Te aratakinga mō te tau

I te taha o tōku pāpa,

Ko Motatau te maunga, ko Taumarere te awa,

Ko Ngatokimatawhaorua te waka, ko Nukutawhiti te kapene,

Ko Hineamaru te tupuna, ko Ngati Te Tarawa te hapu, ko Ngapuhi tōku iwi.

I te taha o tōku māma,

Ko Pureora te maunga, ko Waimiha te awa

Ko Tainui te waka, ko Hoturoa te kapene,

Ko Ngati Maniapoto te hapu, ko Ngati Rereahu tōku iwi.

Ko Tongariro te maunga, ko Taupo-nui-ātia te roto, ko Pungapunga te awa

Ko Te Arawa te waka, ko Tamatekapua te kapene,

Ko Ngati Hinemihi te hapu, ko Tūwharetoa tōku iwi.

ko Cyril Belk tōku pāpā

ko Cynthia Belk tōku māmā,

Ko Byron Belk tōku ingoa

Ko Te Whaiora tāku tama.  

Nö reira e ngä rau rangatira mä, tënä koutou, tënä koutou, tënä tätou kätoa.  

Tënä koutou kätoa e ngā mātua rātou ko te whänau whänui, ko ngä kaiawhina o ngä tamariki i te whänau o te ruma 21

Warm greetings to you all our parents, caregivers and whänau of our tamariki in Room 21.  My name is Byron Belk and we hail from the ancestral links above.  My partner Kahurangi hails from the sacred mountains Ngati Manu and the rivers of Taumarere of the north, to the shores of Ngati pōrau, to the mighty lakes of Rotorua. Together with our tama Te Whaiora we carry our ancestral links together into the future.  

My career as a teacher in Te Whänau Äwhina begins this year in 2017 as a beginning teacher. I am already sure that my career will grow and thrive with the immense opportunities we will strive to create for all our tamariki and teachers within the unit each year.  

It has been an immense privilege to become a member of Te Whänau Äwhina, as one of the most top -leading Mäori bi-lingual units in the country and dually delighted to teach, learn, model and grow together with you and your tamariki.    

Our classroom will be named after a New Zealand native bird.  It is with deep consideration that we as the occupants in this room take on the nature and skills of our manu to assist us all in our learning under the guidance and help from you the parents and whänau alongside Tane Mähuta the great god of the forest.  Together with our teachers, Principal and board of Trustees we will be able to achieve the dreams and aspirations for your tamariki into the future generations.

We have a busy year ahead of us so we will need all your help and support to make sure the dreams and aspirations of our tamariki are met for them.  Please feel free to come in and visit us at any time and if you would like to help us in class with buddy Pänui/Reading in Te Reo Mäori, Pängarau/Mathematics or Tuhituhi/Writing nau mai haere mai.

Our class will be taught in Te Reo Mäori for up to 75% of the day to ensure our students are learning Te Reo me öna tïkanga as a second language confidently in all the core subjects Pänui/Reading, Tuhituhi/Writing, Pängarau/Mathematics and Te reo a waha/Oral Language and other curricular areas including; Te reo Mäori, Ngā mahi a Te Rehia/Arts, Pütaiao/Science, Tikanga ā Iwi/Social Sciences, Hauora/Physical Education and Hängarau/Technology.  If you have any concerns about your child’s learning please do not hesitate to come and talk to us as our doors are always open.  

My goal as a Mäori bi-lingual teacher is to ensure that all the tamariki in our class are able to learn in an environment that is encompassing of all things that pertain to Te Ao Mäori and that these skills can be transferred into learning Mäori and English with confidence to achieve National Standards in all curriculum areas.  

Nö reira ngä mihi nui ki a koutou kätoa,

Naku noa,

Byron Belk.