Ina te mahi, he rangatira.
See how he does – a leader in deed.

Moving forward through Term 3, it has been heartening to hear that planned principal cluster and regional events have been taking place, conferences have been able to go ahead and people are able to prioritize connecting and reconnecting with colleagues and friends.  Having said that, this week many principals will have been coping with weather events, supporting students, staff and communities to ensure they are safe and coordinating efforts to get people the supplies and resources they need.  Thank you all for your mahi.  Leadership in times of adversity is where we lead from the heart and do ‘whatever is needed’.  Kia kaha to you all.

Te Akatea – Māori leaders leading the way 

This week I had the privilege of meeting up with Māori leaders at the Te Akatea Conference.

Powerful messages were shared with delegates about what education transformation needs to look like, to ensure ‘Māori achieve success as Māori’.  We have work to do to ensure we have something to celebrate in 2040 as a nation, as an education system and as leaders within that system.  Momentum for change needs to speed up so we move from being ‘culturally responsive’, to being ‘culturally active’ to achieve ‘cultural sustainability’.

Work has begun in many schools to normalize Te Reo and to make it part of every school day.  To strengthen this mahi ‘Te Atu o Te Reo Māori’ PLD has been made available in some regions.  Feedback is that it is an outstanding programme.  What will make it work even better will be the provision of in-school PLD time, so it is accessible for all teachers within a working week.

At the Te Akatea conference a powerful quote from a Year 6 student was shared by Hoana Pearson, Rangatira of ‘Te Ara Hou – Māori Achievement Collaborative’.  

“Without knowledge of my whakapapa, language and identity, my existence has no depth”. 

Sixteen MAC facilitators are now working with over 420 schools across Aotearoa, supporting school principals to learn and lead in culturally responsive and sustainable ways.   Through work being done through the MAC and with the localized curriculum, schools have opportunity to personalize learning, to ensure students’ knowledge of their whakapapa is strong and that their learning experiences are powerful, relevant and equitable.

This work, alongside the ‘Emerging Māori Principals’ Programme’ is being supported by a range of Māori leaders, working within and beyond the education system, to challenge policies, structures and world views that undermine Māori ākonga.  It is challenging work, but the innovative mahi being done to bring about positive change is inspiring, ground-breaking and world leading.

Leadership – From the Ministers, through the MOE, to you

Last week, over 1,300 school leaders attended a ZOOM hui with Minister Hipkins, Minister Tinetti and our Secretary of Education, Iona Holstead.  At this ZOOM, Minister Hipkins provided an overview of what has happened in the Education sector since 2017.  Minister Tinetti outlined the four key priorities for 2022, which included

• The Te Mahau MOE restructure, to better support schools at regional and local levels
• Teacher supply, using a range of solutions from within the system and through an accelerated employer work visa process.
• Reengaging students in learning, in partnership with the sector
• The ‘Curriculum Refresh’, to strengthen the teaching and learning of foundation concepts and skills

Leadership Innovation needed – an invitation

School leaders have been invited to engage in ZOOM sessions next week, to share innovative practices developed during the pandemic and creative solutions you believe would best support students, staff and whanau moving forward.  In a disrupted landscape, this is an opportunity to think about what a ‘preferred future’ would look like, if we could shape it. 
Follow this link to register.

Some of the immediate issues before us are
 
       a)  Getting students reengaged in learning,
       b)  Working out the best ways to address students’ lost learning time and
       c)   Supporting staff, students and whanau’s well-being. 

While it is hoped the COVID pandemic is on the wane, the daily logistics of COVID continues to consume energy and resources at a rapid rate.  It was Ashley Bloomfield who said “We are the people we’ve been waiting for. There is no one coming to help”. 

This is a time where we truly need to collaborate, to create the best “next steps”, with colleagues, with the MOE and the Ministers.  And why? Because we have three cohorts of students who need us all to work together, to bring all our expertise together, to get the next bit right.