Teachers and staff at Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Kura Whakapūmau I Te Reo Tuturu ki Waitaha have been left in shock after their Canterbury wharenui (meeting house) became a target of a ram raid last Thursday.
CCTV footage captured the ram raiders driving through the school gates into the wharenui doors leaving behind a trail of destruction before the driver fled the scene.
School principal Merita Waitoa-Paki was alerted by security of the incident but noticed no items were taken from the school premises, leading the kura to believe the act may have been racially motivated.
“Kāore rātou i te kimi mea hei whanako haere… i te mōhio rātou i konei mātou, i te mōhio hoki rātou he aha tō mātou kaupapa, na runga anō i tērā, i te pōrangi ēnei tangata wairangi i urutomokia ki roto i tō mātou nei kura (They weren’t looking for anything in particular… they know we’re here, they know what we do, because of that, the ram raiders were cheeky for breaking into our kura),” Waitoa-Paki said.
Waitoa-Paki says recent anti-co-governing sentiments may have led to the break-in during the Matariki period, a time when many get together to celebrate the Māori new year.
Instead, the school is now expected to pay at least $20,000 for repairs to their gate and the entrance to their wharenui.
“I ohorere katoa ahau ki te kite, i pukuriri hoki ahau, i whati toku manawa, nō te mea ko tēnei to mātou wahi haumaru... tino tuki tōku manawa i te kite i ngā ahuatanga i pā mai ki tō mātou whare. (I was shocked and angry because this is a safe place... I was truly heartbroken when I saw what happened to our whare)," said student Charlotte-Lee King.
In a statement, police said: "There is no evidence to suggest any racially motivated aspect to the Kura Ram raid. Police are keeping an open mind and have a team investigating a number of burglaries in the area, which will include following lines of inquiry to ascertain whether the incidents are connected."
Police are asking for any witnesses who were on Hassals Lane on the night of the ram-raid to come forward.
By Kataraina Anneff, Moana Makapelu Lee
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