‘o le ala i le pule o le tautua’
The pathway to leadership is through service.

Talofa lava – Welcome to Samoan Language Week.

While “Samoan Language Week’ creates an opportunity to focus on Samoa, the language, the culture and our joint history, we might also ask why we do this for just one week of the year.  New Zealand schools today are incredibly diverse and Auckland is the largest Polynesian city in the world.  Is it time to move beyond the tokenism of ‘Language Weeks’? Are ‘language weeks’ the best way to serve our growing Polynesian communities? A better question might be, ‘How might we normalise Polynesian culture and language in our schools?’

Leadership learning

This week I had the privilege of joining secondary colleagues at the SPANZ Conference in Queenstown.  The final social event of the conference took place at the Hackett Kawarau Bridge Bungy Centre where several “very brave people” leapt off the bridge.  The platform was very narrow.  The gorge was VERY steep.  The water was EXTREMELY forboding and when those brave souls flung their bodies over to the forces of gravity, their faith in the Hackett harness shifted to a cosmic level.

Themes of equity, cultural change, courageous leadership and systems change infused the presentations and workshops.  Professor Mere Berryman provided a compelling narrative as to why we, as leaders need to rethink, reframe and lead change so all students achieve success in learning.  Principals were stepped through centuries of structural and cultural mores that have shaped education for Māori in our country. 

Professor Berryman gave examples of how this disempowering narrative is still embedded in our school systems today. She cited streaming practices, subject choices for Māori students, pedagogies, and the quality of relationships teachers build with Māori learners.

When deconstructing the word ‘Manaakitanga’ Professor Berryman made the point that ‘aki’ is to urge, so Manaaki is to “urge someone’s mana to be shown”.  As leaders, this is what we are asked to do every day – to work with moral purpose, with urgency, so our tamariki thrive.  At times this does feel like jumping off a bungy platform, not knowing how things are going to go, but having faith that you will get the bounce before hitting the water.

Leading Change – one step at a time ...

‘Whaia te iti kahurangi, ki te tuoho koe, me he maunga teitei.’
 ‘Be strategic, be deliberate and ensure every action is well executed.’

With a backdrop of COVID, principals are managing a lot of change, including the new ERO approach to evaluation, the ‘Curriculum Refresh’ and coming to grips with Te Mahau Ministry restructure.  With all of this comes the challenge and the opportunity for leaders to decide how to do it best, to create success for all learners.

During the workshops at the SPANZ conference, several principals shared their stories about leading structural and cultural changes in different school contexts.  Several common themes emerged.

1. Change has to be led by the principal.
2. Consult with ‘mana whenua’ and your community to get the ‘why’ right.
3. Have a shared vision and common purpose.
4. Identify and support leaders, innovators and early adopters.
5. Your mahi will be strengthened with credible research.
6. Engage specialists and experts to support you in the change process, if you need to.
7. Use ‘student voice’ to monitor how things are going.
8. Choose to jump in ways that are consistent with your thinking.  Don’t be pushed.