Recently the Across School Leaders (ASL) from the Te Ao Māori Initiative, some principals and ISLs attended the Hui ā Tau 2023 hosted by the Māori Achievement Collaborative. The Māori Achievement Collaborative (MAC) is a professional learning and development pathway by principals for principals focused on changing education outcomes for Māori students. MAC is a non-profit organisation that aims to build the capability of schools to inquire into, recognise, and delete barriers impeding improved educational and cultural outcomes for Māori in partnership with students, whānau (family), hapū (subtribe), and iwi (tribe).The three days were packed with challenging speakers and was an opportunity to for us to network, learn from each other and reflect on what was shared.
The MAC Hui ā Tau is all about the
importance of rangatiratanga, which is Māori authority and agency. It is not a
fixed state, but a process and a way of being and thinking. Rangatiratanga is
essential for Māori to exercise their self-determination and to achieve their
well-being.
Presenters at the MAC Hui ā Tau discussed the importance of developing relationships and positive engagement. Rangatiratanga is not something that can be achieved in isolation. It requires Māori to work together collectively, and to engage with others in a positive and productive way.
Dr.
Te Kawehau Hoskins spoke about Rangatiratanga as
indigenising practice for our educational institutions.
Some shared examples of how rangatiratanga
can be expressed in practice are:
●
Showing up and giving people
permission to be their full selves
●
Being willing to decolonize
policies and focus less on academic achievement
●
Building relationships and
creating a positive and productive learning environment
Rangatiratanga is a journey, not a
destination. It is something that Māori must strive to achieve every day.
Rangatiratanga is about Māori being able to exercise their mana by having the power to make decisions about their own lives and communities, and to determine their own future. Rangatiratanga is also about kinship and collectivity. It is about Māori working together to achieve the well-being of their whānau, hapū, iwi, and the wider Māori community.
Professor
Melinda Webber shared Nga Iho Pūmanawa | Unleashing
Gifted Māori Potential.
She discussed the importance of Māori
perspectives on giftedness and the role of gifted education in unleashing Māori
potential. Māori students need access to programmes of learning that affirm and
promote whakaaro Māori, matauranga Māori, and tirohanga Māori, as part of a
broader curriculum.
Melinda emphasised the importance of
whakapapa in understanding and developing Māori giftedness. She argued that
whakapapa can be used as a gateway for learning about self and others, and that
it can help gifted students to explain, organise, analyse, and understand
information, experiences, and relationships.
Melinda highlighted examples of successful
Māori people from a range of fields from her iwi. She shared how these examples
demonstrated the mana ūkaipō (excellence) of Māori people and the importance of
supporting Māori students to achieve their full potential.
In addition to the points raised above, she
also discussed the following:
●
The need to develop culturally
responsive identification procedures and assessment tools for Māori gifted
students.
●
The importance of creating
classroom environments that are supportive and inclusive of Māori gifted
students.
● The need to provide Māori gifted students with opportunities to learn and develop their talents in ways that are relevant to their culture and communities.
Melinda highlighted that gifted education
has the potential to play a vital role in the empowerment and transformation of
Māori communities.She called for a more inclusive and responsive approach to
gifted education that is grounded in Māori values and principles.
Her presentation is a valuable contribution to the field of gifted education and provides a much-needed Māori perspective on this important topic. This is especially apparent when supporting the success of Māori gifted students.
Private
Movie Screening
Tātarakihi – the Children of Parihaka is a
2012 New Zealand documentary film that tells the story of a group of Taranaki
children who undertake a modern-day pilgrimage visiting places of importance on
the way to the South Island jails where their male ancestors were exiled and
forced to labour after the invasion of Parihaka in 1881.
The film is a journey of memory and healing
for the children, as they learn about the injustice and suffering that their
ancestors endured. It is also a story of resilience and hope, as the children
come to understand the legacy of Parihaka and their own place in it.
The film is interwoven with footage of the
children's hīkoi (journey), their poetry, waiata, art, and narration. It is a
moving and powerful film that offers a unique perspective on one of the darkest
episodes in New Zealand history.
Tātarakihi – the Children of Parihaka has been praised for its sensitivity and its ability to convey the complex emotions of the children involved. It is an important film that we think all New Zealanders should watch.
Helen
Varney spoke about Tautai o le Moana, which is
"Strengthening leadership capabilities to improve outcomes for Pasifika
Learners", She described the Tautai o le Moana initiative , which is
designed to strengthen the capability of Pasifika school leaders to improve
outcomes for Pasifika learners. The programme is based on the metaphor of the
Tautai, a sea captain who can navigate through challenging conditions and bring
people together to achieve common goals.
Varney argued that Pasifika learners need
leaders who have a deep understanding of their culture and values, as well as
the skills and knowledge to create culturally responsive learning environments.
She emphasised the importance of collaboration and partnership between Pasifika
communities and schools.
The Tautai o le Moana provides Pasifika
school leaders with opportunities to develop their leadership skills,
knowledge, and understanding of Pasifika culture and values. The programme also
includes a focus on building relationships and partnerships with Pasifika
communities.
Helen reminded us that by strengthening the leadership capabilities of Pasifika school leaders, we can create better outcomes for Pasifika learners.
Te
Ringakaha Tia-Ward, introduced most of us to Te Whare Tapu o te Ngākau
Te Whare Tapu o Te Ngākau Maori is a new
curriculum that is being offered by Māori Achievement Collaboratives. It is a
compulsory expectation from the Ministry of Education beginning 2023. The
curriculum is based on the marae as the bastion of Te Ao Māori, Te Reo Māori me
ona tikanga. It is premised on the many journeys it requires through a process
to develop an understanding of Te Ao Māori and therefore a bicultural
worldview. A rōpu of educators have been working for the last four years to
create a marautanga for schools to use to create and teach their own localised
curriculum. The team is proud of the curriculum and the new approach to
learning about Māori local history.
Te Ringakaha reminded us that Rangatiratanga comes from within, it
is not given.
He stressed the importance of ‘shifting hearts and minds’. He reiterated that what you can't see is what matters and used Te Mokoroa as an analogy.
He iti mokoroa e hinga pūriri | ‘A small
mokoroa can fell a pūriri tree’.
Be like the Mokoroa and chip at what needs to be done within our schools.
Several Tumuaki shared their MAC journey
with us and concluded with
Märohirohi - Be bold and brave and
determined
●
Embed tikanga, te reo & te
ao Mäori Into school culture & systems at all levels,
●
Ensure tikanga, te reo & te
ao Mãori are normalised.
●
Document school traditions,
customs, practices and expectations,
●
Enrich your local curriculum -
research and teach local stories, histories, future developments and
aspirations
●
Create taonga & resources
for future generations
The final day of the hui was structured
with several sessions with three that we could attend within the time frame.
The sessions were run by MAC facilitators and included
●
Building Relationships with
Marae, Hapū and Iwi
○
with Damon Ritai
●
Māhere i te Huarahi Ako, Te
Whare Tapu o te Ngākau Māori Resources
○
with Puataata Tia-Ward
●
Tikanga Based Te Reo Māori:
Normalising Te Reo Māori at your Kura
○
with Anaru Morgan
●
Enacting Māori Concepts and
Tikanga in Schools - Pōwhiri, Whakatau
○
with Lindsay Dunn
●
Graduate Profiles: Measuring
What We Value
○
with Phil Gordon
●
Co-governance
○ with Fiona Cavanaugh and Lisa Lowery
All sessions were relevant for what is
currently happening in schools.
Here is the link to their abstracts.
Overall the conference was definitely worth
the time and registration. It was well attended by principals and senior
members of school staff. There was much opportunity for networking and
participating actively with other kaiako and leaders. There was definitely
whakawhanaungatanga. The extensive expertise of the speakers was clearly
evident during the high quality and informative presentations. As an initiative, we highly recommend that senior
leadership teams attend the next MAC Hui ā Tau in 2024 and bring even more
staff along to ensure greater understanding and cohesion across the Kāhui Ako
on our te ao Māori journey.
