WELCOME & KIA ORANA!

"Kia matutu uatu rai te au tama u'a o te Kuki Airani".

"To empower, strengthen the children of the Cook Islands and maintain our cultural values". TAKA is an acronym from "Tamariki Apii Kuki Airani".

In Cook Islands Maori, "taka" means, "step". So, let us keep stepping forward. In addition, "taka'ia" means "stomp". Therefore, if we want to stomp the ground beneath, the earth will form a solid foundation. Helping Cook Islanders set a solid foundation and keep stepping forward with TAKA Educational Trust, will fulfil our principles:

It is with great pleasure and an honour to announce that TAKA Educational Trust successfully launched. I am extremely proud that we have an enthusiastic and highly skilled team behind TAKA that will successfully implement its intended goals.

We have so many Cook Islanders (especially from the Pa Enua) leaving their homes to find work and education overseas hoping for a better life. They leave because they must, not because they want to. Being a proud Cook Islander, I am passionate about helping other resident Cook Islanders who are financially or socially disadvantaged and want to further or complete their education , qualifications, or trade skills. This encompasses early childhood to adult learning.

I believe TAKA and its partners will be able to help. I also believe there is no reason that any child should miss an education or go to school hungry, and there should not be an incomplete qualification for an adult. Because of this, I feel a moral imperative to create opportunities for resident Cook Islanders who want to complete their education or qualification without leaving their home island or departing the beautiful home, we call the Cook Islands.

I hope that you can share my vision, and if you hold the same values to help the future of the Cook Islands as a whole, we would love to hear from you.

Meitaki Maata e Kia Manuia,

Mario Caffery

(Board Chairman and Founder)