Glossary of terms

The following glossary provides definitions for some of the words and phrases used throughout Ka Hikitia – Accelerating Success 2013-2017.

Ako

Effective teaching and learning for, and with, Māori students and the conditions that support it. Within the strategy, ako comprises 2 important aspects: Language, culture and identity counts and productive partnerships, and is grounded in the principle of reciprocity where both the teacher and learner give and receive.

Culture Shared understandings, practices, norms and values of a group of people.
English-medium education Teaching through the English language.
Evidence The range of information and data to inform practice.
Hapū Sub-tribe.
Hui Taumata Mātauranga Māori education summit.
Immersion schools Schools in which students are taught through the Māori language for more than 80% of the time.
Iwi Tribe, a social group of people with shared family links, culture and language dialect.
Iwitanga Cultural practices, values and views specific to a particular iwi.
Kaupapa Māori education Māori education that incorporates a Māori world view and ways of teaching in a range of settings including bilingual and immersion settings (English and Māori).
Kiwi Leadership for Principals(external link) A programme supporting the professional learning of principals.
Kōhanga reo Māori language settings (early childhood education services) affiliated with Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust.
Kura kaupapa Māori Māori language school settings based on Māori philosophies.
Levers for change Tools or ways of working that will bring about change.
Mana whenua Self identity and sense of belonging to a particular place and time. Mana whenua is based on the principle of ahikaa (occupation over designated territory) and refers to the customary authority exercised by the tangata whenua in an identified area.
Māori language education All education that teaches Māori language skills and delivers education through te reo Māori.
Māori Language Education Outcomes Framework A framework that will guide government investment in achieving quality outcomes in Māori language education.
Māori-medium Teaching that includes significant use of te reo Māori. Students are taught curriculum subjects in both te reo Māori and English or in te reo Māori only.
Mātauranga Māori Māori knowledge, norms, principles, and experiences that diverse Māori communities value and practice as part of their world view.
Ngā Haeata Mātauranga(external link) The annual report on Māori education published by the Ministry of Education.
Pākehā New Zealander of predominantly European descent.
Puna kōhungahunga Māori playgroups run by parents.
Rangatahi Māori youth.
Schooling improvement projects Targeted professional development programmes to lift student achievement.
Statement of Intent Document that sets out how a Government agency will deliver its contribution to government goals and priorities.
Student Engagement Initiative(external link) A project focused on engaging students in school.
Tāonga Something of value.
Te Aho Matua Māori charter that sets out principles and practices of teaching and learning in kura kaupapa Māori (schools designated under section 155 of the Education Act 1989).
Te Ao Māori Māori world view and values.
Te Marautanga o Aotearoa(external link) The curriculum for Māori-medium schooling.
Te Puni Kōkiri(external link) The government agency for Māori development.
Te Reo Rangatira Title referring to a set of standards designed to support students in Māori immersion settings learning the academic language of te reo Māori. Standards assess the language competence of students in a variety of contexts and are designed for first language speakers.
Te Whāriki: He Whāriki Mātauranga mō ngā Mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early Childhood Curriculum (1996) The national early childhood education curriculum.
Tikanga Māori Māori shared practices and principles.
Whānau Family or group of people with a genealogical bond; also used colloquially for those who share a common interest or philosophy.
Wharekura Māori-medium secondary settings based in and on Māori education philosophies.

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