‘Whāia te iti kahurangi; ki te tuohu koe, me he maunga teitei’ Pursue the highest ideals; if you must submit, let it be to a lofty mountain.

The principles of Kahikitia ‘Accelerating Success’ guide the actions which work towards realising the vision of Māori students enjoying and achieving education success as Māori.

These principles form the basis of Tātaiako: Cultural Competencies for Teachers of Māori Learners. These cultural competencies are woven through all we do.

Wānanga ‘Participates with learners and communities in robust dialogue for the benefit of Māori learners’ achievement’

Whanaungatanga ‘Actively engage in respectful working relationships with Māori learners, parents and whānau, hapū, iwi and the Māori community’

Manaakitanga ‘ Demonstrates integrity, sincerity and respect towards Māori beliefs, language and culture.’

Tangata Whenuatanga ‘Affirms Maori learners as Māori - provides contexts for learning where the identity, language and culture (cultural locatedness) of Maori learners and their whānau is affirmed.’

Ako ‘Takes responsibility for their own learning and that of Māori learners.’

• Ensure te reo, tikanga and Māori world view is reflected in the classroom curriculum and environment.

• Engage with parents and whanāu, involve them in school activities, particularly those focused on learning.

• Build educationally powerful connections and relationships through the cultural competencies of tātaiako

• Understand the process to build effective school-whānau-community connections focused on teaching and learning.

• When engaging with Māori communities; identify who you are, build relational trust, listen to communities and respond accordingly.

• Recognise, respect and value the diverse identities, languages and cultures of the school community

• Draw on experiences and make connections to students’ lives outside of school

• Joint parent/whānau and teacher interventions to support student learning at home and engage teachers in professional learning.

References: Tātaiako

ERO Indicator Domain 3 - Educationally powerful connections and relationships.