An insight into Grow Waitaha
Dr Chris Jansen offers an insight into his work with Grow Waitaha, the heartening impact this programme is having in our schools and wider community, and his journey of learning towards becoming an authentic Treaty partner.
LIKE MANY I WAS SURPRISED
and moved to read Nō mātou te hē, the public apology from Stuff/The Press on Monday 30 November (2020) for their long-term misrepresentation of Māori in their reporting; and their explicit and implicit racism expressed in perpetuating sterotypes of Māori as inferior. For me, this followed a visit to Rāpaki Marae where I had the privilege of standing within the whenua of Te Hapū o Ngāti Wheke and listening to verbal accounts from a colleague of the Māori language loss of her tīpuna (ancestors) who attended the Rāpaki Native School. The Native Schools
Act of 1867 established a national system of village primary schools as part of the government’s policy to assimilate Māori into Pākehā society, where instruction was to be conducted entirely in English.
For the last six years, Cheryl
Doig and I have been part of a large programme of work called Grow Waitaha which is designed to support schools in post-earthquake greater Christchurch through city-wide educational transformation. This collaboration includes the Ministry of Education, Ngāi Tahu and four consulting companies. This multi-year programme is unique in that the alliance works closely with mana whenua (local Ngāi Tahu runaka) and all decisions are made together in an authentic Te Tiriti o Wāitangi partnership.
Grow Waitaha is committed to equity and inclusion with a vision of ‘all ākonga/students being provided with innovative, connected and responsive teaching, learning experiences, pathways and environments. Pathways that will enable Māori to achieve success as Māori and all ākonga to thrive as learners and as citizens locally, nationally and globally, now and in the future.’ Our Ngāi Tahu partnership organisation, Mātauraka Mahaanui advises on how local Māori stories and knowledge are woven into cultural narratives, physical spaces and curriculum content for education providers.
This transformation is a slow and systematic approach over many years; however, it’s heartening to begin to see the impact of this mahi/work in kura/schools all around the region. The specific focus areas are:
Identity and belonging – ākonga/ students and kaiako/teachers have a sense of place and feel that their identity and culture is valued, acknowledged and visible in their kura.
An authentic, rich curriculum with learning approaches truly reflective of our bicultural nation.
We are committed to an inclusive Waitaha/Canterbury where education is accessible for all, and ensures that all tamariki unlock their potential as their unique selves; ‘Aroha ki te tangata, ahakoa ko wai, ahakoa nō hea – Loving all people no matter who they are or where they come from’. This also means challenging myself to explore my own biases, and to learn and grow so that Te Tiriti o Wāitangi partnership is valued and in fact normalised in all aspects of our practice. We encourage you to ask your local school (and indeed yourself ), how are you giving effect to Te Tiriti o Wāitangi in your context?
Dr Chris Jansen is a director and senior consultant with Leadership Lab and works alongside organisations in the education, health, business and community sectors on a range of projects. Chris is also a senior lecturer at the University of Canterbury, where he teaches the Master of Business Administration and Postgraduate Diploma of Strategic Leadership. leadershiplab.co.nz growwaitaha.co.nz
Dr Cheryl Doig is a leadership futurist who follows leadership trends and research and translates these into practice, working internationally and virtually with organisations, business leaders and educators. Her passion is for challenging organisations to think differently in order to adapt to a changing future – to think beyond their current leadership realities, while still using the best of the past. thinkbeyond.co.nz leadershiplab.co.nz growwaitaha.co.nz