SUPER KURA SEASON TWO premieres tonight, Monday 29 April 2024 at 7.30 PM on Whakaata Māori and MĀORI+.

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Last season concluded with the establishment of Te Puna Reo O Manga Tangaroa, Aotearoa’s first fully accessible, full-immersion pre-school for tamariki with severe disabilities.

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Season two picks up from where season one ended. The Puna is open for business, the tamariki are excited, but the everyday challenges and struggles continue.

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Funded by Te Māngai Pāho, SUPER KURA Season two introduces us to the outgoing personalities and amazing abilities of Manga Tangaroa’s puna mates.

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Clara Aperahama-Kopa is clear about what their goal is.

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“We are determined to give our boy and others like him the best way of being the best versions of themselves.”

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Clara believes the medical profession can be too quick with judgements on quality of life.

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“I think they’re measuring quality of life wrong. If I was to have a kōrero about quality of life, I would measure it in smiles,” she says.

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“For many of these whānau, this will be the first time that their disabled child has had the opportunity to mix and spend time with able-bodied, neuro-typical ones.

Clara and Manga want to dispel myths and misconceptions about children with disabilities.

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“It will increase their mana, and bring a lot of attention to issues they don’t get the chance to get to speak about normally. These Tama Ariki will be a beacon for anyone else in the same waka, and will help them to develop resilience,” says Clara.

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Te Puna Reo o Manga Tangaroa has a simple philosophy, Te Here o te Aroha – the Bonds of Love.

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COMING UP ON SUPER KURA:

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EPISODE 1: MONDAY 29 APRIL 7.30 PM – Meet Kaikohe’s hard-working whanau, Clara and Manga, as they run NZ’s first Te Reo Maori pre-school for disabled children, while raising their severely disabled son Mungzy.

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EPISODE 2: MONDAY 6 MAY 7.30 PM – As the hard mahi continues at the Puna Reo, Manga has just started back at work full time, leaving Clara to tend to the tamariki and puna, while Maria is now Waitapu’s full-time caregiver following a family tragedy.

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EPISODE 3: MONDAY 13 MAY 7.30 PM – Manga puts in the hard yards on his day off when a plumbing disaster closes the puna. Maria gets some much-needed respite from looking after Waitapu with a trip to Ngawha Springs.

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EPISODE 4: MONDAY 20 MAY 7.30 PM – Mungzy’s speech therapist helps him to talk with his whānau for the very first time, while Truzt’s parents Devi and Hameni are looking forward to their new baby being born.

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EPISODE 5: MONDAY 27 MAY 7.30 PM – Clara applies to the renowned NAPA therapy Centre in Sydney, hoping they can help to reduce Mungzy’s reliance on his feeding tube and we catch up with Waitapu, as her much-loved Grandad arrives back home in Kaikohe.

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EPISODE 6: MONDAY 3 JUNE 7.30 PM – Devi and Hameni face some tough decisions about treatment options for Trutz’s brittle bone disease; Maria takes Waitapu to the supermarket for the first time; and Clara is counting down the weeks until Mungzy’s big therapy trip to Australia.

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EPISODE 7: MONDAY 10 JUNE 7.30 PM – Maria is introducing Waitapu to Blomfield Special School for her upcoming sixth birthday. Clara accompanies Mungzy to a school prize-giving. Will Manga make it in time for son Hone's big prize?

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EPISODE 8: MONDAY 17 JUNE 7.30 PM – Maria takes Waitapu to the dentist, hoping for a smooth visit. Meanwhile, Clara, Mungzy, and the family head to the Bay of Islands for The Hole In The Rock Dolphin Cruise. A last-minute meltdown jeopardises their chances of making it on board.

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EPISODE 9: MONDAY 24 JUNE 7.30 PM – Devi gives birth, hoping her baby is free from brittle bone disease. At Puna Reo, Clara and the community anticipate a visit from the Children's Commissioner, while Maria and Waitapu celebrate breakthroughs.

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EPISODE 10: MONDAY 1 JULY 7.30 PM – It’s the end of the year party for all the kids, parents and teachers from the puna, but will the day prove too overwhelming for Waitapu? And it’s a bittersweet time for Maria and Clara as they say their goodbyes.

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