Mātātoa is an education programme borne out of Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Kaikohe in the Far North. Whānau from the kura had wanted educational programmes that would encourage their tamariki to learn and connect with their environment.
Mātātoa is an education programme designed to connect tamariki with their environment. Hoe waka (canoe paddling), mau rākau (Māori weaponry), ki ō rahi (traditional Māori game), māra kai (gardening), and water safety are just a few of the skills that students acquire. Their philosophy is all about enhancing the inner Maui in each student.
But a move to Auckland has seen the programme grow and cater to more than two and a half thousand students over 10 years.
Programme facilitator Frank Haimona (Ngāpuhi, Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki) says he aims to move away from the traditional class setting and connect the rangatahi (youth) to the environment.
"It started out by just engaging Rangatahi tauira into pathways different from what they normally did. using endurance events like the Coast to Coast and getting our kids back into the taiao (environment) to learn and to connect with the taiao, the awa, the maunga and various things," Haimona says.
The adventurous side
Programme facilitator, Kingi Peterson (Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa, Ngāpuhi) says the term Mātātoa is described as an elite athlete where tūpuna (ancestors) travelled long distances by foot and by waka.
"Tūwhitia te hopo, mairangatia te angitū (Feel the fear and do it anyway!) and that's what we're seeing with our rangatahi and tauira at the moment," Peterson says.
“Just being out in the taiao and having the opportunity to step out of their comfort zones. they're calling on the adventurous side that's within them.”
Rather than learning about places on a map, the programme has taken a group of students to the South Island, where they were hosted by Ngāi Tahu iwi.
"Matua Kauraki has been showing us around his whenua (land). We've been out collecting pounamu. We've been to his mara.e it's one of the most flash marae we've ever seen. There's more pounamu in the eyes of those pou than there are in Tāmaki,” Haimona says.
Peterson says in terms of education the tamariki learn about geography, geology, the sciences and languages as well, "in terms of the different dialect that Kai Tahu speak and a lot of kids didn't know anything about Kai Tahu at all. Coming down to experience what it is and also to find their own hononga (connection) to this place as well is probably one of the hugest learnings," he says.
Although the connection with the taiao is important, so too is the connection with kaumātua (elders).
Looking after the kaumātua
Another programme facilitator, Raurukitahi Mane (Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Kuri) says he started a Zoom programme with the kaumātua as he noticed while dropping food parcels to them, they were all by themselves.
“They couldn't go out and do their normal stuff … go to the library, walk to the park, so we thought we'd start up a zoom programme to have a chit chat with each other,” he says.
Mātātoa hope to eventually expand the taiao lessons to the sea, snow and stars.