Source: New Zealand Government
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that Kura Toa will open as an iwi led charter school in Term 3 2026.
“Every child deserves the opportunity to learn and grow in ways which are more specific to their needs. Today’s announcement demonstrates the innovation enabled by the charter school model,” Mr Seymour says.
“Kura Toa has identified an opportunity to achieve better education outcomes for Māori students in years 7-13 in Porirua. It will create an environment which gives students the best chance to succeed.”
Puna Mātauranga, Ngāti Toa’s iwi education hub, and Te Pikau o te Rangi, an iwi-designed service providing tailored support for learners, will work alongside the school to ensure whānau are equipped to help their children succeed.
For the past 10 years, Puna Mātauranga has delivered education services for Ngāti Toa whānau. Te Pikau o te Rangi builds on that foundation, strengthening the learning and wellbeing support available to students and families.
In Porirua, 28.5 percent of Māori students left school without achieving NCEA Level 1, compared to 17.8 percent across all students in Wellington. As of 2023, 32.9 percent of Māori learners achieved NCEA Level 3 or higher, compared to 43.8 percent of all students in the region.
Māori youth were also referred to attendance services at a rate of 23 per 1000. This is nearly twice the Wellington rate of 12.8 per 1000. By age 17, only 66.2 percent of Māori students were still in school, compared with 79.1 percent across the region.
“Kura Toa will ensure that none of its students fall through the gaps,” Mr Seymour says.
“The school will be supported by Puna Mātauranga, a learning support service run by Ngāti Toa for the past 10 years. This means the school can offer pastoral care to students founded on an iwi framework for wellbeing called Mauriora. Kura Toa will track the physical, mental, cultural, and social wellbeing of students. The support given will cater to identified needs.
“Partnerships with education providers and industry will also allow students to participate in live learning experiences that connect the classroom with real-world careers.”
Kura Toa will provide a distinctive Ngāti Toa-led approach to education for students in Years 7–13 in Porirua. The school reflects the iwi’s long-held aspiration to do education differently and to build an education ecosystem that connects cultural identity, learning, and pathways beyond school. The iwi is working to provide greater choice in education, to enable every student to experience success.
“When it comes to education, one size does not fit all,” Mr Seymour says.
“Charter schools show education can be different if we let communities bring their ideas to the table.
“These schools have more flexibility in return for strictly measured results.
“The charter school equation is: the same funding as state schools, plus greater flexibility plus stricter accountability for results, equals student success.
“It will join the charter schools announced in the last year which will open in 2026. This takes the total number of charter schools to 21. We expect more new charter schools to be announced before the end of the year, along with the first state schools to convert.
“I want to thank the Charter School Agency and Authorisation Board for the work they have done getting charters open. They considered 52 applicants for new charter schools. They tell me this round the choices were very difficult.
“This is just the beginning. I hope to see many more new charter schools opening, and state and state-integrated schools converting to become charter schools.”
