Jacqui Tutavake is the principal at Te Kura o Ritimana/Richmond Road School.
I understand that there is an interesting story behind the name?
Our Kahui Ako brings together the twelve local schools that are close to our Harbour. Its name is derived from Te Mata, the flint stone which is a pinnacle rock visible at low tide off Kauri Point and is referred to, on charts, as Boat Rock.
What makes this Kahui Ako unique?
This Community of Learning (CoL) is based on a partnership with our Maori-medium units within our kura. Maori-medium education within the Kahui Ako are known collectively as Te Reo o Te Mat-a, in recognition of the mana and responsibility they shoulder for the preservation and development of matauranga Maori, te reo me on-a tikanga (language and culture).
Te Kura o Ritimana/Richmond Road School is also unique with its four language units.
Yes, we have four r-opu – two are bilingual (Samoan, and French), one is immersion (Maori) and the fourth is as an English-medium unit.
How did you become tumuaki (principal) of Richmond Road School?
I was a deputy principal for ten years in a West Auckland school before I moved to the University of Auckland to lecture in education, supporting schools in professional learning and development. My research for my PhD focuses on bilingual education, specifically; Pacific bilingual education; M-aori bilingual andi immersion education. When the role was advertised, I was drawn to Richmond Road School because it is the most historical bilingual school in New Zealand. And here I am! And loving the tamariki, staff and our multilingual school community.
Richmond Road School has some unique practical challenges because Ministry of Education formulae for calculating teacher-student funding ratios aren’t designed for language r-opu?
Yes. Staffing ratios are not suited for schools with bilingual units. It’s a struggle, and something I’m working on changing and finding any loopholes to get money into our school.
You mentioned that you are doing a PhD.
Yes, I’m still working on it. The title is ‘Found in Translation’ and focuses on the voices of teachers in Maori, Samoan and Tongan bilingual/immersion units in English-medium primary schools and how they make sense of (mostly English-medium) professional learning and development. Obviously, none of our school’s units are part of my research, which would be unethical, but we definitely benefit from what I’m learning.
This is your second year as tumuaki of Richmond Road School. What have you enjoyed most?
Our staff, students and the community at our kura are definitely the biggest highlight. I’ve been heartened by the way our community has kept our children, whanau and staff well-being at the centre of how we respond to national challenges like the current COVID-19 situation.
What about life outside of school?
I have a very close-knit family with a lot of teachers among them. I enjoy spending time with my two children and extended family and am often out West Auckland, when COVID allows, to visit family or watch nieces and nephews play sport. I play netball regularly and enjoy road trips around Aotearoa. And of course, I’m looking forward to a time when I can again travel to Rarotonga and other Pacific Islands.