Ko Tainui te waka Ko Ngāti Raukawa ki Wharepūhunga te iwi Whetu Cormick
National President, New Zealand Principals’ Federation
I am not the first President of NZPF to reach the conclusion and it was an important and valued place. of my term with mixed emotions and I know I won’t be the last. Undoubtedly the MAC has had a significant impact on the For the past few days, as I have been preparing this column, I changing fortunes of hundreds of tamariki across Aotearoa New have done much reflecting. I have looked Zealand and I am proud to have been back on my first few months leading the able to have some influence in ensuring Like so many others, Federation and thought, what were my funding has continued and increased to ambitions for the Federation then and I also wanted to see accommodate the growing demand for how close did I get to achieving them? this unique PLD. Front of mind for me, was to support radical changes in the As the MAC PLD grew in success and advocate for effective initiatives that and numbers, Pasifika principals began delivery of learning thinking about how the model might be would make a difference to the learning success rates of tamariki Māori and our support. adapted for lifting the achievement of Pasifika students. Like so many others, Pasifika students. I also wanted to see radical changes in the delivery of learning Associate Minister Jenny Salesa needed no convincing and support. NZPF is a membership driven organization. I also became an immediate partner in the process, which now oversees wanted to know that throughout my presidency I was, to the best of my ability, representing your views. As we all know, in 2008, national standards had been Build a Better Future.. introduced with the intent of lifting the achievement of what became known as priority students. These included Māori, Pasifika, special needs and those from lower socio-economic groups. By the end of 2017 and after almost a decade of national standards, it was clear that they had proved singularly ineffective. Is it any wonder that at our NZPF conference in Queenstown that year, when Nikki Kaye announced her policy for national standards plus, a collective groan swept across the auditorium? That conference was just 48 hours out from the general election. When the Labour, Greens and New Zealand First parties formed the new coalition Government, national standards knew they were on death row. Successive NZPF Presidents had worked very hard with all three parties when they were in opposition, pointing out the flaws of national standards and promoting alternative ways to address the inequities in learning outcomes. The scrapping of national standards signaled a new era and a Saris Bike Repair Stands & Pumps new direction for education. Now Available in New Zealand At the same time, the Māori Achievement Collaborations (MACs) PLD, established through the joint efforts of NZPF, Te Akatea Māori Principals’ Association and the Ministry, were Improve Student Wellbeing & Promote an Active Lifestyle beginning to show how effective they were in changing school Talk to us about your Cycling Infrastructure Requirements culture. Principals were lining up to join in and only resource limitations prevented more schools from creating school environments that were conducive to tamariki Māori succeeding at higher rates. Tamariki in MAC schools reported their opinions now counted. They felt proud to identify as Māori and had a Check out our website for more information – www.rtl.co.nz strong sense of belonging. These attributes were identified as key contributors to the learning successes of these students. They 0800 785 744 rtl.co.nz wanted to attend school every day – they had found their place
We teach people to save lives In a Fun & InteractIve envIronment First Aid for the School Environments (FASE)
4-hour course held at your premises at times to suit you. This is a cost effective course designed to give teachers confidence to cope with medical emergencies and accidents at school or on suburban trips. This fits with staff development and is based on Ministry of Education guidelines.
For further information and pricing for all first aid courses please email info@first-training.co.nz or call us on 0800 1ST AID
two pilot clusters trialing the first iteration. The Pasifika PLD is led by the Pasifika Principals’ Association and a board of academic, professional, Ministry and NZPF members. It will develop its own course and evolve as is necessary. The common expectation is however that our Pasifika young people, like their Māori counterparts, will come to feel that same sense of belonging and acceptance and feel pride in who they are as the culture of their schools change and adapt. It is still early days, as it is for learning support. With funding now allocated to 600 Learning Support Coordinators, we hope that the dismal state of special education in New Zealand will soon begin to change. We look forward to working collaboratively to implement the new Learning Support Model and having greater access to the specialist support we have been seeking for so long. I am proud to have played a part in these two critical pieces of work and to have promoted them at the highest level. Equally important has been meeting you, listening to your feedback and following up on your suggestions. I can never thank you enough for your continual support and for the confidence you gave me throughout my presidency. The role can be a very lonely one, perhaps more so than being a principal, but thanks to you, I never felt lonely. It has been an honour and a privilege to serve you, my principal colleagues and I thank you for the opportunity of so doing.
www.first-training.co.nz What is the cost of conflict at school? Support student led pastoral care that reduces teacher workload and stress. Empower students to take responsibility for behaviour management without teacher intervention. Conflict resolution programmes improve the mental health and wellbeing of teachers and students within the school community. Research has demonstrated positive results in all participating schools. Leadership through Peer Mediation (LtPM)
Cool Schools Peer Mediation Programme
for Secondary Schools (Years 11 – 13)
for Primary Schools (Years 1 – 8)
These programmes are available FREE to schools. Funding provides training and resources, including revisits. For more information: The Peace Foundation www.peace.net.nz christina@peacefoundation.org.nz Ph (09) 373 2379
ThePeaceFoundationNZ ThePeaceFoundationNZ
l Cultuirlia ty ca p a b
e g n a h C ip
leaders
h
u Maraa ā-kur
ra Hanga RE’s rld is CO and o w r u o r DNA. Y umuaki art of ou iako, leaders, t p is g in ka ch and tea it. We’re Learning ve and breathe in both e li n sector, kura, io t a world. W c u f the ed ls. ood to principa ll parts o ly childh r a a e in d m e rk fro have wo edium settings m Our staff i r o nt a n and Mā ry. impleme d n a English ia n t o desig and ter ith you t le change. schools, w ly e iv t ab ora , and s sustain tunities rk collab r d r o o a p w w l p ’l o o t e d y ith W nges an pathwa g you w e e in ll t iv r a t h o a c p v r p o inn des su n to you e’ll liste This inclu . . w s n e is io t m s We pro find solu lication h you to D (CFPLD) app it w k r o w d PL y funde centrall
u
ko i h i t a M Mātaur
anga
Māori
l a c o L iculum curr
design
We t ge it.
learning@core-ed.ac.nz core-ed.org/WeGetIt