Te Ira Tangata is a suite of relationships and sexuality education programmes, each comprised of 8 lesson plans designed to meet the needs of students being taught in Māori medium settings.

Currently, we have two programmes available, which are for years 7 & 8 and years 9 & 10 respectively.

The Te Ira Tangata (Years 7 & 8) programme centres on te pūhuruhurutanga and te tuakiri o te tangata, while Te Ira Tangata (Years 9 & 10) explores ngā piringa whai mana and ngā haepapa a te taiohi.

Both programmes are written completely in te reo Māori and primarily use Māori contexts, concepts, and knowledge. This approach is consistent with evidence that speaking te reo Māori and having a strong cultural identity are significant factors in the success of rangatahi Māori across all domains of life, including health and wellbeing.

The programmes were developed in partnership with several Māori medium schools without whom the Te Ira Tangata programmes would not have been possible. Over a period of 18 months to 2 years, Te Whāriki Takapou worked alongside teachers, whānau, and Māori community experts to design, teach and evaluate each programme before public release.

Each programme is available to download, for free, through our website. Each programme also includes electronic links to publicly available resources that support programme delivery.

Hardcopies of Te Ira Tangata (Years 9 & 10) have been mailed to Māori medium schools. Please contact us if you did not receive a copy.

We encourage teachers and schools to customise the programme so that it meets local requirements and we look forward to your questions or comments to info@tewhariki.org.nz.