It has been another busy term for the Stoke Tāhunanui Kāhui Ako as we bring together schools and ECE centres in our community around common achievement challenges and goals.

The staff only day held on Friday 1 September was fully focused on our Kāhui Strategic Aim 1 (culturally responsive pedagogy accelerates equity for marginalised learners), with staff working alongside Melanie Riwai-Couch and her Niho Taniwha team on culturally responsive practices. The feedback from the day was outstanding, with responses reflecting a strong commitment to cultural competency, awareness and responsiveness. Some key themes and takeaways from the feedback included:

Cultural Competency and Awareness:

• Attendees are committed to improving their understanding of Māori culture.
• They recognise the need to acknowledge and address their cultural biases.
• Cultural competency is seen as essential for effective teaching and fostering inclusivity.

Learning and Reading:

• Attendees expressed a strong desire to deepen their knowledge through reading, particularly "Niho Taniwha."
• Reading is viewed as a means to enhance teaching practices and connect better with students.

Te Reo Māori and Language Learning:

• Many attendees intend to improve their use of Te Reo Māori.
• Taking Te Reo lessons and incorporating the language into teaching is a priority.
• Language preservation is recognised as vital for preserving Māori culture.

Local History and Stories:

• Exploring local history from a Māori perspective is a common theme.
• Attendees aim to integrate this knowledge into their teaching to make it culturally relevant.
• Local stories are seen as a valuable resource for engaging students.

Reflection and Self-Improvement:

• Attendees emphasised the need for self-reflection and personal growth.
• Challenging assumptions, biases, and teaching practices is a shared goal.
• Creating an inclusive environment requires self-awareness and continual improvement.

Action and Accountability:

• Attendees express a sense of responsibility and accountability as educators.
• Concrete actions, such as incorporating Māori perspectives and supporting Māori students, are prioritised.
• Knowing better is linked to taking tangible steps to do better in their roles.

Also aligned to Strategic Aim 1, the Kāhui Ako will be holding a combined Whānau Hui on Wednesday 15 November at 6:00pm. We are working with Kurahaupō and Impact Ed to gather some significant whānau voice through this Kāhui Ako event. This is a fabulous opportunity to engage our local community and I would encourage schools to fully support this event. Look out for more detailed information next term.

Aligned to Strategic Aim 2 (a local curriculum with Coherent Pathways is experienced with success by all learners), we are delighted to be in a position to launch our ‘pathways’ in Reading, Writing, Numeracy and Aotearoa NZ Histories. This will take place at Greenmeadows/Putangitangi on Wednesday 8 November at 3:30pm and we would love to see a range of educators there to support this important mahi.

I wish you all a very safe and enjoyable holiday break.

Ngā mihi,

Daniel Wilson
Lead Principal