Cultural Competency

Cultural Competency

Dr Kuni Jenkins

Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi

Aim for teachers in New Zealand to understand the culture and how to teach cultural perspective.

Evidence of Māori attitudes, aptitudes and participation and performance in the early years based on expectations of what they saw happening in school.

Te Hāpai Ō has been significant in programme in producing competent mentors called Pou Tautoko (name of the mentor) and beginning teachers called Pia (Beginning teacher).  Available to all schools in Aotearoa.  Unfortunately the programme is gathering dust.  

Found there is a gap in the teaching sector to provide a cultural teaching teachers programme.  Why?  To address the threatened indigenous heritage language of Aotearoa through the cultural contexts.  

NZCER found that there was facing imminent death.  12 August 1816 was the first school in Aotearoa.  

First book He Korao no Niu Zealand

Ruatara...Sailed to visit the King.

Around the second World War, things started becoming resistant and Māori was not being taught so much.  Te Rangihiroa?? Yale

Mentor programme allows teachers to demonstrate that they can teach Māori in New Zealand schools.

Whanaungatanga...to gather in collaborative, supportive and effective relationships.

Manaakitanga...to develop a spirit of caring and sharing where the idea of reciprocity becomes a firmly rooted practice.

Kaitiakitanga...to use culturally responsive strategies to embrace and protect what are respected taonga.

Rangatiratanga...to recognise the leadership attributes of a person.

Wairuatanga... to place a ethical responsibility on a person in the way they engage with others.

Kōtahitanga...to focus on the unity of purpose to achieve.

Mātauranga...to ensure the acquisition of knowledge and intellectualism.

Te Tataiako...

Education should prepare you for a successful adult life.  

Respect and Mana of each child.

Delving Deeper Keynote speaker - Eruera Tarena

The day began with an inspirational keynote presentation from Eruera Tarena, titled:

"Wayfinding Maori Futures: jumping on the waka to a brighter future."

Here's a few key things that struck a chord with me:

The pace of change is increasing and as a society we have a lessening amount of control over being pre-organisation for things. As individuals, we need to get used to being in a state of being without control over what is happening. This is a huge challenge for us as educators, where we like to preplan and know exactly where we are headed and anticipate what we may need to head off.

Maori traditions always have layers of meaning. - I'd never really considered this, but if you take a moment to think about many of the legends and myths, they are often adapted slightly to fit with the story they are telling at the time.

Maori success as Maori... it's a destination point. Early voyagers knew where they were going. Although they had never been to their destination, they used a term called "seeing the island", which meant imagining what that destination might look like in their minds. You won't see that destination until the last 10% of the journey, so it was important for Navigators to use "star points" or "way finding" to use as markers or indicators of progress along the journey. - The correlation for us, as educators, can be seen in our TAI's. We make a hypothesis as to what the destination point might look like... We then use data and anecdotal observations along the way as indicators of progress towards that.

Modelling equity and equity and equality for Maori. What happens if we continue to do the status quo? What happens if we do something different? - Even if the status quo is "working" it's our duty to be on the look out for ways to improve, both our practice and our achievement outcomes for our akonga. We need to reject the status quo. It's not good enough to continue to perpetuate them, morally etc

Things that require shifts in attitudes, values, the way we view the world

When we're thinking innovation, it's often about creating something to help us not have to change. We all like change until it happens... then we often find excuses to delay adopting it.

It seems ludicrous that we are still talking about cultural responsiveness 30 years on, rather than cultural sustainability. Gone is the time to respond. 

Te Waipounamu pipeline.

Equity is just being ordinary, the same as everyone else.

The Browner you are, the more likely you are to be replaced by a robot in future. Many young Maori are flatlining in terms of income in their early 20's.

Statistics are showing that they are more likely to be in unskilled jobs, due to leaving education earlier. Maori are always the last ones on and the first ones off in terms of opportunity.

The statistics of Maori students not completing university is extremely high. An audience member recounted a story of her daughters journey through university. One by one, her Maori peers dropped out. It became quite challenging and isolating to continue without that peer support, staying focused on the long term destination. It was a very emotional recount and resonated with all in the room.

What is the opportunity? And how do you frame that?" Moving beyond good intentions. There is an unconscious biased system as teachers. We all have a contribution to make.

We all like projects or programmes, but they only Create a bubble of change. We need to be thinking bigger picture and long term.

We inhabit that ship that's a shared future, with our treaty partnership. Our narrative has been driven by grievance loss and hardship, but we need to turn it around.

• We need to come together; 
• Change isn't 'out there' but 'in here'; 
• Know what you bring to the table; 
• identify your champions; 
• be the change - join our collective.

What is the future together we want to inhabit.

More information on the data can be found at maorifutures.co.nz

The Treaty of Waitangi

The Treaty of Waitangi and School Governance

NZSTA Annual Conference 2016

CORE Education

How do our local stories impact our kura?  

What is important?  Tūpuna, pakeke, tamariki, mokopuna.

Taiao, whenua,wāhi tapu.

The past, the present, the future.

Purpose: Enable trustees to better understand the Treaty;emphasise the responsibility and potential that boards have in ensuring ...

Treaty Questions~As a Board, ask ourselves and discuss...

What do you know about the Treaty?

Where did you learn this information?

What/who has influenced your current views on the Treaty?

1830s:  Māori population was higher than non-Māori, but there was:

*An increasing number of Europeans who wanted to settle

*Pressure form rangatira to regulate land sales

*Declaration of Independence in 1835 which led to the Treaty of Waitangi

6 February, Waitangi 1840 the Treaty was born. 

Article 1: Kāwanatanga

Article 2: Ranagtiratanga

Article 3: Ōritetanga

Article 4: Māori customs shall be protected

Need to understand Whānau, hapū, Iwi and Rangatira as these networks are strong.  

Why is the Treaty important for all New Zealanders?

*Political agreement which is mutually beneficial for Māori and tauiwi (everybody else).

*Māori who signed the Treaty, 

"Māori achieving educational success as Māori." Ka Hikitia, Hautū, ERO, Tau Mai te Reo, Teacher criteria

We want kaiako that are really strong practitioners who bring cultural expertise.  

Community voice.  Need to find the teacher who has the heart and passion and who is culturally responsive.

Accountability-success and Māori specific indicators, holistic approaches, wellbeing indicators are linked to a sense of belonging and connection to the school, whānau, friends and community.

How do you or how might you engage with your Māori students and community about their success?

The way we language things as the words we use determine the outcome.  We invite you, not we need/want you.

Boards are in a good place being on a three year cycle.  Needs to be a place where voice is valued and safe, or nothing will change.  

Normalise Māori in your kura.  Raise the consciousness of Te Reo Māori, raises consciousness throughout.  Peter Williams re normalising te Reo.

Greet, karakia, waiata

Learn pepeha

The why & purpose needs to be understood.  Not only Māori invited to hui.  No pressure on Māori whānau to be the experts.  

Events involving whānau

What does partnership mean in practice?

NZSTA Treaty of Waitangi Page

Engage rather than consult.  

Principal to teacher quote...Each time you send a child out, it is you that are failing, not the child. 

Our next steps:

At a Board level, where is our understanding of our Treaty obligations at?

What are we doing to normalise te Reo Māori throughout the kura?  Who, when, how?

Board hui-karakia to start, introductions and waiata.

NZSTA Conference Day 2

Nanny's Place

Our conference theme song...loud and proud...Let's stick together.

Day Two of conference started with a buffet breakfast.  A quick walk to the arena and we were ready for more inspiration, new thinking and ideas for moving forward.  

Nanny from up North shared her wisdom from her kitchen.  

A nation is like a boil up...a whole lot of different flavours mixed to make a flavoursome feast.

Nanny had a few questions for us to ponder...  

You only get threatened by other races if you are not sure about what you are.  

Violence and child abuse.  When we see a Māori name connected with violence, we cry. It is not Māori behaviour.  Early observations about Māori behaviour in 1814, included such comments as:

John Savage, who wrote in 1807, "The children here appear to be treated with a great degree of parental affection. They are robust, lively, and possess, in general, pleasing countenances."

Samuel Marsden, the leading missionary who visited New Zealand for the first time in 1814 (and could never be accused of possessing a bleeding heart), noted: "I saw no quarrelling while I was there. They are kind to their women and children. I never observed either with a mark of violence upon them, nor did I ever see a child struck."

In 1824, Richard Cruise remarked: "In the manner of rearing children, and in the remarkable tenderness and solicitous care bestowed upon them by the parents, no partiality on account of sex was in any instance observed. The infant is no sooner weaned than a considerable part of its care devolves upon the father: it is taught to twine its arms round his neck, and in this posture it remains the whole day, asleep or awake."

As the artist Augustus Earle wrote in 1832: "They are kind and hospitable to strangers, and are excessively fond of their children. On a journey, it is more usual to see the father carrying his infant than the mother; and all the little offices of a nurse are performed by him with the tenderest care and good humour."

Here is the full article from Anne Salmond.

How can we fill the emotional tank when there is no plug in the tank?

Poverty...when growing up, there was no money but house was filled with aroha.  The worse kind of poverty is poverty of spirit.  

Filling up our kids emotional tanks.  Praise is better than punishment.  Who is praising Māori?  Life is like a box of cereal.  All the good stuff is on the front and the small print shows the rubbish.  For Māori, our rubbish is at the front but our good stuff is in small print.  

As far as our brand is concerned, do our children need to carry that brand?

Look after one another and make sure we know who we are.  

Thoughts from the audience:

How do we teach Māori to be awesome?  It's about empathy, understanding, seeing more than just the child, connections.  

Our tamariki are our brand.  

How do we convince our government that te Reo Māori should be taught throughout school?

Pasifika cultures have their language.  

Our Māori kids need that for their sense of belonging and connection.

NZSTA Conference Day 2

Nanny's Place

Our conference theme song...loud and proud...Let's stick together.

Day Two of conference started with a buffet breakfast.  A quick walk to the arena and we were ready for more inspiration, new thinking and ideas for moving forward.  

Nanny from up North shared her wisdom from her kitchen.  

A nation is like a boil up...a whole lot of different flavours mixed to make a flavoursome feast.

Nanny had a few questions for us to ponder...  

You only get threatened by other races if you are not sure about what you are.  

Violence and child abuse.  When we see a Māori name connected with violence, we cry. It is not Māori behaviour.  Early observations about Māori behaviour in 1814, included such comments as:

John Savage, who wrote in 1807, "The children here appear to be treated with a great degree of parental affection. They are robust, lively, and possess, in general, pleasing countenances."

Samuel Marsden, the leading missionary who visited New Zealand for the first time in 1814 (and could never be accused of possessing a bleeding heart), noted: "I saw no quarrelling while I was there. They are kind to their women and children. I never observed either with a mark of violence upon them, nor did I ever see a child struck."

In 1824, Richard Cruise remarked: "In the manner of rearing children, and in the remarkable tenderness and solicitous care bestowed upon them by the parents, no partiality on account of sex was in any instance observed. The infant is no sooner weaned than a considerable part of its care devolves upon the father: it is taught to twine its arms round his neck, and in this posture it remains the whole day, asleep or awake."

As the artist Augustus Earle wrote in 1832: "They are kind and hospitable to strangers, and are excessively fond of their children. On a journey, it is more usual to see the father carrying his infant than the mother; and all the little offices of a nurse are performed by him with the tenderest care and good humour."

Here is the full article from Anne Salmond.

How can we fill the emotional tank when there is no plug in the tank?

Poverty...when growing up, there was no money but house was filled with aroha.  The worse kind of poverty is poverty of spirit.  

Filling up our kids emotional tanks.  Praise is better than punishment.  Who is praising Māori?  Life is like a box of cereal.  All the good stuff is on the front and the small print shows the rubbish.  For Māori, our rubbish is at the front but our good stuff is in small print.  

As far as our brand is concerned, do our children need to carry that brand?

Look after one another and make sure we know who we are.  

Thoughts from the audience:

How do we teach Māori to be awesome?  It's about empathy, understanding, seeing more than just the child, connections.  

Our tamariki are our brand.  

How do we convince our government that te Reo Māori should be taught throughout school?

Pasifika cultures have their language.  

Our Māori kids need that for their sense of belonging and connection.

Hautu~ Maori Cultural Responsiveness Self Review Tool

Hautu~ Maori Cultural Responsiveness Self Review Tool

for Boards of Trustees

NZSTA Workshop 31 August 2015

 NZSTA are holding a number of workshops to support boards in their governance role within their schools.  One of these workshops in Christchurch recently was around the Hautu resource which is a tool for Maori cultural responsiveness and self review for Boards of Trustees.  

The workshop was basically looking at this tools but it also encompassed much more.  

THE RESOURCE~
This resource supports boards of trustees to meet their accountabilities by reviewing cultural responsiveness in their school.

Hautū is designed to be flexible and to help boards assess, plan and increase their cultural responsiveness no matter what level they are at now. Hautū aligns with the four key areas of governance; Board leadership, representation, accountability and employer roles.
By strengthening and fulfilling their roles effectively as trustees, boards will deliver stronger governance. Working with Hautū also supports boards to meaningfully implement Ka Hikitia - Accelerating Success 2013-2017 within their work and to make decisions that support Māori learners to enjoy and achieve education success, as Māori.
Boards have a responsibility to:
~set future directions for successful learning of Māori students
~be accountable for the performance of Māori student achievement
~ensure Māori stakeholders in their community are represented in governance, planning and decision making
~ensure their school is a good employer by supporting school staff to teach and support Māori students effectively.

Key ideas and learning for me~

I particularly liked the use of the waka hoe as a concept for understanding and strengthening the roles and responsibilities of culturally responsive Boards.

We had discussion around what evidence we have that we are meeting our accountabilies for Maori student success?  What implications do Boards face?  We looked at the importance of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and what this means for Boards.  The National Administrative Guidelines showed us our legislated responsibilities. 

For us at Gilberthorpe School~

The next step for us at Gilberthorpe School is to ensure all our Board members and our teaching staff are familiar with the Hautu tool as well as a good understanding of Ka Hikitia Accelerating Success 2013-2017.  These documents will help guide us in our journey to raising achievement for our Maori learners.

See here for more information~ Hautu Tool and Ka Hikitia

Lee-Anne Waho

Mahuru 2015