President's Message
Tena Koutou Katoa,
Welcome to Term three! I hope you’ve all had a good rest and are looking forward to the new term.
The break gave us some wonderful moments, like Matariki, a time of reflection, connection, and renewal. It has been heartening to see the nation embrace Matariki and participate in all the festivities that surround it. Matariki brings communities together in joyful celebration and cultural appreciation.
Another wonderful moment came from the sports world – seeing Aotearoa host the FIFA Women's Football World Tournament. What a beacon of inspiration this event has been for young women aspiring footballers right across the globe. It is uplifting and has drawn capacity crowds to our sports stadiums and millions more to TV screens across the world, united in their love and appreciation of the game they call football.
These players are role models for girls and young women everywhere and what a proud moment it was for us to see our Aotearoa New Zealand team win their first game ever, in a football world tournament. This tournament not only showcases exceptional athleticism but also reminds us of the potential sitting within the students in our schools, transcending gender barriers and aiming for greatness.
As we embark on this new term, let us carry the spirit of Matariki and the empowering momentum of women's sports with us. Continue building an environment where all our students feel valued, supported, and encouraged to pursue their dreams, regardless of their gender.
That of course means having the resources, tools and personnel to support them. At the end of Term 2 and over the holidays, several Regional Associations expressed their concerns about the allocation of In-Class Support (ICS) funding. The proposed plan is to allocate future funding based on past successful applications, rather than assessing the current needs of students. This raised concerns about potential winners and losers, leading to an unjust and inequitable distribution of resources.
I pointed out to the Ministry that the number of students with high learning needs can change over time in schools thus requiring a flexible funding approach that adapts to these fluctuations. Also allocating the number of ICS places in a region, based on population, is not helpful. We should be delivering support to every ākonga who meets the criteria.
I requested that adjustments be made to the way ICS is allocated to make it fair and equitable. The Ministry has responded and states that as an interim measure, Te Mahau (Regional Directors) have the option to change or adjust the application process while awaiting the outcome of the TA Accord decision. They also advised that the TA Accord aims to consolidate several Ministry Teacher Aide funding streams and allocate them directly to schools, potentially streamlining the process.
I encourage you to talk with your Regional Directors if you have been unfairly disadvantaged through having your ICS based on last year’s places in your school.
The Highest Needs Review Cabinet paper, due out by the end of July, will recommend changes. I sincerely hope the Cabinet paper will recognise the volume, complexity and severity of the needs of this group. Once again there are inequities in the way supports are allocated to our highest needs ākonga. We must cease the practice of basing support on postcode. NZPF will continue to advocate for principals to have a fair allocation of the ICS resource to meet the needs of all ākonga who meet the ICS criteria. I will keep you updated.
Many of you with Operations Grant funded teachers, have outlined your objections to being asked to fund the lump sum payment negotiated for teachers through collective bargaining.
I have written to the Secretary for Education, Iona Holsted, seeking a reversal of that decision on the grounds that this is an unexpected, unbudgeted expense and for small schools, too expensive to manage; schools are often encouraged to move entitlement teachers to operations grant funding to balance banking staffing; or the current entitlement does not meet the current high needs of akonga. These are all reasonable and responsible decisions.
I encourage you to add your voice to ours in reversing this decision by emailing The Secretary for Education (Iona.Holsted@education.govt.nz) and the Minister of Education (Jan.Tinetti@parliament.govt.nz)
Wishing you all a fantastic term ahead, filled with growth, learning, and inspiring moments for you, your staff and your ākonga.
Ngā Pou E Whā
To listen, to learn, to act.
Pou Tahi - Te Kaiarahitanga / Leadership
Tracy Fraser, Stephanie Thompson, Jason Miles, Leanne Otene
Huia Kaimanawa – Transformative Māori Leadership
Huia Kaimanawa is a transformative Māori leadership kaupapa founded on He Wakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni and Te Tiriti o Waitangi - the two constitutional covenants of Aotearoa. Currently, Huia Kaimanawa kaikōkiri (the national facilitation team) provides professional learning and development support to Tētēkura Pitomata (emerging Māori leaders) and First Time Tumuaki Māori.
The kaupapa is focused on enhancing the tino rangatiratanga of hapū and iwi by centring the visions and aspirations of mana whenua. Huia Kaimanawa kaikōkiri are committed to iterative research and development, ensuring that the practice of Huia Kaimanawa leaders has an ongoing positive impact on hapū and iwi. The kaupapa is guided by values such as whanaungatanga and the principles of indigenising, re-indigenising, decolonising and indigenous restoration.
The short-term goals of Huia Kaimanawa include developing critical and strategic Mahere Rautaki leadership plans with Tētēkura Pitomata (emerging Māori leaders) and First Time Tumuaki Māori. Building well-coordinated regional and national networks of Māori leaders is a priority to deepen collective understandings of the kaupapa and formulate supportive and action-oriented strategies. The long-term goals of Huia Kaimanawa are focused on resisting colonial oppression and enabling Māori self-determination and revitalisation, as well as increasing the Rangatiratanga sphere of influence through constitutional transformation.
Applications are now open to enrol in Tētēkura Pitomata (Emerging Māori Leaders) or Tumuaki Hou (Māori First Time Principals within their first years of principalship). For further information on this kaupapa click on this link.
Pou Rua - Te Marautanga / Curriculum
Heidi Hayward, Karen Brisco, Jen Rodgers and Blair Dravitski
NZ Curriculum Refresh - Te Mātaiaho
Update of work (July):
Our Pou met with the Ministry’s team on July 12 to express our concern about the current timeline outlined in the Implementation Pack and Readiness Tool-March 2023. We all agreed it is important that the implementation plan matches the resource roll out. The Ministry is currently working on a further iteration of this document which will more clearly outline the timeframes and expectations. NZPF will include this link in a Principal Matters as soon as we have the updated version.
School leaders can also use the Implementation Pack and Readiness Tool-March 2023 to support the new school planning and reporting requirements for 2024. You can see those here: School planning and reporting: Te Whakangārahu Ngātahi | Planning Together for Ākonga Success – Education in New Zealand
2023 Teacher Only Day Resources - You may have used this initial package of support for your Teacher Only Day in term 2: Resources | Te Mahau.. For those who have used this resource already, the MoE has advised that there will be new sequential resources available for the TOD in term 4 this year. We will send you a link as soon as it is available (likely September).
We can confirm that there will also be two Teacher Only Days made available in 2024 to support the implementation of Te Mātaiaho. NZPF is represented in the working group to discuss these days.
We continue to collaborate with the Ministry on enabling face to face support for the implementation of Te Mātaiaho, early next year. NZPF will support the Ministry to deliver these sessions regionally.
Pou Toru - Students / Ākonga / Inclusive Education
Shane Buckner, John Bangma, Phil Palfrey and Gavin Beere
Addressing the Growing Trend of Vaping Among Students in New Zealand Schools
The NZPF is alarmed by the surge in vaping behaviour among students in New Zealand schools. Originally meant to aid smoking cessation, vaping has now become a concern for the learning environment, especially in Intermediate and secondary schools. Our Pou recommends addressing this issue through health education.
Vaping has gained widespread popularity among students and impacts negatively on behaviour and academic performance.
To tackle this issue effectively, we propose the following measures:
- Strengthen Awareness and Education: Launch targeted campaigns and programmes to educate students, parents, and teachers about vaping risks. Highlight the importance of a productive learning environment and the health consequences of vaping.
- School Policy Review: Update school policies to explicitly prohibit vaping on premises. Clearly outline consequences for violations and reiterate the commitment to a safe learning environment.
- Counselling and Support Services: Offer counselling for students struggling with addiction or trying to quit vaping. Provide support to parents with resources to address the issue at home.
- Peer-to-Peer Programs: Encourage peer mentoring to discourage vaping. Foster a positive school culture that promotes healthy choices and peer support.
- Standardised Protocols: Develop agreed protocols across NZ schools for consistent handling of vaping-related incidents, prioritising students' health and education while curbing the rising vaping trend.
Pou Wha - Te Tikanga Ture/ Policy/ Systems
Hayley Read, Julie Hepburn, Cherie Taylor-Patel
NELPS
The Ministry has emailed a copy of their ‘Implementation Pack planning and reporting guidelines’. Here is the link. The Ministry designed a toolkit to support you and your Board to implement Te Whakangārahu Ngātahi | Planning Together. The toolkit sets out the detailed requirements of your planning and reporting documents. Here is the link.
Key dates: 2024
» Finalise and publish your strategic plan on your school’s website and send a link to your local Te Mahau office by 1 March 2024.
» Finalise and publish your 2024 annual implementation plan on your school’s website by 31 March 2024.
» Publish your annual report for the 2023 year on your website and submit it to the Ministry using the Secure Data Portal by 31 May 2024.
Our recommendation is that if your school shares the same community as other nearby schools, consider creating a joint survey. That way the community won't be overwhelmed and can see the connectedness of your schools as a community. Below is a graphic of what your strategic plan should include. A challenge many schools experience is connecting with hapū and iwi. We suggest that you approach your local Ministry office. They have the responsibility of facilitating these connections on your behalf, if you have no support to do this yourself.
Poipoia te Kākano kia puāwai
Nurture the seed and it will grow.
Nga manaakitanga
Leanne
NZPF