by Katrina Ferguson

Niho Taniwha

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On Friday 3rd March Ellesmere College - Te Kāreti o Waihora staff worked alongside Doreen Bailey from Evaluation Associates who introduced the Niho Taniwha kaupapa Māori pedagogical model to us.

Niho Taniwha is an evidence based and practice-informed model developed by Dr. Melanie Riwai-Couch. Our intention in engaging with this model is to enable our staff to become better, more effective practitioners who can enable educational success for ākonga Māori and deepen our understanding of our role as teachers in upholding the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Educational research over the past 20-30 years indicates that pedagogical change made in schools with the purpose of improving achievement for akonga Māori improves achievement for all akonga.

The Niho Taniwha model for teaching and learning asserts that teachers and learners move through 3 phases of learning:

  • Whai: to follow, chase, pursue, look for, search for, court, woo, aim

  • Ako: to learn, study, instruct, teach, advise

  • Mau: to lay hold of, grasp, wield

  • Tipu: to grow, increase, spring, issue, begin, develop, sprout, prosper, originate.



The Niho Taniwha model:

Niho: tooth, tusk, point, triangle

Taniwha: powerful creature, chief, powerful leader, water spirit.

Now that our staff have developed an understanding of the Niho Taniwha model, we are investigating how we can use it to inform both our teaching practices and student learning outcomes at Ellesmere College - Te Kāreti o Waihora. This will be the subject of ongoing professional development during our Monday morning meetings this year.