Te Matauranga Maori

West End School is proud to host Pihipihingā, our bilingual unit, which offers a comprehensive and immersive educational experience for students from Year 1 to Year 6. Our strategic aim is to meet and maintain Level 2 Māori medium requirements, which means between 51% and 80% of instruction is delivered in Te Reo Māori, providing a daily environment for the revitalization of the language. Our highly skilled kaiako (teachers) work collaboratively, maximizing learning through a culturally responsive approach. A key element of our practice is the Tuakana-Teina approach, where older students guide younger ones, fostering a supportive and academically rich environment. 

Pihipihingā acts as the central hub for te ao Māori (the Māori world), strategically influencing school-wide pedagogy. The unit staff lead targeted professional development for all school personnel, ensuring a strong, consistent, and culturally responsive approach is integrated across all learning areas. The unit's Values Driven Curriculum is deeply embedded, and the educational experience is explicitly aligned with Te Marautanga o Aotearoa, offering students a complete education through a Māori worldview. We actively encourage whānau to visit and engage with the learning process, as this is a vital component of our capacity-building strategy. Through this immersive and enriching approach, students gain a profound engagement with te ao Māori, developing a deep understanding of its unique richness and their future capacity as leaders.