I recently had the privilege of participating in this conference alongside my rural Principal colleagues. It was awesome to see so many of our Kōtui Ako member school Principals there and to put faces to the names 😊

It was interesting to be part of a group of rural principals meeting with two University Researchers Dr Jennifer Tatebe and Phil Roberts who specialise in rural education research (organised by NZRSLA). Rural education is a topic close to my heart and one where research in the NZ context is sorely lacking.

In our discussion about rural education research, we explored Jennifer and Phil's expertise in this field. We shared insights on the unique needs of rural education in Aotearoa and discussed the definition of rurality in education. Our goal is to inform the development of effective rural education policies that cater to the specific challenges and opportunities in our context.

Kath, principal of Halfmoon Bay School, Rakiura/Stewart Island presented on the Rural and Remote Kids Project that has been running in partnership with Kōtui Ako VLN for many years. Ka Rawe, Kath! You can find out more about this initiative here.