Greenwood and Te Aika (2008) identified key themes contributing to Māori success in four different tertiary settings around New Zealand. Four of their 21 success factors related directly to collaboration with iwi and Māori communities: high-level iwi support, active consultation with iwi and engagement of iwi with the programme, a personalised and preferably iwi-based induction, and the importance of a graduation involving whānau and the community. Their primary objective was to ‘identify, investigate, analyse and report policies, programmes and practice at institutional level that implement iwi educational aspirations and strategies and the government’s tertiary educational priorities and strategies in terms of Māori’ (Greenwood & Te Aika, 2008, p. 8). ‘Effectiveness’ was determined by how well the case study programmes integrated and worked collaboratively to support iwi aspirations, as well as Government priorities.
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This literature review has provided a background to this study, and informs its broad conceptual framework. International contributions to the field provided insight about collaboration, protection of cultural knowledge, the role of schools, benefits for students, social and moral imperatives, th eimportance of family, the contribution of quality teaching and the development of overarching theories. Selected international community of practice models and approaches that focused on Indigenous student success were profiled and barriers to Indigenous communities and schools working together were explored.
Contributions from Aotearoa New Zealand allowed for a local context, and a stronger proximity to the puna kōrero included in this research. New Zealand understandings about collaboration and communities of practice, benefits, teaching and learning, culturally inclusive curricula and pedagogy, parental involvement, catering for diversity, improvements to educational system performance and educational policy in New Zealand were all considered. Approaches and models were profiled and barriers and enablers to iwi and school communities of practice were examined, including: strained relationships, critical success factors (they may be missing), leadership, respectful relationships, inclusive school culture, effective communication, decision making and community networks including iwi.
In the following chapters I turn to the specific investigations that form the body of the research.
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Puna Kōrero One: Te Kauhua National Hui
Chapter 4:
2011
4.1 Entry into the Project ... 83! 4.2 The Historical Context for Te Kauhua ... 85! 4.3 Te Kauhua Phase One ... 87! 4.4 Te Kauhua Phase Two ... 89! 4.5 Te Kauhua Phase Three ... 90! 4.6 Te Kauhua Phase Four ... 96! 4.7 The National Te Kauhua Hui: June 30–July 1, 2011 ... 100! 4.8 Methodological Considerations and the Use of Hui ... 100! 4.9 Kaupapa Māori Influence ... 104! 4.10 Ethical Considerations ... 105! 4.11 The Presentations ... 106! 4.12 Themes Arising from Puna Kōrero One ... 124!
This puna kōrero offers insight and new learning about how iwi and schools can participate effectively in communities of practice, in order to improve Māori student success. The investigation was informed by a two-day hui (gathering) held in Wellington over two days in 2011 as part of the Te Kauhua professional development programme. The main purpose of Te Kauhua is helping schools, whānau and iwi work together in ways that improve outcomes for Māori learners. Te Kauhua means ‘the supports on the waka [canoe]’, and was used metaphorically to represent the professional development programme supporting all teachers on the same journey, going in the same direction (Gorinski & Shortland-Nuku, 2007). The iwi and schools engaged in the programme in 2011 were considered to be key communities of practice, likely to be demonstrating effective school and iwi collaboration, and therefore were considered ideal contributors to this research. A Ministry of Education official, a former Te Kauhua Principal and an iwi education representative also presented at the hui. The hui was specifically intended to gather data for this research, but those who attended were also able to share experiences with other members of their professional learning community focused on improving Māori student success in English-medium schools. Concurrently, a Ministry of Education official was able to share policy information and affect current practice, and gain insight into what was happening in each setting.
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This puna kōrero begins with an account of my personal entry into the project, then provides an historical context for Te Kauhua, including exploration of tikanga Māori and its inclusion in New Zealand education. From there, a synopsis of Te Kauhua from its inception in 2001 is provided. Key features and learning from phases one, two and three are included. The National Te Kauhua Hui, which informed this puna kōrero, took place during phase four, in 2011.
4.1 Entry into the Project
In December 2007, I was approached by the New Zealand Ministry of Education (National Office) to take up a short-term contract managing two portfolios in the Professional Learning and Curriculum Development division. I had spent the previous two years as an education facilitator for my local iwi. The work appeared complementary to my previous experience, and I accepted what became a five-year period of contract work for the Ministry of Education.
I entered the Ministry of Education at what I considered to be an exciting time for New Zealand education. The New Zealand Curriculum (Ministry of Education, 2007a) had just been published, the Māori immersion curriculum document Te Marautanga o Aotearoa (Ministry of Education, 2008c) was nearing its final iteration, and there was much anticipation about the effect of the soon-to-be-released second Māori Education Strategy
Ka Hikitia (Ministry of Education, 2008a). The consultation with Māori communities that
preceded these publications had created an expectation among Māori communities that things would be improving for Māori in education.
One of the portfolios I was responsible for was Te Reo Māori in mainstream schools. This included the publication of the first curriculum guidelines for teaching Te Reo Māori in English-medium schools. The second portfolio was the professional development programme titled ‘Te Kauhua’, a metaphor symbolising that all teachers in a school were on the same professional development journey (Gorinski & Shortland-Nuku, 2007). The purpose of the programme was to provide ‘a professional learning model that [sought] to increase knowledge and understanding about the design of professional development programmes, that maximise teachers’ opportunities to learn in ways that contribute to
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enhanced outcomes for Māori learners in mainstream schools’ (Gorinski & Shortland- Nuku, 2007, p. 3). As part of the programme, teachers used their Māori student data to inform their own targeted action research projects, supporting their respective schools to reflect on its performance and informing changes that would improve outcomes for Māori students.
In my view, Te Kauhua was overshadowed by the popular Te Kotahitanga project, which gained some notoriety in the early 2000s. On one occasion I heard a colleague describe Te Kauhua as Te Kotahitanga’s ‘poorer cousin’. In truth, Te Kauhua survived on a humble budget and persisted without fanfare in a small collection of schools. Concurrently, evidence collected from Te Kauhua indicated that it was helping schools in some ways to make a positive difference for Māori students (Bull et al., 2005).
From my own observation, much of Te Kauhua’s success was due to the drive of a Ministry of Education manager, Cheree Shortland-Nuku. Shortland-Nuku oversaw the early development and implementation of the programme, and continued to monitor and support Te Kauhua throughout its course. When the programme was vulnerable, for instance when the Ministry of Education was undergoing review of funding or investment, she championed it. At the school end, individual teachers and principals desired to make a change for Māori students and were willing to lead that process. Some parents, whānau and iwi were also willing to collaborate with schools as part of Te Kauhua. Over time, Te Kauhua generated a small but significant volume of learning for the Ministry, about what works for Māori students and how whānau and iwi can be included in educationally-beneficial relationships. This includes production of digital stories online, case studies and evaluations used to inform Ministry of Education policy.
Since its humble beginnings in 2001, Te Kauhua has come under threat several times from financial constraints and departmental restructuring at the Ministry of Education. In support of its continuation, Senior Advisers to the programme argued that it should be protected because of the Cabinet paper that created it. Cabinet’s recommendation in 2000 was that there was a need to address Māori underachievement in mainstream schools. The original cabinet minutes outlined that funding was to be used to ‘pilot new and innovative approaches to professional development to enhance teacher effectiveness for teachers
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working with Māori students in mainstream educational settings’ (CAB [00] M 16/6 16). A perpetual annual budget of $267,000 was allocated specifically for this purpose.
To date, there have been four phases of Te Kauhua, with each adjusted according to reviews and feedback from participants. The initial pilot project (phase one) took place between January 2001 and 2003. The second phase followed in 2004 and 2005, phase three from 2006 to 2009 and phase four from February 2011 until December 2012.
This investigation is based on a National Hui of Te Kauhua iwi and schools that took place during phase four, in 2011. This event brought together people from around New Zealand who are actively engaged in communities of practice centred on Māori student success. The gathering provided a unique opportunity to gain insight into how iwi and schools can work together effectively, in what ways they are experiencing success, what enables communities of practice to be effective, the challenges they face and how they can be mitigated.