Ka whakanui, ka whakapiki anō i ngā pūkenga o ngā ākonga Māori me ō rātau whānau

We will recognise and build on the strengths of Māori learners and their whānau

20 July 2023

The Loper Whānau established from 2020 an annual Laurie Loper Award for Māori student leadership at Tauranga Boys’ College - Tane-Nui-ā-Rangi.

In 2021 the recipient of the Laurie Loper Tane-Nui-ā-Rangi Award was Johnlees Faulkner. This video marks the occasion when the school principal, the whole community, the Loper whānau and members of Te Taurahere o Ngāi Tahu ki Tauranga Moana honour Laurie Loper and Tane-Nui-ā-Rangi Award Winner, Johnlees Faulkner and his whānau.

The Loper Award ceremony provides a window into the power of recognising and building on the strengths and leadership of rangatahi and whānau Māori in education.

A 2020 Education Review Office Report Tauranga Boys' College | Education Review Office highlighted the wider collaborative leadership strategy in action at Tauranga Boys’ College:

• effective leadership practices that have established a collaborative and empowerment culture for learning.
• a deliberate and strategic approach to build leaders’ and teachers’ capability in culturally responsive pedagogy to raise and promote Māori success is evident. Raising the importance and implementation of te Ao Māori across the school is evident.
• Aronui, the college’s bilingual programme responds well to whānau aspirations for te reo Māori learning. It is also strengthening the knowledge and value of tikanga, te reo and te Ao Māori throughout the school. The contribution of Aronui into the wider school community is strengthening students’ sense of belonging.

See the Loper Tane-Nui-ā-Rangi Award Ceremony at Tauranga Boys’ College here: