Te Puni Kōkiri is supporting an alternative way of teaching secondary pupils in an education initiative based at Massey University.

The scheme is called “Tū Toa” – stand strong - and provides a secondary school option based on a kaupapa Māori framework that focuses on academic, sporting and cultural pursuits.

The students all have individualised plans and the curriculum is delivered by a combination of high-quality coaches, teachers and mentors.

To date, the programme has been running with 19 year 10 to 13 students, but in 2007 will increase to 30 students.

Dr Ra Durie first conceived the idea after spending many years observing sports development programmes in America, Australia and in this country. He came to the conclusion that top athletes are not born, but rather they are the result of development programmes that take raw talent and provide that talent with the right environment and training methods to make them champions.

The trustees of Tu Toa Trust, which is behind the project, include Professor Mason Durie; Professor Tamati Reedy; Dr Farrar Palmer, Māori Sportsperson of the Year in 2006 and recently retired as the Captain of the Black Ferns; and Dick Garrett, the organiser of the annual Māori Sports Awards and the events celebrating the 80th anniversary of Māori tennis.

In supporting this project, Te Puni Kōkiri is investing in Māori success. The agency is investing more than a quarter of a million dollars into the project over the next two.