nui kei mua, e mōhio ana he ara kei roto i ngā wero me ngā wikitoria . Me te whānau, te hapū, me te iwi e tū tahi ana, ka riro i ia piki, i ia heke hei huarahi whakamua.
Ko ngā hononga, ā-rohe, ā-motu hoki, ka whakapakari i te wawata. Mā ngā rangapū ki ngā kura o te takiwā me te motu, ki ngā rōpū iwi, ki ngā kaiārahi tikanga, ka whāngaihia te marautanga ora, marautanga manawa ora, e ū ana ki Te Aho Matua. Mai i te kura teina ki ngā taumata NCEA, ka tautokona ngā ākonga kia whai wawata teitei, kia tū rangatira i tō rātou tuakiri, kia whāia ngā ara maha o te ao, pēnei i ngā rereketanga maha o te awa .
Koinei te pūtake o te Tūpohotanga — he taonga tuku iho o te kaitiakitanga, o te mātauranga, o te hononga. Ka rangona i te marino i mua i te haka, i te ata hāpara ki runga o Pūtiki, i te reo katakata o ngā tamariki e ako ana i tō rātou reo ūkaipō. Ko te mōhio hoki, mā ngā mahi o tēnei rā ka rangona ngā takahanga a ngā mokopuna āpōpō.
I konei, i te hononga o te awa me te moana, ka haere tonu te kōrero o Tūpoho — kāore e whati, kāore e mimiti, ā, ka herea tonutia ki te oranga o te awa o Whanganui.
Ko Au te Awa, Ko te Awa Ko Au
At the mouth of the Whanganui River, where the waters meet Tangaroa’s embrace, stands Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Tūpoho — a beacon of learning, culture, and identity. From this vantage point, the kura gazes over its ancestral waters, carrying the heartbeat of Ngāti Tūpoho and the enduring truth: Ko au te awa, ko te awa ko au.
The land itself tells the story. The kohatu mauri, hewn from Mataitira at the eastern boundary of Tūpoho rohe, stands watch — a silent guardian of whakapapa and mauri. Its carved koru, shaped by the hands of Papa Fred, speak of ngā hau e whā, the winds that unite many iwi, reflecting the diverse whakapapa of the mokopuna who learn here . Each child carries their own ancestral threads, woven into the fabric of the kura’s kaupapa.
Guided by Ngā Mātāpono o te Ora, the kura nurtures not only the mind, but the whole being. Here, Te Ihi, Te Wehi, and Te Mana are not abstract ideas — they are lived experiences. In the rhythm of kapa haka, the discipline of toi, the laughter of kura ā waho, and the careful stewardship of tikanga, students grow in resilience, belonging, and pride .
The journey is not without challenge. Like the calloused hands of the tūpuna described by Morvin Simon — He Raupā, He Tunga, He Tohu Iwi Whakauaua — the kura embraces the hard work ahead, knowing the path is one of both testing and triumph . With whānau, hapū, and iwi standing alongside, every obstacle becomes a step towards greater strength.
Relationships, both near and far, strengthen the vision. Partnerships with local and national kura, iwi collectives, and cultural leaders feed into a curriculum that is living, breathing, and anchored in Te Aho Matua. From early years to NCEA, students are supported to aim high, walk proudly in their identity, and chart pathways into futures as diverse as the awa’s many currents .
This is the essence of Tūpohotanga — a legacy of guardianship, learning, and connection. It is felt in the hush before a haka, in the stillness of dawn over Pūtiki, in the laughter of children learning in their mother tongue. It is the knowledge that the work done today will echo in the footsteps of mokopuna yet to come.
Here, at the meeting place of river and sea, Tūpoho’s story continues — unbroken, unyielding, and forever bound to the life of the Whanganui.
The Living Legacy of Tūpoho
Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Tupoho
18 Cross Street,
Whanganui, 4501
Manawatu
Aotearoa - New Zealand
