Profiles
Mere Berryman
If we are to reap the benefits of Māori students fashioning and leading our future, and we must if our nation is to truly flourish, then ensuring the alignment of those in the academy and in the sector to step up, continues to be the imperative. This requires leaders who are able to weave (raranga) groups of people (tira) together in order to collaborate towards greater cohesion.
Rangatira therefore is the discursive position from which I am attempting to undertake this work. This means that unlike more traditional scholarship that sees the academia as a series of singular endeavours and successes, I understand it as being able to contribute to the success of others and knowing and acknowledging the strength of working together.
Therefore, like the Māori term for leader, rangatira and Freire’s writing I see my real strength and scholarship comes from “being with people”.
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Elizabeth Eley
Through a lifetime in education, I have not lost my commitment to doing all we can to reach New Zealand’s vision for education: to lift aspirations, raise educational achievement for every New Zealander. Our role as educators is to ensure that every student enjoys and achieves educational success, strong and secure in their cultural identity.
I have extensive experience across the education system, including primary and secondary schools - in teaching and leadership roles, the Education Review Office and the Ministry of Education.
I am proud to be part of the Poutama Pounamu whānau – committed to excellence, equity and belonging for all.
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Margaret Egan
As tangata Tiriti, one who has experienced the benefits of colonisation, I have a moral responsibility to walk honourably on this whenua. I am an educator and professional learning and development facilitator, working with others in early years, primary and secondary contexts. I am focused on relationships and collaborative ways of working that promote mana ōrite, social justice, and a potential approach for all learners, particularly those who have been marginalised by our education system.
I aim to create learning contexts in which people can share their aspirations, challenge their thinking and professional practice, and find new ways of working together – tangata tiriti and mana whenua – to reform the systems and practices that marginalise individuals and groups. I work in an inclusive and collaborative way to promote transformative change in our education system so that it is effective for diverse learners.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi
While the Treaty of Waitangi is New Zealand’s founding agreement between the Crown and Tangata Whenua, it is the English version and elucidation that has shaped our country. Rangatira from hapū and iwi signed Te Tiriti o Waitangi rather than the English language version and many people do not understand the differences between these two or the challenges that these different expectations continue to present.
I have found it important to assist people to understand the context in Aotearoa for tangata whenua before 1840, and to explore the intent of Te Tiriti o Waitangi including the fundamental notions such as tino rangatiratanga and mana ōrite.
I use a variety of activities and resources with groups in interactive ways so that they can hear the narratives of mana whenua, consider different perspectives and experiences, and challenge entrenched attitudes and assumptions.
In engaging in these dialogic learning contexts educators, schools and Māori communities build from a space of increasing shared understandings. Together they are more focussed on how school practices, both learning and leadership, can be more effective in honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Kaupapa Māori
Kaupapa Māori principles and actions are fundamental to transforming and indigenising our education system so that mana whenua, tangata whenua exercise tino rangatiratanga in educational contexts, and beyond, for everyone’s benefit.
In PLD contexts I provide opportunities for educators and school communities to deepen their understandings and implement opportunities for Māori to share their aspirations and to be self determining. This includes respectfully engaging with mana whenua with an aim to support aspirations for their tamariki mokopuna, honour mana whenua matauranga, tikanga and taonga, and support revitalisation of te mita o te reo, me ona tikanga.
Critical Consciousness
Critical consciousness allows us to examine our own and collective notions of power and knowledge. Do we consider power as additive or generative – who holds power and how does it play out in different contexts? In the same contexts, whose knowledge counts, is privileged, legitamised and validated?
I provide opportunities for educators and school communities to critically consider evidence, thereby uncovering inequities and injustices within their school systems and practices that impact on learners, whānau and their communities. In uncovering racism, ableism and sexism it is most important to support educators to identify a response that is liberatory, solution focused and evolves from the experiences and perspectives of those who are impacted.
Whakawhāiti (inclusion)
Inclusion promotes belonging and values all members of our communities. It models and upholds respect for and acknowledgement of the strengths and inherent capabilities in all members of our communities, with a particular focus on those who have been ignored or marginalised in our society.
In my work I open opportunities for all participants to connect through whakawhanaungatanga practices. In PLD interactions I am deliberate in my planning and facilitation to create a space for all participants to share their perspectives and experiences and to consider those of their communities.
I aim to celebrate diversity, rather than assume sameness, and promote authentic connections with people who experience being on the margins in our education system.
Referees
Daniel Murfitt, daniel.murfitt@colenso.school.nz
Jeanette Chilton-Smith, jcsmith@jameshargest.school.nz
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Therese Ford
I descend from Māori and Pākehā tupuna and am a passionate educator who is committed to developing a high-performing education system that reflects equity and quality outcomes for all learners. Accordingly, the promise of equality inherent in Te Tiriti o Waitangi is a moral imperative that underpins my work school governors, senior leaders and teachers.
The sense of personal and professional responsibility I feel to reduce disparities between Māori and non-Māori students informed my decision to become a professional learning and development facilitator who works across ECE, primary and secondary school settings. This professional learning and development focuses on supporting the people I work with to individually and collectively understand and address racism, strengthen equity, accelerate the learning of ākonga Māori and better honour the promises of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi
Many people in our communities do not realise that Te Tiriti o Waitangi, which was signed by Māori, and the Treaty of Waitangi are different documents, with the former reflecting Māori interpretations and the latter reflecting Crown interpretations of this constitutional agreement.
Despite the fundamental differences contained within each text, the Crown version of the Treaty has largely defined our national constitution since 1840.
I use a range of readings and resources in dialogic and interactive ways to support people to understand the precolonial history of tangata whenua and the intent of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, which sought to both maintain tino rangatiratanga and look after the mana of people who arrived in Aotearoa after Māori – tangata tiriti.
These collective learning experiences challenge entrenched thinking by building from mātauranga Māori and promoting mana ōrite relationships between mana whenua and schools so that teaching and leadership practices give active expression to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Kaupapa Māori
Kaupapa Māori is an important foundational understanding that needs to drive the indigenisation of our education system.
I provide PLD experiences that support school governors, leaders and teachers to develop theoretical understandings of and then subsequently implement practices (praxis) that facilitate Māori self-determination and revitalisation.
This PLD emphasises the important interrelationship between kaupapa Māori and Te Tiriti o Waitangi so that participants recognise the special status and expert knowledge of mana whenua and are therefore better positioned to collaboratively develop learning experiences that reflect kaupapa Māori and seek to benefit all learners.
Critical Consciousness
Critical consciousness derives from critical theory and supports people to critique power or more specifically where power is located and how it is playing out to generate and uphold oppressed and oppressor dynamics.
I support school governors, leaders and teachers, through a range of activities, to engage with evidence to understand the origins of inequities and the racism, sexism and ableism that we as educators, are challenged to respond.
I also support people I work with, to harness their critical consciousness and look beyond the origins of oppression to collaboratively seek out and enact solutions that emerge out of the world view of the oppressed group.
I also co-teach a Master's level paper that brings Kaupapa Māori and Critical theories together for participatory research purposes.
Whakawhāiti (inclusion)
Inclusion involves developing determined policies, decisions and practice so that groups of people who are marginalised by race, gender, sexuality, learning support needs and impairment can feel that they are accepted, respected and that they belong.
In my work I seek to ensure that I recognise and embrace the potential to learn about and from diversity by planning and facilitating learning opportunities that value, promote and respond to the perspectives and experiences of all people.
This involves enacting praxis that accepts and respects difference, as opposed to expecting sameness.
Referees
Chris Grinter, Principal, Rotorua Boys High School, cgrinter@rbhs.school.nz
Jill Weldon, Principal, Te Puke Intermediate School. jweldon@tepukeint.school.nz
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Dawn Lawrence
As tangata tiriti, I have a responsibility to contribute to the vision of partnership given voice within Te Tiriti o Waitangi. As an educator, I am committed to social justice, equity and mana ōrite relationships. This sits at the heart of my work as a professional learning and development facilitator within ECE, primary and secondary education settings.
My approach to professional development is one in which I recognise the primacy of relationships and the potential to enact transformative change when collective aspirations are given life through collective action. I work in ways with educators and communities that positions diversity as strength and understands learning as a life-long, iterative process of ‘becoming’ not a predetermined destination.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi
It is important to understand the events leading up to the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi including the histories of both signatories prior to first contact. This positions the two different documents, Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the Treaty of Waitangi, within context and supports greater understanding of colonisation and its legacy.
Within my work, I create learning contexts for people to engage with the multiple stories that surround Te Titiri o Waitangi, to consider the implications of the expressed intention of tangata whenua to maintain tino rangatiratanga, and the implications for tangata tiriti in realising the vision of mana ōrite relationships.
Through understanding the historical, social and cultural contexts educators and leaders are able to bring new perspectives to critique current systems, structures and practices and re-imagine how they can honour the Te Tirirti o Waitangi in ways that move beyond tokenism.
Kaupapa Māori
To engage in Te Tiriti o Waitangi honouring transformative change we must collectively work to resist the dominance of Pākehā cultural norms in our education system, support and contribute to the reclamation of Māori histories and knowledge and the revitalisation of te reo me ono tikanga Māori.
As tauiwi, I am manuhiri in a Kaupapa Māori context, with all the responsibility this brings and I take this positionality into my work as a facilitator. I work to create dialogic learning opportunities that legitimate and value the prior knowledge and experiences of all participants within contexts that are culturally appropriate and responsive to context, purpose and people.
This also extends into my work with classroom teachers to develop responsive, relational and critical pedagogical practices that understand that identity, language and culture are crucial for all learners, particularly those who have been traditionally marginalised.
Critical Consciousness
Critical consciousness is a component of conscientisation and, when positioned alongside Kaupapa Māori and Te Tiriti o Waitangi honouring aspirations, has the potential to contribute to the de-colonisation and indigenisation of our current education system.
What is key in this work is the understanding that you cannot make someone critically conscious or even tell them how to be so, you can only create opportunities for them to experience and step into this way of being. As such, I create contexts for learning in which people are challenged and supported to surface and explore their taken-for-granted cultural norms and the impact on their espoused and actual practices through a dialogic, problem-posing approach.
This extends to my work in support of pedagogical approaches and local curriculum, through working with teachers and leaders to implement learning opportunities for students that develop critically consciousness thinking through engagement with community and social justice. I am also engaged in doctoral level study focused on PLD facilitator practice, conscientisation and transformative praxis.
Whakawhāiti (inclusion)
Inclusion requires systems, structures, policies and practices to adapt to the needs and aspirations of the people they serve, and create spaces and places in which all groups and individuals feel safe, respected, visible, accepted and a sense of belonging.
Relationships sit at the core of my facilitation practice, such that I take time to find ways in which to value and acknowledge the diversity of experiences, abilities, language, and perspectives that each of my learners bring, and modelling how they may do the same within their own contexts.
I work to support people to challenge the discourse of sameness within the notion of equality and to position themselves within an equity-minded praxis. I also work to support teachers, school leaders and support staff to demonstrate care and high expectations of all children and young people through potential focused and relational pedagogical policies and practices.
Referees
Julian Cosgrove, Deputy Principal Kelston Boys High School, j.cosgrove@kbhs.school.nz
Richard Crawford, Principal, Fairfield College, CrawfordR@faircol.school.nz
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Robbie Lamont
My passion for my role as a professional learning and development provider stems from my belief in teachers and my vision for an education system in which every child experiences connectedness and belonging within their school and community, and joy and success in learning that nurtures them to pursue their potential.
As a Pākehā educator, I believe I have a responsibility to contribute, through bi-cultural partnership, to realising the mana ōrite intent of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, in our schools and in our society.
As a PLD provider I work alongside and learn with school leaders and teachers across early childhood, primary and secondary settings. As together we strive to understand and address systemic racism in our schools, to strengthen equity, promote excellence, and nurture belonging for all children, we play our part in contributing to a more equitable and socially just society as our legacy for future generations.
Cultural Capability. I believe the four aspects of cultural capability are interconnected and interdependent.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi
I position myself as a bi-cultural partner, such that Māori have authority and agency over their mātauranga, tikanga and taonga. I facilitate relational and dialogic PLD activities, using a range of readings and resources, that seek to challenge the misinformation and disinformation prevalent in our society in relation to the Treaty of Waitangi and Te Tiriti o Waitangi. I facilitate PLD that opens spaces for dialogue that supports schools leaders and teachers to develop more critical understandings of histories, including the dominating preconceptions of superiority that settlers from Europe brought with them and insight into how this has impacted iwi Māori, from the perspective of Māori.
Through formal and informal PLD contexts I work alongside school leaders and teachers to critically reflect on how their own beliefs and practices do or do not honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Māori self-determination, and to plan for new actions that express the potential inherent in mana ōrite relationships
Kaupapa Māori
Kaupapa Māori is critical to understanding the indigenisation of schools and schooling as schools seek to redress and recalibrate historical power imbalances. As a PLD provider I seek to open spaces for dialogue that allow school leaders/teachers to engage authentically and to recognise this is indeed complex mahi, given that western-European derived ways of knowing and being dominate our schooling system.
I facilitate PLD that supports school leaders / teacher to understand Kaupapa Māori so that they can more critically review how their current policies, vision and values, curriculum and pedagogies, and school-wide processes do or do not validate and affirm mātauranga Māori.
Critical Consciousness
Critical consciousness seeks to understand where power and privilege are located and how existing systems and practices either perpetuate, or disrupt and reconfigure, inequitable power relations such as are evident in racism, sexism and ableism. Using a range of resources and dialogic activities, I facilitate PLD for school leaders/ teachers to understand critical consciousness from a theoretical perspective.
I also open dialogic spaces wherein leaders and teachers can articulate the resilience and rigour that critical consciousness demands of us, the habits of mind that allow critique of our current realities, and the commitment and will necessary to take action that leads to change. I work alongside leaders and teachers to engage with a range of evidence and information in order to understand how power and privilege are playing out within their own settings, and how they will partner with whānau, mana whenua and their community to develop and enact more equitable solutions.
Whakawhāiti (inclusion)
Beyond simply the right of all students to be physically present or academically catered for within their local school setting, inclusion encompasses a metaphorical space wherein relationships of care have at their heart the well-being of all, each person is valued and respected for who they are and reciprocity and interdependence are built on the recognition of the value of each person’s contribution as an integral member of the group.
In supporting leaders and teachers to develop inclusive policies and practices I facilitate PLD that builds conceptual understanding of inclusion and that activates critical consciousness to surface and disrupt deficit perceptions and exclusionary practices. I utilise scaffolds and protocols that strengthen the capacity to listen to and learn with students and their whānau/families and processes that nurture collaborative ways of working. This in turn supports collective knowledge-building that leads to context-specific, one-size-fits-one responses so that students and their whānau/families are able to participate in ways that are self-determining, mana-enhancing and inclusive.
Referees
Elizabeth Forgie, Principal, Kerikeri High School. EForgie@kerikerihigh.ac.nz
Cheryl Wadworth, Principal, Whitney Street School, Piritahi Kāhui Ako Lead Principal. principal@whitneystreet.school.nz
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Johnson Davis
Ko Maungatautari te Maunga, ko Waihou te awa, ko Tainui te waka
Ko Raukawa ki te Kaokaoroa o Pātetere te rohe, te pae o Tapapa te whenua tapu
Ko Raukawa te iwi, ko Tūkorehe te hapū, ko Ruapeka te marae
Ko Rangimarie te wharenui.
Tihei mauri ora ki a koutou katoa.
My Tainui whakapapa and Pākehā origins binds and sustains my responsibility to champion equity, excellence and belonging for our tamariki-mokopuna. My commitment to this kaupapa acknowledges the cultural and lingual dislocation of my parents' generation and ensures my response disrupts and dismantles racism, discrimination and bias inherent in our education system.
My personal and professional leadership experiences in primary and secondary settings, co-educational and Boys’ schools, and recent tertiary study, supports my work as a professional Iearning facilitator to pursue insights and understandings of leadership and learning that are te Tiriti o Waitangi honouring; that are indigenising, decolonising and transformative.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi
My commitment to the constitutional partnership of Aotearoa is shaped by a range of personal experiences that recognise the importance of He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni (the Declaration of Independence) and its relationship to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It is from this premise and understanding that I support school leaders, teachers and communities to examine and understand their praxis so that their relationships and responses are indigenising, decolonising, transformative and ultimately te Tiriti o Waitangi honouring.
Establishing genuine mana ōrite relationships of reciprocity and ways of being, amplify ākonga, whānau, mana whenua and iwi tino rangatiratanga.
Kaupapa Māori
Kaupapa Māori promotes Māori self-determination, revitalisation, resistance and reclamation; fundamental premises that privilege, uphold and maintain Māori epistemologies, cultural aspirations, preferences and practices.
I support school leaders, teachers and communities to understand, acknowledge and promote Kaupapa Māori ways of knowing and being that support the indigenisation of our education system, and in doing so, honour the articles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Critical Consciousness
The ongoing, systemic assault on Māori success, identity and well-being requires a critically conscious undertaking to critique systems, structures, relationships and practices of power.
I work alongside school leaders, teachers and communities to understand, name, disrupt and dismantle discrimination, bias, racism, sexism, ableism and inequity in our education system. This collective and conscious undertaking seeks out mana ōrite responses and action that are critically self-examining; that re-balance power and self-determination; and restore and strengthen Māori resistance, revitalisation and reclamation.
Whakawhāiti (inclusion)
Inclusion promotes mana enhancing experiences that value and celebrate diversity, strengthen equity, promote well-being and belonging for children and whānau who are marginalised by the education system.
I work alongside school leaders, teachers and communities to understand, name and eliminate discrimination, bias and deficit thinking for all our tamariki-mokopuna and whānau. This involves committing to a strengths based approach to teaching and learning; an approach that is responsive to the interests, prior experiences and knowledge, language, identity and culture of the child and whānau.
Referees
Lisa Morresey, l.morresey@mtint.school.nz
Bruce Jepsen, principal@teakaukipapamoa.school.nz
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Catherine Welham
Ko Matawhaura tōku maunga,
Ko Te Rotoiti-kite-a-īhenga tōku moana, ko Kaituna tōku awa, ko Te Arawa tōku waka
Ko Ngāti Pikiao tōku iwi, ko Ngāti Whakahemo rāua, ko Ngāti Te Rangiunuora ōku hapū,
Ko Pukehina rāua ko Taurua ōku marae
Ko Tawakemoetahangarāua, ko Te Rangiunuora ōku wharenui
Tihei mauri ora ki a tātou katoa
The colonised experiences of my mother, my grandparents and those that came before them that resulted in the loss of language, culture and identity for our whānau is the fire that fuels my drive for change. The stories of my whānau are one example of many. The stories of institutional, systemic and systematic racism in education are entrenched, too often misunderstood and too frequently silenced.
I look to my tīpuna wāhine as a source of strength and leadership. Their fearlessness, determination and uncompromising positioning around what is important support me in disrupting the status quo towards an equitable, decolonised and indigenised society. I feel a strong sense of responsibility to these wāhine and the challenges they have set for me.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi
In my facilitation I utilise relevant readings and resources to support people to understand the historical context surrounding Te Tiriti o Waitangi; this requires me to challenge some of the notions around the Treaty of Waitangi, a document which has been privileged within the New Zealand education system.
Understanding this contextual backdrop requires people to explore the life of Māori through traditions, whakapapa and ways of being, and examine the impact of colonisation on both tangata whenua and tangata tiriti.
Through dialogic and responsive learning opportunities I create safe spaces for people to make sense of our shared history, recognising the fundamental differences between the Treaty of Waitangi and Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the ongoing impact of these differences within our society, and more specifically education, as it looks today.
I work alongside educators to activate evidence through critically reflecting on how Kāwanatanga, Tino Rangatiratanga, Ōritetanga, and Wairuatanga play out for their ākonga and communities, and activating this knowledge, support them to establish determined next steps that aim to address these realities.
Kaupapa Māori
Kaupapa Māori is the foundation through which we work to decolonise and indigenise our schools and the education system.
The professional learning interactions I provide support educators to deepen their knowledge and understanding of this theoretical underpinning, examining ways they can privilege and uphold Māori self-determination and the revitalisation of mātauranga Māori, in doing so resisting the hegemony of colonisation.
An important part of this mahi involves helping educators to make connects between kaupapa Māori and Te Tiriti of Waitangi, realising the significance of mana ōrite type relationships with mana whenua and the strength of activating meaningful collaboration towards improved outcomes for learners, both ākonga Māori and non-Māori.
Critical Consciousness
Freire’s (1970) cyclical view of critical consciousness allows us to gain knowledge and understanding of the structures and systems that perpetuate inequity, develop a sense of agency to make changes, and commit to critical action which will work against oppressive conditions.
I assist educators to go to places that promote deep critical reflection, giving mana to the voices of those least served by our current system, and working with them to embed theory informed practice (praxis) that will ensure more equitable outcomes.
The theoretical underpinning of critical theory helps us to understand the realities of oppressed peoples, while kaupapa Māori supports us to transform our system to one that better reflects and serves those marginalised by the status quo.
Whakawhāiti (inclusion)
Inclusion refers to the policies, practices and decisions within schools that promote positive and mana enhancing experiences of ākonga marginalised by ethnicity, gender, sexuality, learning needs and impairment within a place of learning.
I work alongside educators and their communities to recognise discriminatory practices that have systematically oppressed some groups and to assist them in giving life to actions that support a strong sense of belonging for tamariki, mokopuna and whānau.
Referees
Brook Hill, brook.hill@netherton.school.nz
Debbie Currie, mrscurrie@matamataint.school.nz
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Melissa Young
Through facilitation in the work of Poutama Pounamu, I believe in walking alongside centres / schools and their communities in order to urgently and patiently understand our intergenerational complicity in colonisation. Seeking different and decolonising ways of being, relating and doing is challenging and exciting but most importantly crucial towards the vision that our children and grandchildren can realise the benefits and ongoing potential for well-being.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi
Te Tiriti o Waitangi being honoured in the moment is only possible when we help each other to think differently about the mono-world-view messages we have been immersed in about our shared histories. Sensing, validating and valuing Māori (Iwi) perspectives, for example how different the understandings and expectations of Te Tiriti and The Treaty were understood by Iwi Māori and The Crown respectively, helps us to see our part in how we choose to make deep personal and professional changes towards a system, structures and relationships that can truly aspire to reflect Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Kaupapa Māori
With colonisation being such an ongoing extinguisher of well-being, Mātauranga Māori is and will be the ultimate enabler for intergenerational Māori (Iwi) well-being. The more we come to understand and value Kaupapa Māori ways of knowing and being, the less reliance we will have on quick-transactional-fixes and manipulating conversations that just never feel right. Supporting rangatahi Māori and whānau to self-determine what is leading to well-being can become an indigenising response. Learning how to power-share in this context holds the ultimate potential.
Critical Consciousness
Ways of working that bring about socially-just experiences for groups of people who have been least well served by systems, structures and relationships always tend to be underpinned by deep ‘penny-drop’ learnings that look outside and back inside accepted norms, particularly pertaining to how power and responsibility are playing out.
Acknowledging well-meaning intentions and working alongside people to provoke a deeper look into contexts can be game changing. Opening doors to least-heard perspectives is essential, as is the willingness to realise one’s own agency in light of such perspectives.
Whakawhāiti (inclusion)
We can all appreciate how a sense of belonging contributes to overall well-being. While we all bring complex identities and lived experiences into any relationship or setting, we know that certain minoritised groups have to navigate boundaries between spaces of life with too much at stake.
Supporting deep and critical understandings about the intersections of culture, language, abilities and identities and how these intersections are playing out across relationships, structures and practices, is extremely valuable in bringing about on-the-ground changes where people can bring and be all of their potential.
Referees
Michelle Cameron, Deputy Principal, Rangitikei College, cameron@rangitikeicollege.school.nz
Robyn Chester, Associate Principal, Tawa College, rchester@tawacollege.school.nz
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Sarah Johns
I believe I have a personal and professional responsibility to contribute to a socially just education system that reflects equity, excellence and belonging for all; and where both Treaty partners can enjoy the full benefits that success in education offers. I am committed to partnering with schools to work with them to lead and support discussion about how the principles of the Treaty are enacted in school and kura curriculum practices and to explore how we will identify and address inequity.
I have been an inquiring, committed Science teacher for 20 years, have worked alongside Kāhui Ako and school leaders for the past two years to develop planning that is inquiry-centred, driven by evidence and responsive to factors within each setting. I value the development of trusting relationships and as I work alongside teachers and leaders I challenge, encourage and support them to continually build on their existing knowledge as we think and act in deliberate pursuit of our desired future; equity, excellence and belonging for all learners.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi
I believe many people in our communities still carry entrenched deficit stereotypical narratives portrayed by the pervasive media view of Māori and the Treaty of Waitangi. This portrayal has prevented many to explore beyond these discourses or to seek a better understanding of the Treaty and the personal and professional roles and responsibilities we have that are inherent within this founding document.
I use a range of readings and resources in dialogic and interactive ways to support people to better understand the intent of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, which sought to provide a future for Aotearoa that would guarantee tino rangatiratanga and look after the mana of people who arrived in Aotearoa after Māori.
It is the collective learning experiences that provide opportunities for teachers and leaders to become critically aware of themselves, understand the imbalance of power, and their own positioning, then consider how they will better promote mana ōrite relationships between mana whenua and their school.
Kaupapa Māori
Kaupapa Māori takes for granted the validity and legitimacy of Māori language, culture, philosophy and principles.
I provide PLD experiences that support school leaders and teachers to develop their theoretical understandings which draw from and build upon previous kaupapa Māori research. The experience seeks to centre the PLD within Māori worldviews, Māori aspirations, preferences, and practices so as to better support teachers to recognise the status of the expert knowledge of mana whenua and Māori learners.
Critical Consciousness
Critical consciousness derives from critical theory and supports people to challenge the inequity and social injustice created and maintained by the location of power and how it is playing out to generate and maintain oppressed and oppressor dynamics.
I support school leaders and teachers, through a range of activities to consider and bring self-awareness of the part we play in supporting inequitable outcomes, particularly for Māori learners in New Zealand schools.
I also support people I work with, to reimagine and enact changes that validate the aspirations and contributions of all members of the school community - especially those who have historically been marginalised.
Whakawhāiti (inclusion)
Inclusion involves developing determined policies, decisions and practice so that groups of people who are marginalised by race, gender, sexuality, learning support needs and impairment can feel that they are accepted, respected and that they belong.
I provide PLD experience that values whanaungatanga as a means to build authentic, meaningful and transformative relationships with a school community. It is from this place that we can begin to together seek out and value diverse views and perspectives as we the co-construct a way forward with our school community to meet the needs of all learners.
Referees
Pip Wells, Tumuaki at Nelson Central School, pip@nelsoncentral.school.nz
Don McLean, Tumuaki at Hampden Street School, principal@cloud.hampdenstreet.school.nz
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Karley Wilks-Forde
To fully understand culture, we must first understand our own cultural influences. My maternal grandparents came to Aotearoa as refugees after World War II. This has given me a small sense of what it is like to yearn for a sense of cultural belonging. We need to celebrate our differences, cherish our uniqueness and learn from and with each other.
For me, as an educator, it is unacceptable that there is such a wide disparity in education outcomes for Māori, and the push for equitable outcomes is a key driver for me in the work I undertake in the PLD space. At the heart of our education system is our learners and we must strive to create an education system, from ECE through to secondary, that supports all our young people to thrive.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi
Understanding the truth of our past can be an important way for society to move forward in a way that is equitable and supports us to embrace our unique position as a bicultural country. Te Tiriti o Waitangi is an important document for all people in Aotearoa as it sets out the terms for the partnership between Māori and the Crown and underpins government policy and legislation.
To support and develop understanding of the constitutional place of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and its differing versions, it is important to start with supporting understanding of pre-colonised life for Māori, the story of Aotearoa begins before 1840.
Exploring the impact of colonisation on Māori can be confronting as it raises many personal and professional issues for Māori and non-Māori. However, if we can learn from our past, in ways that are respectful and support new understandings to emerge, as citizens and educators we can honour the partnership that was promised.
Kaupapa Māori
Kaupapa Māori is the legitimation of what it means to be and live as Māori. For many non-Māori, who currently make up the majority of the education workforce, it can be challenging to understand the impact of racism and marginalisation when it is beyond your realm of lived experience.
Understanding the need for Māori cultural revitalisation connects to understanding life for Māori in Aotearoa pre 1840 and an understanding of the political systems and structures that stripped Māori of their language and culture, and thereby, Māori capacity to be self-determining.
Exploration of kaupapa Māori through PLD should support schools and their governance groups to understand how to incorporate bicultural partnerships into school policies and practices, and to develop on-going reciprocal relationships with their mana whenua.
Critical Consciousness
Critical consciousness supports educators to critique pedagogical practice, school-wide systems and structures to determine where the power is held and whether power is being shared or is dominated by the status quo.
Becoming critically conscious of the marginalisation of particular groups within school settings supports schools to understand racism, both intentional and unintentional, racism has to be revealed and understood in order to be resisted and mitigated.
Critical consciousness supports educators engaged in PLD to understand their agency to create equitable opportunities for Māori learners and all marginalised learners in the education context. Supporting the development of shared critical understandings and actions that can transform praxis and improve learner outcomes is a vital component of the learning that is undertaken with schools, if we are to move beyond the rhetoric of transformative change.
Whakawhāiti (inclusion)
Ensuring that school policies actively promote and support inclusion so learners feel a genuine sense of belonging and connectedness in their school context is an important factor in supporting learner confidence and well-being.
Through respecting diversity and being prepared to learn from our similarities and our differences, there is a richness of new and deeper understandings of the human condition that can occur. Strengthening understanding of inclusion can support educators to realise the intention to provide learning that is responsive and meets the diverse needs of all learners.
A fundamental focus in my PLD delivery is to support schools to develop and enact and embed inclusive policies and practices that move beyond tokenism to authentic ways of being that are respectful, accepting and promote equitable outcomes.
Referees
Andrew Wood, andywood.edconsult@gmail.com
Cathy Puna, cathy.puna@ska.co.nz
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Mary Stubbings
I believe that we must create caring, safe and culturally responsive classrooms that optimize learning and address racism and equity issues for Maori and for all. I have experience at the ‘coalface’ from year one to year 13 and at middle management and senior leadership levels.
My experience as a lead facilitator of Te Kotahitanga for Wairoa College, a lead coach for PB4L at Flaxmere College and as an across schools teacher for the Te Waka o Māramatanga kāhui has helped me to support schools in their quest to create positive learning environments with equitable outcomes.
Central to my philosophy is that we as educators must build strong relationships in our learning environments that value the student as a cultural being where they can enjoy and achieve success knowing that their ideas and knowledge are valued.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi
Understanding the significance of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in our lives as New Zealanders can be challenging without having knowledge of pre-Treaty events and the actions that led up to the signing. Pre-colonisation and colonisation have had a significant impact on the fabric of our society as it stands today. The different understandings of the Treaty from a Māori and Crown perspective have been the subject of much debate and involve an awareness of the history of Aotearoa.
When working with ākonga, I use a variety of interactive and dialogic resources to deepen an awareness and understanding of the history of New Zealand around Te Tiriti o Waitangi and its significance to society in the present day.
Kaupapa Māori
Kaupapa Māori legitimises and validates the beliefs and practices of Māori, the Māori language and the cultural, intellectual, political and social legitimacy of the Māori people. I provide opportunities to understand and implement practices that support the revitalization and self-determination of Te Ao Māori. Through this learning we deepen our knowledge of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the principle of āta (growing respectful relationships.
Critical Consciousness
Critical Consciousness focuses on understanding our place in the world through exposure of social and political elements. It involves taking action against the oppressive actions that are made recognisable through this exposure.
I have recently had an article accepted for the Kairaranga journal that outlines my personal story of critical consciousness and conscientization. The article is called “The importance of conscientisation: Learning about privilege from the voices of Māori students”. The reviewer for this article wrote “I would like to thank you for the privilege of reviewing your article. I found it such a pleasure to read – it was very powerful and evoked quite deep emotions reading the narratives from the ākonga Māori. What is also powerful is the impact that this will have on other non-Māori educators. It is very courageous of you to be so honest, to bare your soul, to reflect on your own thinking, and to dig deep into your own positioning (and repositioning). You have displayed such metacognition!”.
Whakawhāiti (inclusion)
All students have the right to be accepted as whole cultural beings regardless of their abilities or disabilities. I work with principals, governing bodies, teachers and students to create practices that ensure rangatahi are respected and appreciated as valued members of their communities. Part of this conversation includes how we can create classrooms that are welcoming and support the diverse needs of our students.
Referees
Zac Anderson, principal@tiaho.school.nz
Sarah McLeod, Lead Principal Dannevirke College, principal@ruahine.school.nz
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Claire O'Fee
Ko Taratara te maunga
ko Kaeo te awa
ko Whangaroa te moana
ko Mataatua te waka
Ko Ngāpuhi tōku iwi,
ko Ngāti Rua tōku hapū,
ko Taupo Bay tōku marae
I have whakapapa links to both Māori and Pākehā tupuna and aspire to live in a country where all people experience equity, excellence and belonging, in all facets of their lives. Research and evidence show that this work makes a difference for Māori learner's experiences in education, while reaching other students at the same time. I am passionate about creating educational futures for our students where they can completely be themselves, enjoying success as who they are.
Māori learners, whānau, hapū and iwi have not had their whakapapa, knowledge, skills and ways of knowing and being valued in our education system and this continues today. This systemic oppression is seen and felt throughout Aotearoa and I see it manifest in myself and the schools in which I work. I feel a responsibility to support others to see these inequities and take determined steps to change.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi
In continually working to understand Te Tiriti o Waitangi for myself, I have come to more clearly understand how it is that many people in our schools and communities do not truly appreciate the intent of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
My practice involves working with both tangata whenua and tangata tiriti in a shared, dialogic manner to more deeply understand the histories of tangata whenua, the intent of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the ways in which our postcolonial history has played out for mana and tangata whenua.
By learning with and from each other, we resist the thinking of the status quo and promote the enactment of the intent of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in all spaces within a school setting.
Kaupapa Māori
Kaupapa Māori is foundational to our work. For many educators I work with, it is an unfamiliar theoretical body of knowledge as it is indigenous. It is therefore pivotal that kaupapa Māori be the guide for indigenous revitalisation in our education system. I work with staff within schools at all levels to begin to understand the theory in kaupapa Māori to then develop responses based in leadership and teaching practice in order for Māori to experience self-determination.
Critical Consciousness
The power dynamics within a crown entity such as schools are layered and embedded. My work in critical consciousness supports staff to connect with evidence in order to understand these dynamics, where they have come from, how they are manifesting with their school setting and how they will respond.
In my work there are clear links between kaupapa Māori and critical consciousness as both were born out of resistance. These links support staff in schools to seek collaborative responses to the evidence in front of them, thinking from more than their own worldview.
Whakawhāiti (inclusion)
Inclusion involves developing determined policies, decisions and practice so that groups of people who are marginalised by race, gender, sexuality, learning support needs and impairment can feel that they are accepted, respected and that they belong.
In my work I seek to ensure that I recognise and embrace the potential to learn about and from diversity by planning and facilitating learning opportunities that value, promote and respond to the perspectives and experiences of all people.
This involves enacting praxis that accepts and respects difference, as opposed to expecting sameness.
Referees
Sheena Millar, sheea.millar@onslow.school.nz
Kim Gordon, kgordon@bulls.school.nz
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Lynette Bradnam
Ko Te Awaputahi te maunga
Ko Taurekaitai te awa
Ko Ngāti Kahungunu te iwi
Ko Ngāti Kere, Ngāti Pīhere, Ngāti Manuhiri ōku hapū,
Ko Rongomaraeroa te marae
Ia Kere te Ngāhuru, Ka Ngāhuru noa atu
Many of my mother’s generation experienced the loss of their language, culture, history and in many cases their whenua. This process of colonisation has impacted on many generations of Māori and still continues to today.
I have sought to regain our language and tikanga through study at Te Whare Wānanga over the years and ensured my own children learned te reo Māori by participating in Māori medium education immersed in Te Ao Māori. This experience has helped to instil a passion and commitment in my work to indigenise spaces and support schools and teachers to provide an education that better meets the needs of Māori so they can fully participate in Te Ao Māori, Te Ao Pākeha and Te Ao Whānui.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi
Te Tiriti o Waitangi is foundational to our work and I have learned that it is important for Māori and non-Māori to better understand Māori life prior to the arrival of Europeans to Aotearoa, then to realise the impact of colonisation on Māori. The impact of colonisation includes exploring the difference between the Treaty and Te Tiriti, and what was promised to Māori in terms of protection of taonga such as te reo Māori, participation and partnership with the Crown.
Once there is clarification, it is possible to begin to have conversations as to how schools and teachers can realise their responsibility as Crown partners to honour Te Tiriti. The aim then is to support leaders, teachers and governors to examine their practice in order for their relationships and responses to give effect to Te Tiriti, and transform spaces through indigenisation and declonisation.
Kaupapa Māori
Kaupapa Māori has an important place in the transformational change required in the education system. Kaupapa Māori includes Tino Rangatiratanga, revitalisation of Matauranga Māori and the resistance to colonisation. I provide PLD experiences that support teachers, governors and leaders to deepen their understanding of these elements that uphold and maintain a Māori World view, cultural aspirations of Māori and the valued practices of Māori. Subsequently they are the able to implement praxis that facilitates Tino Rangatiratanga, revitalisation and resistance.
This PLD highlights the connection between kaupapa Māori and Te Tiriti of Waitangi, recognising the significance of reciprocal relationships between schools and Mana Whenua, and how the strength of those relationships can lead to a collaborative approach to improve outcomes for Māori and non-Māori learners.
Critical Consciousness
Critical consciousness as an element of conscientisation, challenges educators to examine their pedagogoical practices, school systems and relationships to identify whether the power is dominated by the status quo or shared. This process is supported by the examination of key evidence and information to better understand how this power and privilege is occurring in their school end explore the inequities.
Through a range of PLD activities and the use of critical questioning, I support and challenge school leaders and teachers to reflect deeply on their critical consciousness to work collaboratively and develop solutions that support Mana Whenua and a Māori world view.
Whakawhāiti (inclusion)
Inclusion involves developing determined policies, decisions and practice so that groups of people who are marginalised by race, gender, sexuality, learning support needs and impairment can feel that they are accepted, respected and that they belong.
In the PLD sessions I run, I work to ensure that I recognise and embrace the potential to learn about and from diversity by planning and facilitating learning opportunities that value, promote and respond to the perspectives and experiences of all people.
Referees
Robin Famish, Tumaki, Tamatea High School, principal@tamatea.
Gina Smith, Tumuaki, Featherston Primary School, principal@featherston.school.
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Dee Reid
I am a descendant of my Māori Grandmothers and Pākeha Grandfathers. I am proud of my whakapapa Māori, of Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Kahu and Ngāpuhi ancestry. I am equally proud of my whakapapa Pākehā, of Scottish, English and Afrikaans lineage. It is this heritage that contributes to who I am and how I am when I walk the fine line between ‘two worlds’.
My work as a PLD facilitator across ECE, primary and secondary settings is influenced by my personal and professional educational experiences. I am driven by a desire to ensure all teaching, learning, leadership and governance interactions in schools are cognisant of the special response required for the success of ākonga Māori, where sensemaking and decision making of what this requires is co-constructed by Māori, for Māori, with Māori.
I believe ākonga success happens when educational experiences are honouring of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, reverent of Aotearoa’s indigeneity, reflective of the diverse nature and reality of Aotearoa’s classrooms, critically focused on transformative practice and lead by educators who are committed to seeing all ākonga experience educational success for who they are.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi
I work with school governors, leaders and teachers to understand what life in Aotearoa before Te Tiriti o Waitangi was like, where Māori were grounded in their iwi identity, where te reo and tikanga Māori were promoted, protected and preserved, where being Māori was celebrated and enjoyed. I aim to inspire action into allowing this for ākonga Māori in this modern-day schooling context – to feel safe, secure and validated in their own identity, language and culture.
I lead PLD experiences that acknowledge the differences between Te Tiriti and The Treaty and I seek to evoke self-realisation in educators about the implications for their role and responsibility as Tangata Whenua or Tangata Tiriti in the why, who and how they teach, lead or govern.
I strive to promote collaborative learning experiences that develop from mātauranga Māori and promote mana ōrite relationships between mana whenua and schools. The intent within this is to make certain that teaching, leadership and governance policies and practices give life to the promises of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Kaupapa Māori
I am a second-language learner and speaker of te reo Māori, my passion for te reo is what motivates and inspires me, it is my lens through which I see, hear and feel the world, my segue into Te Ao Māori. It is from this platform that I operate and seek to affirm the principles of Kaupapa Māori. I ensure my facilitation practice is underpinned by Māori ways of being, doing and knowing to give effect to Māori self-determination.
I work to support school governors, leaders and teachers to recognise the status and expertise of mana whenua so they are well placed to connect and engage with mana whenua and together develop and deliver learning experiences that reflect Kaupapa Māori for the benefit of all.
I have undertaken masters level study to enhance my knowledge and application of Kaupapa Māori theory and methodologies and I continue to develop more informed and culturally responsive practice.
Critical Consciousness
I believe that critical consciousness is about eyes and ears, and hearts and minds being open. Open to reviewing and critiquing where power is located, who has power and how power plays out.
I strive to raise critical consciousness in school boards, leadership and teaching teams, I work collaboratively with them and key stakeholders to identify ways the status quo for their setting can be disrupted so that inequities can be recognised and responded to, and equity, excellence and belonging can be strengthened.
Whakawhāiti (inclusion)
I believe in equity, excellence and belonging for all ākonga. Inclusion in educational settings is a vehicle to this and involves developing and implementing policies, decisions and practice so that groups of people who are marginalised (by race, gender, sexuality, learning support needs and impairment) can feel that they belong, are a part of this, accepted and respected.
I seek to recognise and embrace the potential to learn about and from diversity and difference. I seek to plan and deliver PLD opportunities that value, promote and respond to the perspectives and experiences of all stakeholders. I strive to support governors, leaders and teachers to recognise, respect and respond to diversity and difference.
Referees
Mr Robin Fabish, Tumuaki/Principal, Tamatea High School, robinf@tamatea.school.nz
Ms Zac Anderson, Tumuaki/Principal, Tiaho Primary School, principal@tiaho.school.nz
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I have had the privilege of working with a wide range of people throughout my teaching and financial administrative career and am delighted to be a member of the Poutama Pounamu whānau. As a team we work hard to ensure there is a transformative change in the education sector that better supports learning and achievement of all Māori students
I take pride in my passion for delivering outstanding service proudly supporting the team in the delivery of exceptional PDL and research.
Through my initial experiences as a teacher I understand and am committed to equity and belonging for all learners and their whānau. Now, my role as the Administration Manager for Poutama Pounamu provides the opportunity to learn with others and to contribute differently to some essential changes require
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