Waikato-Tainui Education Strategy

Ko te Mana Maatauranga;  kia tupu,  kia hua,  kia puaawai.      

During an extensive period of consultation, Waikato-Tainui tribal members were able to articulate in their own words what educational aspirations and success was for them.    Ko te Mana Maatauranga is a result of this  engagement process and embodies the hopes,  dreams and aspirations of the tribe. It is an education plan that seeks to uplift our people and empower  them to pursue meaningful pathways, be  committed to kiingitanga, grounded in our  tikanga, fluent in our reo and connected to  our marae and whakapapa.

Into the third year of implementation,  Raewyn will share the journey that Waikato-Tainui has undertaken to realise the inter-generational vision:  Whakatupuranga 2050,  as an influencer,  as a connector and as a provider.  

Raewyn Mahara
With over twenty years’ experience in the education field, Raewyn was appointed as the General Manager, Education and Pathways for Waikato-Tainui in 2017 after serving as the Education Advisor for Waikato-Tainui since March 2014. Raewyn has been responsible for leading the development and implementation of the Waikato-Tainui Education Plan over the past three years. With a committed, focussed approach to building capacity and capability in our tribal members, Raewyn is excited about working with a strong and passionate team to drive key education.

Colouring in the white spaces:  Cultural identity matters

A secure cultural identity develops in a school when the environment and the “ecosystem” of the school support that development, provide opportunities for learning, practising, and normalising cultural values, and embed these in teacher and school practice. When we talk about educational success “as Māori”, what does this actually mean and how do our institutionalised practices and solutions actually work against this goal?  Ann will describe Kia Aroha College’s practice to support academic and cultural learning to develop “Warrior-Scholars” through a Critical, Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy of Whānau.  Ann challenges us to find and reflect on the White spaces in our own thinking and practice and to actively work towards changing them.

Dr Anne Milne
Dr Ann Milne is the former principal of Kia Aroha College, a special-character, bilingual, secondary school in Otara, South Auckland.  As a Pākehā educator, Ann is a strong critic of pervasive, deficit-driven explanations of “achievement gaps” and Māori and Pasifika “under-achievement.”  She led the Kia Aroha College community’s almost 30 year journey to resist and reject school environments which alienate Māori and Pasifika learners, to develop a critical, culturally sustaining learning approach centred on students' identities "as Māori", "as Samoan" - as who they are first.  Her book, Colouring in the White Spaces: Reclaiming Cultural Identity in Whitestream Schools, was published in 2016 by Peter Lang (New York). In 2015 Ann was the recipient of the New Zealand Principals’ Federation’s prestigious “Service with Distinction” Award, which recognises “outstanding service to education in New Zealand.” Ann is also the recipient of several national research awards and scholarships.

Raewyn Mahara
General Manager, Education and Pathways, Waikato-Tainui

Dr Ann Milne
 Ann Milne Education 

Waikato Tainui Education Strategy
Raewyn Mahara, General Manager, Education and Pathways

Colouring in the white spaces: Cultural identity matters
Presented by Ann Milne PhD