Tūturu Making Inroads on Waiheke Island

CAYAD’s Michael Tuala presenting wider community services for Waiheke Residents

In mid-September, Tūturu Tāmaki Makarau leads Corey Tau and Tony Ormsby hosted a whānau hui at Waiheke High School. 

Such hui provide opportunities for our leads to engage with communities and discuss issues of importance to them. Schools are ecosystems of learning that reflect the communities they reside in.

A Tūturu approach strengthens school ecosystems and enhances the experiences and overall wellbeing of students. It does this by bringing schools and health providers together to foster young people’s critical thinking skills as well as offer support during tough times.  

Members from the local council, CAYAD, and Piritahi presented on topics such as community engagement, alcohol and other drugs education, and guidelines for having safe conversations with students. There were representatives from Māori, Samoan, Tongan, and European communities.

Some of the major issues the Waiheke community is currently dealing with include vaping, the lack of health and wellbeing resources available on the island, the mental health and wellbeing of their rangatahi, and alcohol accessibility and use. 

Corey says that the families of students who attended Waiheke HS were pleased to see the school reviewing its stand-down and exclusion policy and moving toward a restorative approach. "The community was delighted that whānau consultation was being considered, valued, and implemented through this event."

Tony Ormsby presenting information on vape devices on the Waiheke Island Whānau Hui

Next steps 

Waiheke High School has committed to a Whole School Approach (WSA), with the completion of a customised plan and a reflection tool.  

A WSA to wellbeing focuses on nurturing students’ academic, physical, mental and social wellbeing by creating a supporting and inclusive school environment. The curriculum and Professional Learning and Development (PLD) rollout will take place next year. 

Waiheke HS is also open to collaborating with other schools involved with Tūturu to share and discuss their experiences. 

To learn  more about the Tūturu approach, see here.