Since their dramatic escape from the Esk Valley school campus this February, Hukarere Māori Girls’ College staff and students have regrouped to maintain their learning kaupapa and set a new course for Hukarere’s future.

Hukarere and Te Aute Trust Board now have the keys to a new accommodation site that will enable tauira to return to life at the school. Hukarere’s interim Boarding Hostel will be based in ‘Wine Country Motel’ a high-end boutique motel in Havelock North that the Board will reconfigure for boarding accommodation.

Hostel Manager Amelia Kaui is delighted with the standard of the new buildings, and says that the changes it needs to comply with hostel legislation are minor, which means it won’t be long till Hukarere is back together again. 

Reports from two recent wananga organised by the Hukarere Old Girls’ Association have shown that being back in their group has been beneficial for the girls – not only for their study, but their health and wellbeing too.  

Susan Wallace from Te Waipounamu shared how Runanga Whaiti (Pihopatanga Standing Committee) was pleased to meet with students from Hukarere at the ‘soon to be boarding hostel’ during their meeting in May. 

“We were so privileged to witness, observe & to listen to the experiences of our kōhine and how iwi responded to the devastation with manaakitanga and aroha ki ngā tāngata katoa. They all have a long journey ahead of them, but how wonderful for our kōhine!

*Kia ū ki te pai!” 

For many weeks now, Hukarere has been maintaining its unique Mihinare learning environment in a temporary ‘Learning Hub’ hosted by St Luke’s Anglican Church in its conference room and two portacoms on the church site in Havelock North. 

Archbishop Don Tamihere reports that since the floods Hukarere has seen extraordinary support from not only St Luke’s but many in church, iwi and community, including strong help from the Old Girls’ Association. 

“Once it became known that the new hostel would be in Havelock North, the tautoko from the community there has been incredible.” 

“People have literally walked off the street and offered significant funding and support...they are thrilled to have something as historic and wonderful as Hukarere in their midst.”

As well as great backing from Fr John Matthews and the St Luke’s whānau, Rev Alan Burnett and All Saints’ Taradale also stepped in to help make the learning hub work.

With the Havelock Anglican churches’ support, the learning hub has worked well. Still it has only been big enough to welcome day girls and those who could find billets in town. 

For students who returned home, learning instead moved online, finding that as many families discovered in Covid lockdowns – online learning is not ideal.

Now that the boarding hostel is sorted, the school is in a strong position to gather its students back to a single in-person cohort in Havelock North, especially as rumour is there’s a new bigger learning complex in the pipeline too.

Archbishop Don says there’s no way Hukarere could have managed without the wide network of support from Old Girls, community leaders and the church, including Bishop Andrew Hedge, the Waiapu Anglican Social Services Trust Board, local iwi leaders such as Ngāhiwi Tomoana and the St John’s College Trust Board, to name a few. 

“There's a huge community working tirelessly behind the scenes to support both Hukarere and Te Aute.”

“Despite all the challenges being faced, I have no doubt that the future of these schools and the Oranga Ake they will bring to our people will be immense.”  

For now, Archbishop Don is looking forward to seeing all the kōhine from Hukarere return to the Bay and to their brand-new Hostel.

He says that in a few weeks time, consent processes pending, Te Aute Trust Board hope to open a brand-new teaching site for Hukarere as well. 

“After all they've been through, they deserve nothing less.” 

*Kia ū ki te pai! This expression from 1 Thessalonians 21 means "Hold fast to what is good" and has long been associated with Te Aute College and Hukarere Girls' College.