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Te Akatea Conference 2016 Liz Hawes
EDITOR
The shores of Lake Rotorua invoke feelings of mystery and intrigue. The mix of morning mist and geothermal emissions create a spiritual atmosphere so palpable you can almost hear the haunting tones from Tutanekai’s pipe, beckoning his beloved Hinemoa from the mainland to the Lake’s Mokoia Island from where, as legend would have it, he serenaded her every night. From the steamy haze the Kaikaranga’s call ascended in perfect harmony with the manuhiri’s response chant as the Te Akatea conference visitors were led on to Tunohopu Marae for the formal powhiri and conference. Whether the place dictated the programme theme or the programme was chosen to match the place we don’t know. What is certain however is that each conference presenter highlighted different ways that inner life forces can be ignited to uplift people, including those whose spirits, confidence and trust have been shattered through adversity. Nga Pumanawa e Waru (NPeW) Trust First up on the programme was Nga Pumanawa e Waru (NPeW) Trust. Leith Comer, NPeW Chairman and Mercia-Dawn Yates, Engagement Leader, introduced the hundred or more conference delegates to a taste of what can happen when you have a backbone organisation that allows true collaboration between iwi, schools, whānau and business in Rotorua. Driving NPeW is a collective desire for Rotorua kids to succeed in education so that the region can flourish through strong community and business relationships and a well skilled future workforce. That means future focused education with twenty-first century learning supports. Governed by a group of dedicated trustees including leaders of iwi, business and the community, NPeW currently works with 41 of the 50 Rotorua schools. ‘It all began humbly from a single kaupapa and four principals wanting to share and collaborate to enhance the learning experience of the kids in their schools,’ said
NZPF President Iain Taylor takes a break between conference sessions at Tunohopu Marae, Rotorua
Mercia. As Mercia explained, this was never easy when schools operated in a context of competition. Those four principals could never have imagined how the future might look with NPeW on board. Today, the prime focus is making sure all learners are engaged and doing well in education, supported by capable teachers and their whānau. The education process is enhanced by providing personal devices to all, with assured connectivity at school, at home and in the community. According to Mercia that is the vision for NPeW and schools joining up subscribe to that kaupapa. It’s an ambitious goal to put a device in the hands of every student participating in the programme, but that’s where the business partners feature. Their contribution ensures there is full access for the students to the technology they need. One of those generous partners supporting that provision and releasing funds for many other aspects of the programme is the philanthropic NEXT Foundation which is dedicated to educational and environmental causes. Completing the stable of business partners are The Mindlab, Samsung, Vodafone, Apple, HP, Noel Leeming, Ngati Whakaue Education Endowment Trust Board, Rotorua Lakes Council, Rotorua District Library and Pukeroa Oruawhata (Deloitte, Rotorua). More than just provision of hardware, NPeW is there to assist with community engagement, technical support, leadership and pedagogy and alongside this work is a research programme headed up by academics from the University of Auckland, to survey the student and teacher voice and establish a measure of pedagogical change. It’s a total package involving some of the very best education experts. ‘Engagement, for example,’ says Mercia, ‘is real engagement with schools, students, business and iwi. It’s not about informing, it’s about having real conversations,’ she said,
Leith Comer and Mercia Yates address the delegates on the innovations that NPeW brings to the students, whanau and business community of Rotorua
Founding members Pem Bird and Huria Tawa (centre) with the Te Akatea conference organisers
‘so that every voice is heard and valued. Iwi and whānau hold an important body of knowledge and both groups are unused and unrepresented,’ she said, ‘and we plan to change that.’ Iwi are migrating across the district but will come together as one to share this kaupapa. NPeW was set up as a Trust to succeed. ‘We set up the Trust and found the best accountants, lawyers, academics and professionals,’ she said, ‘and fortunately for us they all said yes!’ At the heart of the programme is building capability and facilitating change and the integration of all these specialists is necessary if the system is to succeed. To make sure the programme remains authentic and relevant a Principal Advisory Board made up of several Rotorua schools has also been established. Bringing schools, iwi and business together through NPeW is not only a rich collaborative experience it also allows principals to understand the learning process from year 0 to 13 and have a better appreciation of learning both within their own school and across schools. They also better appreciate that learning really is continuous both inside and outside the school gates, spilling over to whānau through links with the ‘Computers in Homes’ programme. The programme challenges even seasoned principals, deputies and emerging leaders to shake status quo and embrace the future and all the exciting opportunities that technology brings to modern learning. It’s about preparing students to be life-long self-managed learners, to be entrepreneurial in their thinking, innovative problem solvers, creative and digitally literate cyber citizens of the world. Mercia insisted this means rethinking traditional teaching strategies so learning is co-constructed, culturally responsive and based on disciplined inquiry and reflection. It’s about basing decisions on evidence and connecting new learning to prior learning. It’s about keeping learning authentic. Principals and teachers are not left to flounder through these changes without support. NPeW incorporates coaching and mentoring for leadership and teachers and this work is headed up by an expert in leadership from Massey University, Dr Vikram Murthy. Not surprisingly, Rotorua schools have flocked to sign up to NPeW. Just as those original four principals looked to collaborate to improve the learning outcomes for Rotorua students both in their own and neighbouring schools, so NPeW aspires to the same outcomes, only now principals don’t have to battle the Ministry for funding or raise funds privately to undertake collaborative change and pay for expensive devices for the
students and their families. NPeW is the backbone organisation that does that for them. Te Akatea AGM Next up was the Te Akatea AGM, led by the President, Hoana Pearson. Before dealing with the usual formalities, Hoana reminded those present of the origins of Te Akatea and its main purpose which was to revive and maintain Te Reo through teaching the language in our schools. In order to achieve this goal, she said, we must keep Te Reo alive in mainstream schools as much as in Kura. Other goals of Te Akatea are to advocate for, support and create networks for Māori principals across the country, many of whom are isolated from each other. She indicated that Te Akatea needed to increase its membership to give it the strength and infrastructure necessary to continue this kaupapa. Hoana acknowledged the close relationship they have with NZPF which is a valued and necessary relationship for advancing the Te Akatea kaupapa. ‘These relationships,’ she said, ‘where others walk alongside of us allow us to create and manage our own destiny, our own Tino Rangatiratanga.’ We need Te Huarahi (our pathway), to be strategic and deliberate; Whanaungatanga, healing our spirits and uniting in a common cause; and we need to build capacity, capability and credibility. ‘There are 350 Māori principals,’ she said, ‘and we need them all to be members of this organisation.’ Heeni Morehu Heeni Morehu, brought a whole new aspect of how with the right whanau support, inner spirits, broken through adversity, can be strengthened again and channelled into positive action. Heeni’s heartbreak began with the death of her eldest son in a car accident. Her second son escaped the accident but as the surviving brother, always felt guilty. Heeni acknowledged that dealing with the pain of losing her son meant she did not pay attention to the grief that was consuming her surviving son and two years later, she lost him too, this time to suicide. ‘I couldn’t grieve and think of my children too,’ she cried, still emotionally raw despite the passing of the years. The grief cycle began all over again and as Heeni said, she could not have survived without the unerring support of her close whānau. That might have been the end of the story until a work colleague persuaded her to write her story. Initially reluctant to share her grief and self-doubt with the rest of the world, Heeni came to realise that this could help someone else. Again, with united whānau support, the project was completed and is N Z Principal | N o v e m b e r 2 0 16
now read by tamariki as well as those experiencing their own grief. Heeni’s concluding message to the audience was to say ‘Support your tamariki and if there is anyone out there who has lost someone to suicide be there for them because we can’t get through alone.’ Finally she acknowledged her two beautiful sons Kahu and Hohepa ‘for letting us share.’ In lighter spirits, comedian, raconteur and award winning public speaker, Kingi Biddle, was next on the podium. Steeped in story telling flair, Kingi entertained while leaving his audience of principals with some important messages. Prominent amongst these were some ‘warning’ messages not to assume that all tamariki are alike and want to play sport and excel at it, or even want to qualify for university. He used the example of himself saying ‘I hated athletics day! I’m short. I had lost every race before I started!’ He said he couldn’t find his place in the world but eventually did at High School where he discovered Billy T James and other comedic
Louise Nicholas Draw card for many delegates was hearing the story of high profile rape victim, Louise Nicholas. Her story of being repeatedly raped from the age of 13–16 by several senior NZ Police Officers is well known. Her journey to bring those men to justice is also well documented and makes for harrowing reading. What may be less known is the way in which Louise Nicholas has used this experience to make system changes within the NZ Police Force. She now trains Police recruits in dealing with survivors of sexual abuse and is making in-roads to changing the culture of the Police Force. She is determined to see the incidence of sexual abuse reduced. ‘We need to give victims a voice and the courage to say what has happened to them,’ she said. At the same time she acknowledged that there are barriers to reporting sexual abuse because perpetrators are often family or whānau members. One
Jim Schuster, a founding member of Te Akatea was one of the panelists
Heeni Morehu shares her story of turning grief into good
actors. ‘I found I could do comedy skits!’ he said proudly. He then started winning competitions. ‘I had won my first race!’ he shouted. ‘My kaupapa was to make people laugh,’ he said. He concluded by saying, ‘We need colour in this world, so if the brightest kid in the school wants to be a florist, let them! And they will lift the saddest tangi with their bright colours!’
thing she recognises from her own experience is how brutal the court system can be for victims. ‘I will continue to fight systems and our courts,’ she said. ‘The brutality of our evidence systems and the way defence lawyers can treat victims is unacceptable,’ she said. Louise Nicholas had everything against her including the most powerful Police in the land. Police foiled her first three attempts to seek justice but they did not break her spirit. She fought on and eventually was vindicated. In an extraordinary turn of events she has now used her experiences to change the very institution that abused her in the first place. Without doubt her courage and strength and now her work in training a new generation of NZ Police will make a huge difference to the way Police will treat victims of abuse in future. The conference wound up with presentations from a panel of Te Akatea founding members, Jim Schuster, Pem Bird, Huria Tawa, Punohu McClausland and Irimena Heke. Panelists reminded the audience of Te Akatea’s roots and the importance of continuing to strive for the teaching of Te reo in schools and for the right for Māori tamariki to be taught in the context of a Māori world view. They emphasised that the pathway for future success lay in Māori being empowered to determine their own destinies. It was a well-attended conference with presenters’ stories pulling the delegates in. Principals were inspired to share their own stories in lunch time conversations and in turn lent support to each other. As evening fell, damp mist and light rain returned to envelop the marae, as if the Gods were shedding a tear for the sadness shared and casting a protective shroud about those gathered to say their farewells.
Tracy Ormsby and Jacque Webber Brother and sister, Tracy Ormsby and Jacque Webber told a different story again entitled ‘Beneath the Surface’. Consistent with the conference theme it was a story of spirited hope where previously there had been little. Both are engaged in the Māori health programme, Whānau Ora and shared their experiences of working with young Māori and Māori families struggling with health issues. They are passionate about their mahi and consider it a privilege to be working with their people. Important to both is to be healthy, active role models themselves and to look beyond the immunisation and presenting health issues. ‘It’s about the whole context,’ says Jacque, ‘including whether there is good food in the fridge and whether the house is cold.’ Tracy’s focus is Māori men’s health including lifting men’s aspirations to give up drugs, alcohol and crime. ‘It’s about eliminating the negative and accentuating the positive,’ he said. Just as Jacque talked about seeing the whole context, Tracy too has found that some 86 per cent of Tane he has worked with have other undiagnosed issues. Their job is to look beneath the surface issues to find long term solutions for the health of their people. The brother and sister duo brought a new perspective for the audience of principals showing them the effects that underlying health issues can have on learning in school.
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