Module 8: Whānau Whanake (Building Stakeholder Relationships): This module explores building positive and collaborative partnerships and networks with parents, teachers, students, and community members to support school improvement.
Due: 11th August
Nau te rourou, naku te rourou, ka ora te manuhiri.
With your food basket and my food basket, the people will thrive.
Module Objectives:
- Understand the importance of strong stakeholder relationships in school improvement.
- Identify your key bicultural stakeholders in the community.
- Develop and implement strategies for effective communication and engagement with stakeholders.
- Build trust and foster collaborative partnerships with parents and whānau.
- Utilise community resources to enhance student learning and well-being.
- Develop and implement a stakeholder engagement plan for the school.
The NZ Education Code of Practice 2021 describes stakeholders as “learners, staff, whānau, local communities, employers, iwi, and others who share a meaningful interest in the wellbeing and safety of learners enrolled with the provider.”(p.10) A key principle for forming stake-holder relationships is mahi tahi and kotahitanga: collective benefits and shared aspirations. This module dives into developing culturally responsive practices and engaging with whanau, hapu and iwi. However, the principles explored can be applied to many stakeholder groups.
We are aware that there is a continuum of experiences and expertise among our delegates so please explore the area(s) most relevant to you below.
Defining Culturally Responsive Leadership
Culturally responsive leadership refers to a leadership approach that recognises, respects, and integrates the diverse cultural backgrounds and identities of students, staff, and the community within the educational environment. This approach prioritises inclusivity, equity, and culturally sensitive practices.
Key Components of Culturally Responsive Leadership:
- Cultural Competence: Culturally responsive leaders demonstrate cultural competence by developing a deep understanding of their own cultural biases and beliefs. They actively seek to learn about the cultures represented in their school community.
- Inclusive Leadership: Inclusive leaders foster an environment where all students and staff feel valued and included, regardless of their cultural background. They promote an atmosphere of respect and acceptance.
- Cultural Awareness: Culturally responsive leaders are attuned to the cultural needs and preferences of their students and staff. They adapt their leadership style to accommodate these differences, making the educational experience more relevant and engaging.
Culture Matters!
Culture significantly shapes our thinking, perception, actions, and communication. Learning is intricately linked to culture, meaning that even when the classroom’s teaching methods, resources, curriculum, and relationships remain the same, students’ experiences may differ due to their cultural perspectives and prior knowledge. Problems arise when educators are unaware of the diverse knowledge and experiences diverse students bring to learning. Even if a teacher shares the same culture as their students, understanding their backgrounds isn’t guaranteed as cultural understandings and behaviours vary within cultural groups, and teachers may miss cultural cues. It’s vital not to ignore these differences or treat all students uniformly, but instead, move from cultural blindness to cultural responsiveness.
Bias, Unconscious Bias and Racism:
Biases in educational leadership can manifest in various ways, often stemming from deep-seated societal prejudices. These biases may result in unequal opportunities, resource allocation, and disciplinary practices for students of different backgrounds. Educational leaders, whether consciously or unconsciously, may favour certain groups while unintentionally disadvantaging others. These biases can hinder the creation of inclusive, equitable learning environments, perpetuating disparities in academic achievement and student well-being. Addressing biases in educational leadership is crucial for fostering fairness and ensuring that every student has an equal opportunity to succeed academically and personally. It requires self-awareness, ongoing education, and a commitment to dismantling discriminatory practices to create a more just and equitable educational system.
In leadership and teaching positions we need to be aware of unconscious biases and how these might affect the way in which we operate in a school setting; towards children, colleagues and whanaū. An unconscious bias is more difficult to overcome and can be defined as such:
“Refers to a bias that we are unaware of and which happens outside of our control. It is a bias that happens automatically and is triggered by our brain making quick judgements and assessments of people and situations, influenced by our background, cultural environment and personal experiences.” – Equality Challenge Unit UK: Unconscious Bias in Higher Education Review 2013.
In New Zealand schools students can also experience outright racism, as explored in this article on Mana College – https://www.nzherald.co.nz/kahu/racism-in-schools-calls-for-cultural-competency-in-the-classroom/JNSGWAYUUQI5RH65F3535A7YII/
Our Responsibility as School Leaders in Aotearoa:
School leaders clearly have a responsibility to ensure schools are safe and equitable places for learners and their whanau. We know that culturally responsive pedagogies have the potential to narrow the disparities in our school communities, concurrently elevating the overall levels of achievement. Extensive research indicates that these culturally responsive pedagogical approaches boost student performance across diverse cultural groups, ensuring every student is motivated and has the assistance required to unlock their educational potential, irrespective of their social, economic, cultural background, or individual requirements.
In this video, Professor Mere Berryman explains the need and the opportunity to use evidence to make a difference in education in Aotearoa, and why a Tiriti o Waitangi partnership approach – Mana Ōrite – is foundational to success for diverse Māori learners and for all learners in English-medium education.
Task:
Research tells us that there are some key aspects of culturally responsive pedagogy:
- Reflect on your cultural knowledge and teaching assumptions related to culture
- Learn about your students
- Use students’ cultural knowledge, perspectives and skills as a resource for teaching
- Create a safe and supportive environment and build strong relationships
- Encourage a discursive curriculum and enable student self-determination
- Connect with families
- Connect with communities
Select one or two aspects from the list above and reflect on what your school does well in this regard and what next steps you would take to further develop your school’s cultural responsiveness.
Comment on a fellow delegate’s response, remembering that every school is at a different place in this journey. You might offer support if there is a next step you can help with, reassurance if you have been on a similar journey, help with a resource you have found useful etc.
Optional Resources:
Explore the resources most relevant to you.
Working effectively with iwi and hapū, Melanie Taite-Pitama: https://vimeo.com/242861287
Puketeraki Kāhui Ako: Culturally responsive practice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQusPg98GcQ
A website with many useful resources and links: https://elearning.tki.org.nz/Leadership/Culturally-responsive-leadership#js-tabcontainer-1-tab-5
Quality Teaching for Diverse Students in Schooling: Best Evidence Synthesis Iteration (BES): https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/series/2515/5959
“The real conspiracy is that education is for the rich” L. O’Connell Rapira – https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/24-08-2020/the-real-conspiracy-is-that-education-is-for-the-rich
“They didn’t care about normal kids like me”: Restructuring a school to fit the kids” A. Milne – https://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/6234
“Colouring in the White Spaces: Reclaiming Cultural Identity in Whitestream Schools” A. Milne – https://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz/handle/10289/7868
Assessment:
- Completion of all relevant readings.
- Participation in the online forum discussion.
- Submission of reflection on forum.
20 Responses
My school has a high percentage of Asian students (40%), with our second largest percentage being 35% of NZ European students. 16% of our school is Māori and less than 3% are Pasifika. We also have a large number of international students that come throughout the year as well as ELL students who are coming to a new environment and country with little English. Creating a safe and supportive environment for these students to be able to build strong relationships with their teachers and peers, regardless of the language barrier, is imperative to their success in school and new environments.
In Years 2-4, we started Mandarin lessons with a Chinese learning assistant. I didn’t realise how much joy this would bring to my Chinese students in my class. They have loved being able to share their culture with their peers and also hear their peers speak their language to them. They are all fluent in English so in this case there is no language barrier, but it allows there to be more understanding of different cultures and languages.
To connect with new families and our community, we have a ‘Community Catch-Up’ each term which includes information about events coming up, reporting and assessment, how the classes run and any other information new or international families may find helpful. This has been highly successful and the feedback from our community has been very positive as they feel more informed. To connect with our Māori whānau, we have a Whānau Hui each term to come together as a community and discuss events coming up, what resources we can use and benefit from as a school and what we can share with others, and how we can do more for our Māori students and their achievement and wellbeing.
I have valued the opportunity to discuss your responses and reflections for module 8 either face to face or online. It is heartening to hear how valuable you have found the resources on cultural responsiveness and how they have informed you thinking and perspective. At PLG 3 we will hear more from Barbara Alaalatoa on this topic to help further develop knowledege and understanding.
I feel very fortunate to be working at Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu (The Correspondence School) as we have been working on a school-wide project over the past few years to re-align the Kura’s values and “why” with the needs of our ākonga. Our key value of “ākonga at the centre of all we do” is supported by the 3 principles of Tika, Manaaki and Whanaungatanga.
Part of the process included reflecting on our cultural knowledge and teaching assumptions. We’ve worked with The Te Pae Here (our local COL) team, the Poutama Pounamu team at Waikato University and took part in the Rongohia te hau project to capture ākonga, whānau and kaimahi voice on the quality of our interactions and constructed a continuum of best practice examples for our kaimahi. We’ve also grown our local knowledge by visiting key sites of the Waikato Land wars and learning about the events that occurred before, during and after the battles and atrocities that took place. Something I am keen to work on is planning and running a Noho marae for our kaimahi and their whānau; we haven’t done so for several years and have a significant number of newer kaimahi who arrived at the end stages of our project and missed many of the enriching discussions and activities – there is a noticeable difference in understanding of kaupapa and tikanga between the longer serving kaimahi and the majority of our newer kaimahi.
Something our Kura does well is to enable ākonga self-determination/agency. As we are not limited by timetabling/class sizes and room availability our ākonga can co-construct a learning plan with their Kaimanaaki (Learning mentor) which is meaningful to them and supports their aspirations and goals. I had some moments of frustration after reading “colouring in the White Spaces” and the Racism in Schools article and watching Prof Berryman’s kōrero: the current model of MOE funding for our kura creates barriers (Mere Berryman cited Paulo Freire “seek ways to eliminate inequality”) for many of our learners (as I am sure it does for other kura) with the way “evidence” is gathered for funding, and the rigidity of what “engagement” is defined as for an ākonga in addition to the financial expectations for most of our whānau to provide their own devices for distance learning, despite the Ministry deems them eligible to enrol with us.
Many supervisors (usually a parent of the ākonga) have not had a positive educational experience for either themselves or their child, and our Kaimanaaki have to work hard to clear up the misconceptions and negative expectations of the education experience that many families arrive with. Due to the cost of transport, work commitments and sheer physical distance that many whānau have to travel to get to meet us face to face our start of year “meet the kaiako” events are not well attended, and we have an uphill battle to get some ākonga underway with their personalised learning plan due to a lack of contact with home/the ākonga. Every year we try something different, with varying degrees of success. For 2026 I will suggest that my team trials a virtual “parent-whānau” conference event when whānau book in to meet their Kaimanaaki online with the ākonga attending too, with a wide range of times and sessions in place – especially evenings, with an option to send in their pātai ahead of time so the Kaimanaaki can get all the answers located/organised to best utilise the meeting time. Our leadership team can send out a pānui to all new ākonga & whānau advising that the hui is an essential part of getting the learner started and it is not an optional event, and that we will do everything possible to meet them either online or in person.
I’ll select Connect with families and Use students’ cultural knowledge, perspectives and skills as a resource for teaching as the two aspects to reflect on, as these are critical to building a culturally responsive environment.
What My School Does Well
My school excels at building strong relationships with our students’ whaanau and using their cultural knowledge to enrich our teaching.
Connecting with Families: We have a dedicated team that works closely with our Maaori and Pasifika whaanau to ensure their voices are heard and their aspirations for their children are integrated into our school planning. Our teachers are encouraged to have open and regular conversations with parents, not just when a problem arises, but to celebrate successes and understand what’s happening in the students’ lives outside of school. This builds a foundation of trust (manaakitanga) and shared purpose.
Using Students’ Cultural Knowledge: In my Year 5/6 class, we embrace the diversity of our students’ backgrounds. For example, during our Matariki unit, we had students share their family traditions and stories. This made the learning more relevant and engaging. We also incorporate Te Reo Maaori and tikanga into our daily routines, and we’ve celebrated events like Diwali and Pasifika language weeks by having students and their families share their cultural practices.
Next Steps for Further Development
To further develop our cultural responsiveness, we need to move beyond celebration and into a more embedded, critical practice.
Strengthening Communication: We will continue to build on our communication with whaanau. I would like to introduce a more structured approach to gathering feedback from parents, perhaps through regular small-group hui or surveys that focus specifically on their experiences and how we can better support their children. The goal is to move from simply communicating to parents to genuine collaboration with them, and not just for strategic planning.
Integrating Cultural Perspectives Deeper into the Curriculum: While we do well in celebrating different cultures, I want to further deepen and integrate these perspectives as an academic resource. For example, in our writing or science units, we can explore Maaori concepts like kaitiakitanga (guardianship) or the traditional uses of native plants. This moves beyond surface-level cultural inclusion to using students’ cultural knowledge as a foundation for deep, critical learning, aligning with our responsibility as educators in Aotearoa to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi which we do well at Nawton School but to develop this further with He Whakaputanga.
Our kura has taken some significant steps over the last 5 years to create a safe and supportive environment and to connect with families and communities.
The first was to have manawhenua allocate the school 6 names which became our houses within our kura. These all came from significant cultural sights around our community. The previous school houses were named so, from our name sake township in England and had been apart of the school since its inception in 1883. All these new houses came with a story and the students and whanau were told about the story and how the house and area was significant.
This fostered a massive cultural shift in the school. It brought identity, value, belonging, competitiveness, mana, and it gave you a place. Even parents were proud to be apart of the house. It was very much a home within the school. The house became its own community and the relationships that have been developed with staff, students and whanau have been comprehensive and this has started to move into the classroom. Within each house there was a core value. What were the people for this house about. For my house it is “Be good people”
All this combined has really made a focus around our kura’s culturally responsive practice. This has also extended far outside the classroom walls and while the main foundation was around establishment of manaakitanga it is now about maintaining those established relationships.
Along side the houses was the introduction of a consistent school value system that links to our kuras core values. There has been a lot of time and trial and error put into this. It now forms the basis of our termly reports home to all students. This has been a big improvement as the focus was only on the junior school for a long time. That is from a reporting point of view. We are starting to use a common language across students staff and whanau which is good. It means that we have the same language across all mediums of communication. The next steps would be to imbed these values into our units and programs. This would mean that we could use common language across all curriculum areas at the same time. For example valued themed terms. It would also mean that we could use cross curricular learning and resources. It would make sharing of data, be it learning or pastoral far more meaningful and of value. It seems like this is where we are eventually trying to head and that makes me excited as it brings a very united and supported front.
All this has been massively beneficial form the point of view, as a dean, of pastoral support. As we have got to know our students very well and their whanau it has made courageous conversations far for meaningful but actually less scary to actually have.
Having said all that there have also been challenges. With our kura being in a very high socio economic community and our 1800 student roll only being around 12% Maori there was some push back when the school made the decision to shift to make our story about us and our community. This push back came from community and surprisingly staff. The Hearld article “Racism in School” was an interesting read even just from a belonging point of view. Especially with a predominantly pakeha roll it made it quite refreshing to see how engaged students, staff and whanau got with the shift. Colouring in the White Spaces article shows that as a starting point of making cultural change placing cultural identity, agency, and community at the center is a good starting point. This suggests that we as a kura are on the right track for fostering cultural change.
I have really enjoyed looking into this module. The readings were good food for thought also. I especially enjoyed reading the NZ Herald article “Racism in schools calls for cultural competency in the classroom” and “Colouring in the White Spaces: Reclaiming Cultural Identity in Whitestream Schools” article by Beverley Milne.
The analogy of looking at a colouring in page where the background is all white and we are to fit the colours within the black lines to create a preordained picture really made me think. This sums up education, not only in Aotearoa but around the world, so well. The system we have has not really changed since schooling was introduced with the settlers arriving from Britain. It all has the same “White Way’ background. This hit home reading what Year 12 student Simotu Judkins said in the NZ Herald article about playing the ‘white card’ in order to succeed in our schooling system and then going on to say that often teachers do not even take the time to learn to say her name correctly. We see this all the time.
It is vital that our education system builds culturally responsive pedagogy and that it is intrinsic inbedded in all that we do – therefore eliminating tokenism just for the sake of ticking boxes.
Within our school we are lucky as we are still a small school and our community is pretty tight. Most of our teachers and staff here know whanau well and some of us are already teaching the children of students we have taught previously. I feel that at our school we put a lot of value into getting to know our students, whanau and community, gathering their voice and involving them in the big decisions.
There are often links being made with students that allows us to really get to know and understand them better as people and as learners. It is made obvious when new staff arrive from out of the area and how much longer it takes for them to settle into their classes. I feel privileged to be able to work in an environment where I know so many of our whanau, it certainly makes the job I have to educate our students that much easier.
Yet, in saying this I know there is so much for me to learn and explore in my own journey of being culturally responsive.
Reading the NZ Herald article I know I have been guilty of ‘bearing loaded assumptions’ and also of having unconscious bias, because I may have taught some of their whanau in the past. Therefore, my goal is to stop with the assumptions & bias, and to take each student on an individual basis. It involves really getting to know and understand that student, where they are at in this moment in time, what their goals are and how I can best support them in their journey as a dean and teacher within our school.
I have noticed that as a school we tend to make these assumptions and in our desire for them to succeed will often ‘dumb down’ their courses so that there is no chance (or very little chance) of failure. Is this really doing them any favours? What is it teaching them about life and are we setting them up with unfair expectations moving forward?
It is time to cocreate future pathways with students and whanau more, have their knowledge, perspectives and skills help guide their learning pathways. I feel that our entire schooling system needs a huge shake up right from the roots to the tips, getting rid of the “White Way’ and “White Background”. Bringing colour right into the very foundations of everything we do. Having culturally responsive leadership as the core within our schools and the education system is vital in order to turn around the system and make it a win-win for ALL of our people.
Culturally responsive leadership and pedagogy is something that has always been of interest to me. Several pieces of research have suggested that initiatives and pedagogy aimed at lifting the achievement and engagement of students who are part of a historically underperforming ethnicity actually improve achievement across the cultural spectrum. However, there simply is no magic spell to become responsive to all cultural needs within a classroom, let alone a school.
Learning about students – Currently, in my current school, our first conferences are dedicated solely to getting to know students and their whānau. This includes who lives at home, cultural identity, goals and aspirations, and what success looks like. While often not explicitly stated, culture is linked to all of this. This is a real positive, and an insight into the inner workings of whānau, and how they view schools.
The notion shared in the video from Professor Mere Berryman that education can be about assimilation or the expression of freedom is a challenging one. How can we make school a place to express freedom? Getting to know your learners and what is significant to them and their whānau is probably the first step.
This also connects to the Professor’s idea of developing whānau type relationships, with high expectations. This can turn all into more effective educators. It also allows for power sharing, an important component of more culturally responsive pedagogy, while also establishing a school – home relationship.
To further develop this aspect, I believe more time needs to be taken to actually outline success for each student. In addition, our school should look to develop pedagogy where ‘all brains are engaged at all times’ and students learning from each other, students learning from teachers and teachers learning from students too. I firmly believe that this is our key area of development.
Connect with families – the school I am currently working at has established whānau hui to work with different ethnic groups. The idea is to form a partnership with Māori, and other key groups to actually plan for the strategic vision of the school, including learning. It needs to be a genuine partnership, with changes implemented when necessary, and whānau listened to for their input, aspirations and vision.
The way forward, I believe is to keep the momentum going, and keep it authentic. The success of students can depend on this for many of the students.
Looking at how we have reshaped much of our pedagogy based on feedback and goals/visions from whānau, it is not hard to see the impact it is having and hopefully will continue to have. Currently, some of our PD is centered around tikanga and cultural responsiveness. Hopefully, the momentum continues.
How new staff will learn the expectations is another next step too. Could there be scope for a role for a member of staff to induct other new staff?
I agree with your final point – I think that allocating that role to a member of staff would be a priority in a large school.
Hi Tim, I think how those first conferences are solely about getting to know the students is an absolutely great idea. We have a similar idea around our Year 9’s. We powhiri our new students on to site. We then have 2 days where the students interact with their houses we then have 3 days of setting the students up onto the school networks etc. As we have the best part of 400 year 9’s each year the use of senior students is vital. At no point in these 5 days do the subject teachers meet face to face with their classes and form teachers only meet for a couple of hours. This used to happen but it seems to have been taken over by process which has been disappointing. So I am envious of the time you get with your students early on. It is definitely an area we could do better in.
Our school is a small coastal area school, therefore the average class is 20 students or less and the average year groups is approx 50-60 students therefore learning about our students becomes a natural consequence of working in small environments. Being in a small school and community we know many whanau personally, know all of our students by name and most teachers are aware of the hobbies and interests of each student.
This is a strength – however I can reflect on this and still see it is not something we work towards but something we are naturally gifted and could indeed make stronger and more explicit through our actions as knowing ‘what’ they do does not necessarily mean we understand their background or who they are as people. This is an assumption or bias that I find we consistent fall into.
As a school I find with the recent shifts with the co-requisites and the governments focus on academics and result driven data we have lost our focus on being culturally responsive. Our kura is placed within several iwis all affiliated to our town in one manner or another and this has often been our issue in growing this further, as these iwi have little people left in our area so there is a lot of unanswered questions which in turn means there is a lot of decisions that get left in a ‘too hard’ basket. For instance we have no current school haka as its ownership has been constantly changed or questioned and a lot of the ‘way we do’ things or our kaupapa is not engrained through te ao maori because of these reasons.
I often find we tick this box as mentioned in Mere’s address through kapa haka or the use of karakia at assemblies but we are not embodying the treaty for pakeha to have real reo experiences and also for maori to be seen as they are and feel ‘normal’. I personally see HUGE value in a lot of Maori tikanga and many kaupapa that are lived through and see that principals such as kotahitanga can support the academic success and sense of belonging of all students and whanau.
One of the past modules had a reading that talked about shared power and so did Mere, and often when we work with not the ‘mainstream’ culture of our areas we retain the power and look for our answers rather than being open to sharing power and the direction of these conversations. I do see us at our kura doing the same thing, we form ideas or proposals and ask for feedback on that, an example being it was decided we would have 4 school values and our Maori whanau got to propose a maori term to fit this – which they didn’t believe there was a fit for. I would love to see as a kura us more open to new fresh ideas which will allow whanau to feel as though they have a voice and hopefully start bridging the gap to creating whanau to visit and be more connected at home. Which in turn will connect with Meres’ video around those two relationships being key in Maori success through academics.
Personally I personally challenge myself to do more of this powersharing too! I appreciated Meres’ talk on allowing all brains to be working with the sharing of knowledge, where some are listening and unpacking, others are sharing and connecting – I aim to do this more in my teaching practices and in fact started today!
You raise a great point about ‘box ticking’ Rebecca. When looking at past experiences, it is easy to see when this occurred. It is also easy to see why this happens with the focus on data, pressure to perform and other initiatives. I think as a leader, and one who is clearly switched on to the needs of those around you, you can make a suggestion that there is potential to review your values, not change them, by engaging whānau in what they value in education.
I enjoyed your honest reflection here. Thank you
I found it really good reading your discussion as we have very similar schools with very similar issues. It is so easy to put decisions in the too hard basket when there are so many stakeholders involved. Ensuring that all whanau are heard and involved is tricky as there are generational issues with their own educational experiences making some whanau much more reluctant to engage.
I also enjoyed reading your personal reflection and openness.
Great point here Rebecca about the lack of continuity/support for the school haka; having several iwi/hapu nearby could generate the opportunity to involve them in discussions/advice around and update/re-define of the school house/rōpū system (maybe each rōpū could have their own haka?), similar to the process Jeremy described for Cambridge Highschool. I appreciate that this requires at least one kaimahi to put their hand up to get the kōrero underway – might be worth mentioning at a leadership team hui perhaps.
The journey we’ve been on has made a huge impact on how we engage with our students and their families.
A cornerstone of our success has been our focus on connecting with students, families and communities. The reciprocal relationship the principal and staff have built with Hukanui Marae has been a game-changer. This has allowed us to move beyond simple outreach and create truly meaningful practices like mihi whakatau for new families and blessings for our school buildings. We also host a “Meet the Teacher” evening early in the year to form initial connections and build rapport with whānau. These actions show our community that tikanga is not just acknowledged, but is a part of our school’s identity.
The whole-school approach to Kapa Haka is another powerful practice, and we also have ongoing te reo Māori and tikanga rotations, which provide consistent learning opportunities for both students and staff. For our Year 2 students, these activities provide a strong sense of pride and belonging. We also receive support and guidance from a staff member with te reo qualifications, which has empowered us all. She supports, observes, and models for us rather than taking over the teaching. This has shown our tamariki that culture is valued by their kaiako.
Our next step is to continue to push to integrate te reo Māori into all subjects. For Year 2, this means weaving it into our maths, inquiry, and literacy lessons. This will make te reo a natural and ever-present part of the school day, strengthening our students’ connections to their culture and further solidifying our commitment to their cultural identity.
I really enjoyed reading this – yup the core of it all is the relationships huh? You just can’t move forward at all without this!
It’s been powerful to reflect on our school’s journey toward culturally responsive pedagogy, especially when I think about the incredible work happening in the junior school. A lot of our success has come from our focus on connecting with families and communities, which is so vital for our youngest learners.
Our professional development centered on the mauri ora model, and guided by experts from the university and Hukanui Marae has truly reshaped our daily practice. We’ve moved beyond just talking about cultural responsiveness to actively living it. The whole-school routines of karakia, waiata, and kapa haka are particularly impactful in the junior school, where these daily rhythms normalize and celebrate cultural identity from a child’s very first day. We’ve also made a point of staff being learners alongside the students. This is a crucial practice that models to our Year 0/1 students that their culture is valued and respected by every adult in the building.
Looking ahead, the next step that I believe will strengthen our foundation is that we need to formalize an onboarding system for new staff. The Year 0/1 Team starts new classes throughout the year, so this is especially important for us. This will ensure that every new teacher, particularly those joining the junior team, has the knowledge and confidence to embed te reo and tikanga into their classrooms from the start.
Love that this has become part of daily your daily rhythms – I see this as an easy step into also supporting students to self regulate and support mindfulness by including this in their every day school routine.
Also I think it is MASSIVE to have staff learning along side. I think it is such a strength for students to see that we are still learning too!
The onboarding or initiation of new staff is so important. I notice within our school the start of the year especially can be so manic and busy that the new staff are often left floundering on just the small but important parts of our school culture. Of course they are given the big picture and what they need to start in our school, but so often the little things are overlooked and these are sometimes what make the biggest difference. Even experienced teachers often need a ‘buddy’ in a new school to help them navigate through what makes each school so unique. Your post made me really think about this and how we can make this experience and transition more seamless for our new staff.
I totally agree with your point
Hi Michelle,
The modelling you and your team do by learning alongside the students is invaluable—it shows them their culture is truly valued by everyone.
I completely agree that a formalised onboarding system is our crucial next step. It’s a huge challenge to maintain consistency with new students and teachers joining the junior school throughout the year. Having a structured system will ensure that every new staff member feels confident and supported in their practice from day one, which will in turn benefit all our tamariki. This will make our school’s commitment to cultural responsiveness even more sustainable and impactful.