Te Wheke: Bilingual Pathways

Te Wheke is Kelston Girls’ College’s bilingual pathway, established in 2022 to empower ākonga through culturally grounded, language-rich learning.

We believe that language is identity, and that students thrive when their cultural knowledge is honoured as a strength. Te Wheke offers learners the opportunity to study through Te Reo Māori, Gagana Samoa, or Lea Faka-Tonga, while engaging with the New Zealand Curriculum in a bilingual and bicultural learning environment.

Through this pathway, students become bilingual, biliterate, and bicultural — confident in both their cultural worlds and the wider world.

The name Te Wheke (the octopus) holds deep significance in Te Ao Māori and across Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa | the Pacific Ocean.

One source of inspiration is Dr. Rose Pere’s Te Wheke model of wellbeing, in which the octopus represents holistic health. The head represents whānau, and each of the eight tentacles represents a dimension of wellbeing e.g. wairuatanga (spirituality) and taha tinana (physical wellbeing)

The wheke also symbolises the ancestral journeys of Pacific peoples. Its tentacles stretch from the homelands of Hawaiki across the Pacific to Samoa, Tonga, Hawai‘i, Rapanui (Easter island), and Aotearoa. Te Wheke represents exploration, resilience, and interconnection.

Research shows that when a student’s first language is strong, their ability to learn English — and succeed academically — also improves.

“Students who become biliterate tend to experience greater academic success — and they gain the lifelong advantage of fluency in two languages, not just one.”(Cummins, 2000; Bialystok, 2001; García & Kleifgen, 2018)

Te Wheke follows an additive bilingual model, where students strengthen English and their heritage language side by side. Myths about language confusion have been disproven — switching between languages (code-switching) is now seen as a sign of deep thinking and cultural strength.

Your daughter doesn’t have to choose one language over another.

They can have both — and thrive in both worlds.

In Years 9 and 10, Te Wheke students are placed in bilingual whānau classes with learning delivered in both English and their heritage language.

Subjects taught bilingually include, but not limited to:

• Language pathway classes are led by kaiako experienced in bilingualism, biliteracy, and culturally responsive teaching across the curriculum.

• Te Wheke follows a balanced bilingual model, where students learn through both English and their heritage language across the week.

• For some subjects, students will be taught by language pathway teachers. For others, they will join English-medium classes with the wider Kelston Girls’ College community

Head of Pathway: Caroline Taripo-Keith

Samoan Pathway

Alaimalo Yandall-Vaega, Matalasi Peteru, Katerina Lemusu, Aunese Anau

Māori Pathway

Ariia Tainui, Ashley Nepia-Peeni, Anita Moser

Tongan Pathway

Mina Taukolo, Katalina Lousi, Tapuaki Pahulu

Te Wheke continues into the senior school (Years 11–13), where students may continue with:

• Te Reo Māori  and/or Te Ao Haka

• Gagana Samoa

• Lea Faka-Tonga

• Pacific Studies

All courses are NZQA-approved and contribute toward NCEA and University Entrance.

All students entering Te Wheke are expected to:

• Commit to bilingual learning and actively participate in cultural practices

• Support the use of their heritage language at school and at home, and show a willingness to strengthen it over time

• Attend an enrolment interview with their whānau | aiga | fāmili and the lead teacher from the Māori, Samoan, or Tongan pathway

The interview is a supportive process to help us understand the student’s current level of language competency and readiness, and to ensure we can provide the right guidance and scaffolding.

Students wishing to join Te Wheke in Year 10 (who were not in the pathway in Year 9) will follow the same enrolment process and are generally expected to have taken beginner heritage language classes offered in the mainstream programme.

AUHIA – Māori Pathway

• Comfortable participating in Te Reo Māori contexts or show willingness to learn

• Expected to contribute to Kapa Haka, school pōwhiri, and Māori community events

• Ongoing support from whānau is expected and encouraged

AGANU’U – Samoan Pathway

• Has attended a Samoan bilingual class or come from a household where the language is spoken and understood

• Willing to participate in Fa’afiafiaga Fa’asāmoa (cultural performances), including Polyfest and school events

• Commitment and ongoing support from ‘āiga is valued throughout the learning journey

HEILALA - Tongan Pathway

• Has attended a Tongan bilingual class or come from a household where the language is spoken and understood

• Willing to participate in faka-Tonga cultural events and performances, including Polyfest

• Ongoing support from fāmili is expected and appreciated

We know bilingual education is most powerful when schools and whānau work in partnership. Te Wheke is grounded in strong relationships between ākonga, aiga, kaiako, and the wider community.

We value the aspirations of whānau and ensure that identity, language, and culture remain central to learning — alongside a clear focus on academic success.