Ma¯ ori Achieving Education Success as Ma¯ ori

While many will be happy to see the back of 2020, opportunities did present themselves throughout this year of adversity and society as we knew it changed.

During COVID-19 communities, agencies and businesses, pulled together across our region as never before to protect our borders and support our people.

2020 also saw the introduction of groundbreaking Government legislation in New Zealand, purposed for the times we are living. The new Public Service Act 2020 explicitly recognises the role of the public service its relationships with Ma¯ori under Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The new act puts explicit responsibilities on Public service leaders for developing and maintaining the capability of the public services to engage with Ma¯ori and to understand Ma¯ori perspectives.

This is no less the case for the Ministry of Education, and education provision in the Tai Tokerau region. The new Education and Training Act 2020 is the biggest rewrite of education legislation for decades. The purpose of the Act includes provision for establishing and regulating an education system that honours Te Tiriti o Waitangi and supports Ma¯ori-Crown relationships. The Act determines that School Boards of Trustees must give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi by working to ensure their plans, policies and local curriculum reflect local tikanga Ma¯ori, ma¯tauranga Ma¯ori and te ao Ma¯ori to achieve equitable outcomes for Ma¯ori learners.

The role of the Ministry of Education is to support the implementation of these new laws through a 30-year education vision and work programme. The Ministry of Education will be focusing on how we can put genuine partnership at the heart of our work to give practical effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

We see evidence of this priority in the recently launched Statement of National Education and Learning Priorities (NELP) and the Tertiary Education Strategy (TES). These documents set out the Government’s priorities for education that will ensure the success and wellbeing of all learners throughout their whole learning journey. They are statutory documents issued under the Education and Training Act 2020 that direct government and education sector activities towards the actions that will make the biggest difference in delivering successful outcomes for all learners. The NELP and TES will help create education environments that are learner centred, and where more of our learners, and especially more of our Ma¯ori and Pacific learners, are successful.

NELP and TES expectations become alive through Ka Hikitia, the Ma¯ori Education Strategy, and Tau Mai Te Reo the Ma¯ori Language in Education Strategy. Together these documents outline the shifts needed in education for Ma¯ori to enjoy and achieve educational success as Ma¯ori, and growth in te reo Ma¯ori for both Ma¯ori and non-Ma¯ori learners.

So how does this work practically for teachers and children? One example is the Government’s $108 million commitment to develop Te Ahu o te Reo Ma¯ori to upskill 40,000 teachers and school staff in te reo Ma¯ori. Registrations are now open for Te Ahu o te Reo Ma¯ori, a programme to normalise the language so it would be used in everyday classroom life. Approximately 10,000, primary and secondary school teachers, and non-teaching support staff across the country would be able to join the programme over four years.

These are exciting times for education in Aotearoa New Zealand.