School context for Ka Hikitia

Newton Central (Newton, Auckland)

Contributing School (Years 1-6)
U4
43% Māori
Māori Medium education; Immersion and bilingual classes
Decile 7

Newton Central School, Te Kura-ā-Rito o Newton, can be found in central Auckland. With views of the sacred mountains of Maungawhau and Maungakiekie the school inspires and guides their students to be proud in their identity, language and culture while striving to attain to the best of their ability.

Relationships and connections at Newton Central are based on trust, respect and acceptance. Teachers strive to build and nurture a diverse community of bicultural and bilingual learners. This is replicated in their Treaty based co-governance model.

Students learn in rumaki Māori, bilingual or English medium classes. The school’s culture of high expectations effectively supports its diverse community to be connected and active life-long learners.

Newton Central: Identity, language and culture (0:00–1:10)

How do we develop a culture of trust if it does not exist in our school?
What do we know about the educational benefits of a strong connection to our identity, language and culture?
What is it we value about our own cultures?

Newton Central: Ako, Identity, language and culture and Māori potential approach (1:10-1:53)

How much do we know about the skill, values and attitudes our Māori learners possess that are celebrated and upheld by our school?
How many languages can you speak? (the staff, school board, community)

Newton Central: Identity, language and culture (1:53–2:20)

What is normal in our school?
Do you see the world the same way as the Māori learners in your class/school?
What learning factors do we see as being critical to our Māori learners?

Newton Central: Māori potential approach, Identity, language and culture (2:20-3:31) (translate from 00:39-end 1:06)

How much do we know about the skill, values and attitudes our Māori learners possess that are celebrated and upheld by our school?
How many languages can you speak? (the staff, school board, community)

Newton Central: Productive partnerships (3:31–4:19)

In what ways do parents, families and whānau drive the changes in our school?
How will we change the hearts and minds of our school to accelerate success for Māori learners?
How do the relationships in our school community educationally powerful?

Newton Central School: Treaty of Waitangi, Ako (4:19-5:00)

What Māori representation currently exists on our school board?
What policies, procedures and practices are in place to affirm this partnership?
How do we retain, maintain and sustain the essence of the Treaty in all aspects of our school?

Newton Central: Productive partnerships (5:21-6:42)

What does success as Māori mean at our school?
How are Māori aspirations represented at a school board level?
How effective is our current governance model for Māori enjoying and achieving education success as Māori?

Porangahau School (Hawke's Bay)

Full Primary
77% Māori roll
U1

The Porangahau School curriculum is reflective of their rural school community and is clearly focused on students’ learning and the ongoing partnerships with families and whānau. Positive, affirming relationships amongst students, staff, whānau and the community contribute to a strong sense of belonging and ownership.

A strong sense of whakawhanaungatanga provides students with an environment that supports and affirms them as individuals and as Māori. The school has a strong association with Ngāti Kere and Te Rongomaraeroa Marae. Te reo me ngā tikanga Māori is celebrated and embraced and staff actively build their knowledge of the values of Ngāti Kere to support Māori success as Māori.

Board members are committed to and have a clear understanding of their governance roles and responsibilities. They use information from consultation and achievement data to make decisions that are focused on improving student outcomes. Trustees, leaders and teachers use an extensive range of effective strategies to engage families, whānau and the community.

Transitions to school have been strengthened with preschoolers beginning school six months earlier, an effective process that familiarises the learners with the school before starting. This enhances students’ confidence and sense of security. Teachers are building relationships with Central Hawke’s Bay College. As part of an iwi contract 'Te Kauhua', trustees and leaders can monitor and track the progress of their school leavers.

Porangahau School: Treaty of Waitangi, Identity, language and culture, Productive partnerships (1:23-1:50)

How do we know what is best for our Māori students?
In what ways does our school honour the Treaty of Waitangi?
What is the relationship between parents, family whānau and school?

(3:35-4:05)

Who is part of the community that supports the school and learners?
How do we assist parents, family or whānau into our school?
How can we as parents, family and whānau connect with the school?

Porangahau School: Māori Potential Approach, Ako, Identity, Language and Culture (1:50–2:15, 2:15–3:19)

How do we assist students to return back to school and begin the week?
How are peer relationships used to support students to feel connected to our school and how do we know?
How is tikanga Māori alive in our school?

(4:05–4:57)

What expectation do we have for our staff, parents, families, whānau or community to lead or support Māori activities or tikanga?
How do we as a school acknowledge that level of commitment from our community?
In what ways are our school community developing and strengthening our own cultural competencies?

Porangahau School: Ako, Productive partnerships (4:57–5:20)

What do I know about the Māori learners in my class/school?
What type of strategies do we use to assist our Māori learners?
In what ways do you share teaching and learning opportunities in your class/school?

Porangahau School: Identity, language and culture, Ako, Productive partnerships (7:00–end)

Do we know where our Māori learners come from?
What do we know about the history of the area and the school?
In what ways do we strengthen Māori learners’ access to their identity, language and culture?

Porangahau School: Productive partnerships (0:00-1:23)

What effective partnerships do we have in our school community?
What relationships exist in our school that support Māori learners to accelerate their success?
In what ways do we assist our parents, families and whānau to ensure learners can attend our school?

(3:19–3:34)

(external link)

What barriers exist for our students to access our school?
In what ways can we remove or limit these barriers?
How committed are our staff and school board to building and strengthening the effective communities of our school?

(6:00-6:19)

How do we support Māori learners to transition into and out of our school?
How do we provide information to our school community to support education success?
What information and or access do we provide to parents, families and whānau about beginning at our school?

Breens Intermediate (Christchurch)

Year 7-8
15% Māori
U4
Decile 6

Breens Intermediate is a decile six school that caters for Year 7 and 8 students the school values have a strong influence on all things that impact on the students’ learning. The values are about belonging and being bold, brilliant, brave and beautiful. The Canterbury earthquakes have given the school opportunities to put their values into practice.

Teachers and school leaders have made a commitment to improve the achievement levels of Māori students at the school. They are taking part in effective professional learning to extend their understandings and knowledge of practices that better support and engage Māori learners. Teachers are developing strong and positive relationships with their students and have expectations that all will achieve well. They are also becoming more knowledgeable about te Ao Māori.

No one person is more important than the other at Breens, where strong relationships exist between the learners and the teachers. School leaders and teachers form genuine working partnerships with students’ parents and whānau. This effective practice embodies the whakataukī 'Ma te tuakana te teina e totika’, reciprocal learning or Ako which offers students authentic experiences to learn about their bicultural heritage.

Breens Intermediate: Treaty of Waitangi, Māori potential approach, Productive partnerships (0:00-2:33)

How are Māori learners, their parents, families and whānau engaged with our school?
How does this engagement support educationally powerful relationships?
What are the core values of our school?
How are these values linked to the goals, targets, plans and actions we have for our
In what ways do parents, families and whānau contribute to the vision of our school?

Breens Intermediate: Ako, Māori potential approach (2:34–5:13)

How are the classes in our school organised?
How is achievement tracked for Māori learners?
Does the current learning environment support all students and how do you know this?

Breens Intermediate: Ako, Māori potential approach (5:14–6:42)

What does a Māori potential approach look like in our class/school?
Who has ownership of learning and teaching in our class/school?
How do we work to the strengths of our Māori students?

Breens Intermediate: Identity, language and culture, Treaty of Waitangi (6:42–8:29)

How does our school use Ka Hikitia, Tātaiako or Hautū?
What lessons can be taken from our conversations about our own identity, language and culture?
What role does professional learning development play in improving the quality of teaching and the use of identity, language and culture to strengthen Māori learner achievement?

Te Karaka Area School (Gisborne)

Composite School (Year 1-13)
94%
U4
2 immersion Raumaki Māori classes
New school

In early 2010 the decision to close both Waikohu College and Te Karaka Primary and open a new area school in 2011, was confirmed by the Associate Minister of Education the Honourable Pita Sharples. Te Karaka Area School began in 2011 comprising Year 1-13 students. The new buildings were completed on the Waikohu College site and the school was officially opened in March 2014.

Te reo Māori is embedded throughout the school with tikanga Māori interwoven in the school’s culture and values. There is a school-wide commitment to improving opportunities for Māori students to express and celebrate their culture, knowledge and experience. Students benefit from strong links with local marae and positive role modelling provided by Māori staff.

Te Karaka consulted extensively with the wider community to develop their curriculum. The development of the curriculum is based on recent research, is aspirational and future-focused. Local contexts are widely integrated into programmes with extensive use of vocational and correspondence programmes.

There is a well-developed partnership with whānau and iwi which directly impacts the students' strong sense of belonging and pride in being Māori. Consequently, there has been significant improvement in student achievement in the National Certificates of Educational Achievement (NCEA) at Levels 1 and 2.

Te Karaka: Treaty of Waitangi, Identity, language and culture (0:00-1:54)

How do we build relationships in our school?
What do we know about where our Māori students come from?
What do we know about the Māori from where our school sits?

(1:55-2:26)

How do we know what is best for our Māori learners?
In what ways does our school honour the Treaty of Waitangi?
How do we support and strengthen our staff and students cultural competency?

Te Karaka: Ako, Identity, language and culture (2:26–3:19)

How is ownership of learning retained by the students?
How do we report to our Māori parents, family, whānau or community?
How do we know that this reporting is effective?

Te Karaka: Ako, Identity, language and culture (3:20–4:04)

How do we engage our Māori learners with the curriculum?
How do we know that this is working for our learners?
In what ways do we let our learners lead their learning journeys?

Te Karaka: Māori potential approach, Ako (4:43–5:42)

What are the targets for our Māori learners?
How do we measure the success of Māori learners as Māori?
What do we know about the effect of our school environment on the learning of our Māori students?
What does Māori learner success look like at our school?
What do parents; family and whānau think success looks like in our school?
In what ways does using the identity, language and culture of our students affect their learning?

(5:42–6:30)

How do we know what our students want?
What types of access do our students have to teachers/school board/Principal/senior managers/whānau and the wider community?
How do we strengthen our students’ ability to select their career pathways?

Te Karaka: Productive partnerships (7:42–end)

What information about Māori learners is received by the school board?
What do we know about the attendance, engagement and retention of our Māori learners?
In what ways does using the identity, language and culture of our students affect their learning?

Makoura College (Masterton)

Secondary (Year 9-14)
U4
55% Māori
Decile 2
Managing School for Alternative Education

Makoura College is a co-educational secondary school in Masterton, catering for students in Year 9-14. Just over half of the roll identify as Māori. In 2008 Makoura College was threatened with closure. With consecutive poor ERO reports and the resignation of the school board, a Commissioner was appointed.

Governance has since transitioned to a board of elected and appointed members. A strong partnership between school, iwi and whānau assists decision making. Mana Māori has been restored through the refurbishment of the wharenui. Consultation with the community produced a new motto and values, expressed in te reo Māori. These underpin all operations of the school.

The school is highly effective in promoting educational success for Māori as Māori. Leaders and managers use achievement information well to set school-wide targets, review faculty performance and inform annual planning. As a consequence, the National Certificates of Educational Achievement (NCEA) data shows the percentages of students obtaining qualifications for Level 1, 2 and 3, significantly exceeds those of comparable schools.

Homerooms (Te Kura Teina) operate for Year 9 and 10. This allows for an emphasis on the basic skills required to access the Year 11 curriculum. Data analysis for shows targeted students made accelerated progress in literacy and mathematics.

Makoura College: Treaty of Waitangi, Māori potential approach, Identity, language and culture, Productive partnerships (0:00-3:03)

What significant events if any have shaped the current climate at our school?
In what ways are the current relationships internally and externally, educationally powerful for our Māori learners?
How are our Māori learners and communities represented within the school environment?
What do you know about the identity, language and culture of your class/school?
In what ways has the perception of the wider community shaped our school?
How can our understanding of the identity, language and culture of our Māori learners accelerate their success?
What relationships exist in our class/school?
How do the relationships within the wider school community impact our Māori learners?
How do we include Māori representation in the decision making about the vision of our school?

Makoura College: Māori potential approach, Identity, language and culture and Ako (3:03-5:10)

How does our school visualise Māori potential?
What do you know about the potential of the Māori students in your class/school?
How will your team/school/school board support Māori students to build on their potential?

Makoura College: Ako, Productive partnerships (5:10–6:15)

In what ways do our Māori learners have ownership of their learning?
How does our school integrate learning opportunities into our already busy school timetable?
In what ways do we celebrate Māori learner achievement?

(6:15–6:50)

How does our school support Māori learners as they transition in and out of our school?
What do we know about the engagement, attendance and retention of our Māori learners in my class/school?
What do we know about the interests of our Māori learners?

(6:50–end)

What do we know about the achievement of our Māori students?
What factors contribute to or have influenced this data?
In what ways do we celebrate the academic success of our learners?
How is this success communicated to parents, families, whānau and the wider Māori community?

Last reviewed: 23 July 2021 Has this been useful? Give us your feedback