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.

Treaty Responsive Curriculum

Treaty Responsive Curriculum

NZSTA Annual Conference 2016

Tamsin Hanley

To help Boards and staff to better meet their Treaty obligations.

Are teachers teaching New Zealand history?  There are many stereotypical and almost racist history teaching.  

There are standard stories which are presented as being accurate.  These include ideas such as Māori wanting Christian God, Māori colonised Moriori and Māori get privileges.

New Zealand Curriculum states: "acknowledges the principles...", "explore the unigue bicultural nature of  NZ and... " 

Te Whiti...update encouraged us to study him.  

To enact a Treaty principle, you need to have an understanding of the different versions.  

No specific mention in Years 0-8 about the Treaty.  Comes in at Level 5 and is only if you choose certain subjects.  Schools and can potentially go through primary school and never hear anything about this content.  Secondary they learn about British monarchy but of Kingitanga.  To be able to do this, teachers need to understand this content before teaching and this is not happening.

A Curriculum Programme-Divided into 6 topics.  

Te Ao Māori o Neherā

British Isles

Two Worlds Meet

Te Tiriti o Waitangi

Pākeha Responses

Māori Responses

Link to Overview

Link to Resources

Link to an Interview with Tamsin

Having an accurate understanding of New Zealand histories, enables Boards and staff to respond in an informed way when dealing with meeting Treaty obligations.  

Interesting points- 

We have cultural days but not often things to celebrate our Pakeha culture.  

BOT commitment, staff commit, design own frames.  

Treaty principle is the least evident.  Ka Hikitia etc are still very slow moving.  Hautū has been set up for boards.  

Not going to see changes because we cannot successfully enact when our knowledge is not credible.  Teachers need options about how to teach our history.  Institutions need to educate selves.  Can't honour if we don't know and understand what we are honouring.

Maori History Curriculum Goals...Treaty Principle Goals...do we know what these are?

tamsinhanly@xtra.co.nz

What this means for me...Up skill and expand understanding and knowledge of our accurate history...(Buy the books).