Tūhoe will open a charter school in Te Urewera next term.

The school will be called Te Kura Awhitu and will teach students basics such as maths, reading and writing – with the ability to also use the forest as a classroom.

They will learn about natural sciences, biodiversity and geography in a manner that incorporates their iwi traditions and knowledge.

Associate Education Minister David Seymour announced the opening of the charter school, sponsored by the Tūhoe Charitable Trust, this week.

He said every child deserved the opportunity to learn and grow in ways that were more specific to their needs.

“Tūhoe and the Crown stood apart for generations,” he said.

“Today’s announcement delivers on an important commitment to investigate a charter school for Tūhoe-based learning that was made in 2013 as part of the reset of the Crown-Tūhoe relationship.

“Te Kura Awhitu will prepare its students for modern life from traditional roots.

“Autonomy is important to Tūhoe, and the charter school model enables this. It means Tūhoe can embed their tikanga, language, values, environment, and cultural identity into the curriculum. This marks a significant step forward in the Crown-Tūhoe relationship.”

The school will offer a full Māori immersion education, with the curriculum based on the philosophy and guiding principles drawn from the Te Urewera environment.

“The school will have the use of Te Urewera as a classroom, to learn practically about natural sciences, biodiversity, and geography in a way that incorporates Tūhoe traditions and knowledge: learning about environmental change, waterways management and whakapapa,” he said.

“NCEA achievement standards will be used for learning. Natural science learning will be taught against achievement standards in biology, environmental studies or agriculture.

“A learning module on water restoration, for example, may earn credits in sustainability, science and history.”

Chairman of the Tūhoe iwi authority Te Uru Taumatua, Tāmati Kruger, told the NZ Herald the school was an important continuation of reconnection of Tūhoe people to Te Urewera and a means of “taking responsibility for the future of our tamariki and all the families within our homeland”.

“It’s an opportunity to use the skills of our own qualified people within Te Urewera to establish learning and Tūhoe culture at the centre of our communities.”

Mr Seymour said charter schools showed education could be different if communities were allowed to 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. There are more ideas in the communities of New Zealand than there are in the Government.

“That’s why we open ideas to the wider community, then apply strict performance standards to the best ones.”

There are now 19 charter schools in New Zealand with more new schools expected to be announced before the end of the year, along with the first state schools to convert.