Principal’s Message

Tēnā koutou katoa,

Ko Whaea Mariana tōku ingoa.
Ko ahau te Tumuaki whakahīhī o Te Kura o Te Mahoe. I whānau ahau ki Whakatāne, i whakatipuhia, i kuraina ki roto o Tāneatua. I haere ahau ki te kāreti kōtiro Māori o Turakina mai i te tau 1984 – 1988, ka noho ahau hei kōtiro Upoko i te tau 1988.

No Ngāi Tūhoe ahau, Whakatōhea, Te Whānau a Apanui me ngā hononga ki a Ngāti Awa, he hua hoki ahau nō Aitutaki i te taha o tōku

At Te Kura o Te Mahoe, we believe that every child carries within them a spark — and it is our role as kaiako, whānau, hapū, and iwi to nurture, guide, and help ignite that fire. Our kura is grounded in the values of Respect, Excellence, Perseverance, and Self-Control, guided by our vision to Ignite the Fire (Within) Like the Mahoe Tree.

Our kura embraces a dual education approach, delivering learning through both Te Marautanga o Aotearoa and the New Zealand Curriculum. We are passionate about building strong foundations in structured literacy and mathematics, while at the same time upholding the richness of Te Reo Matatini — pānui (reading), tuhituhi (writing), kōrero (speaking), and whakarongo (listening) — and pāngarau (mathematics in te reo Māori).

I am immensely proud of our tamariki and grateful to our whānau for your ongoing support, trust, and partnership. Our kura is a place where identity, language, and culture are celebrated daily, and where our children are prepared to walk confidently in both te ao Māori and te ao Pākehā.

I warmly invite you to connect with us, visit our kura, and be part of our journey in creating a bright, proud, and successful future for Te Mahoe.

Ngā manaakitanga, aroha nui ki a tātou katoa.

Whaea Mariana Gordon