A Far North iwi and a private tuition provider have joined forces to provide an after-school learning centre in Kaitaia.
Te Aupouri Maori Trust Board and NumberWorks'nWords are working together on a pilot project to help primary school children struggling with English and maths.
General Manager of Education for the Aupouri Maori Trust Board Christine Snelling says it is the first time her iwi has partnered with a private education provider. She is confident the collaboration will help improve numeracy and literacy skills among its tamariki.
She says a unique aspect of the project is the adoption of the tuakana-teina concept. All the tutors are senior students from Kaitaia College.
Ms Snelling says the secondary school pupils will mentor the primary school tamariki to help them achieve better marks in English and maths.
NumberWorks'nWords has 66 centres up and down the country which are all private franchises, but Ms Snelling said the partnership with Te Aupouri is the first of its kind with an iwi.
She said because the education provider has a record of success over the past 30 years, there is no reason why it can't have the same level of achievement in the Far North.
The new after-school learning centre in Kaitaia's Commerce Street was being embraced by the region, she said, and it gave tamariki in the rohe a fresh focus and new hope for the future.
