Education Gazette 102.4

Community hubs

Providing safety, shelter and stability in times of need

Refuge and manaakitanga in Te Karaka

Leadership in education drives community wellbeing

Alternative Education gives ākonga sense of place, purpose

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The heart of communities

As we close off the first school term of 2023, we recognise the special place our education centres hold in their communities – and it’s right at the heart of them.

Early learning services, schools and kura are often a central point of safety, support and stability for the communities they serve, and we see just how true that is in times of emergency and crisis – such as the recent flooding and severe weather in much of the upper North Island and East Coast.

Read on to see how two schools, one in Tāmaki Makaurau and one in rural Tairāwhiti, stepped in as places of refuge and hubs for civil defence support services. One principal told us it all comes back to their school values of whanaungatanga and manaakitanga, and the strong community connections they form as part of their local curriculum mahi.

We also kōrero with Leanne Otene, president of the New Zealand Principals’ Federation, about supporting capable, empathetic and effective leaders in schools and how this drives community wellbeing, especially at a time where many are dealing with significant challenges.

A tough first term of the year, with a long recovery continuing into term 2 for many – but it’s certainly warming to see such optimism and aroha shine through in this issue and on the faces of our kaiako and leaders, whānau and community members, and importantly, our children and young people.

Kia

Sarah Wilson, chief editor

pai te rā

Messages of support for Te Karaka Area School following Cyclone Gabrielle.

Wesley Primary School and May Road Primary School opened their facilities to people in need during the flood. Wesley Intermediate provided a van and space to store goods. From left: Rachel WardMcCarten, principal of Te Kura Waenga o Wēteri (Wesley Intermediate School); Lou Reddy, principal of Te Kura Tuatahi O Weteri (Wesley Primary School); and Lynda Stuart, principal of May Road Primary School.

CLIMATE CHANGE

Schools as community hubs in emergencies

In late January, Auckland experienced the most severe recorded rainstorm in its history. As the water rose in Mt Roskill, two local schools became places of refuge for people who suddenly found themselves displaced.

It was the Friday night before Auckland Anniversary weekend and Lou Reddy, tumuaki of Te Kura Tuatahi O Weteri Wesley Primary School began to receive messages saying the front of his school was flooded and houses around the school were badly affected. Te Auaunga Oakley Creek had burst its banks and houses just over the road from the school were inundated with up to 1.5 metres of water.

“At about 9pm we started getting text messages and messages on Facebook from people in our community saying their house was flooded and their car wasn’t working, and they were stuck. People couldn’t get out. They were stuck inside homes filled with water – and it wasn’t the safest water, it’s contaminated. About 100 metres down from the school, a fire truck got stuck trying to rescue a family from their house,” he says.

Acts of kindness

Lou, assistant principal Andy Crowe, and Peter and Tili Leilua from ARK (Acts of Roskill Kindness) opened up the school hall for about 16 people. They put down gym mats, found some blankets and because the school operated a Food Bank, they had some food.

“After the Sunday we had over 50 volunteers on site – we had more volunteers than people staying in the hall!

“In the end about 35 people stayed in our hall. Some stayed for a few days then went to emergency housing or hotels, then more came,” he says.

The school soon became aware that more support was needed, so a call was made to Lynda Stuart, principal of nearby May Road Primary School.

“We offered to help in whatever way we could. On Sunday night I got a call and went down to school and opened up the hall. ARK helped set up mattresses, bedding and food before people arrived,” recalls Lynda.

“We had people coming in in the dark and we’re a bit of a building site at the moment. There was an 80-year-old woman we were trying to help through this building site. When you see someone in their 80s having to sleep in a school hall, it’s pretty horrible really. That family slept up on the stage because it took her up off the ground,” she says.

May Road School’s former dental clinic, now a parents’ room, was made available to a pregnant woman and her husband. Most people only stayed a few nights before they found alternative accommodation, but many continued to camp in the hall during the day for some weeks.

Meeting complex needs

Lou says the experience highlighted for him the diversity of people, whether it be through culture, religion, physical disability, or simply different world views.

“We have this complex role as principals to advocate for them even though there’s so much diversity. We had 16 people in the hall and another lot of people came who requested a separate room – one Iranian family stayed in my old office.

“There’s another complexity for people with disabilities because there’s access, toilets etc. I think sometimes when you’re in the midst of managing a crisis you don’t think about that – like someone needs a bed slightly higher because they’ve got a leg injury and they can’t get off the ground.

“On the second night we had a lady admitted to the hospital because she had a heart attack. These are just things that you don’t prepare for,” he says.

A community of support

Providing refuge from flood waters was just the beginning for Lou and Lynda. Their schools became hubs for a variety of voluntary and government groups.

“We’ve now helped to house 81 people,” says Lou. “Only about 35 stayed at our school and we’ve helped another 50 odd people through the hub that was set up in my old school hall and office.

“They set up a proper HQ there for triaging people: medical, housing and social support. Pulman Hotel donated a whole lot of furniture, which we delivered. Ford NZ donated a big pickup truck and two Transit vans. We were trying to get people offsite from the school and into temporary accommodation and then mobilise a team of people to clean up the homes,” he says.

Many were involved, including the New Zealand Army, Red Cross, and ARK from Global Hope Missions. MP for Mount Roskill, Michael Wood, worked behind the scenes to activate support for people. Warehouse Stationery and Kids Can donated stationery, McDonalds donated food and the Kindness Collective has been supporting families. Christ the King School and Puketāpapa Rugby Club also provided refuge to traumatised families during Cyclone Gabrielle.

Responding to diverse needs

Down the road at May Road School, where mainly women and children were accommodated, Lynda was grateful for the New Zealand Ethnic Women’s Trust who helped to facilitate communication with members of the Muslim community.

“We worked a lot with the Women’s Ethnic Trust, and they unpacked why their women needed to be separated. They can’t sleep in an area where there are other nationalities. They were shy – they found it really hard to ask for what they needed, and they would just withdraw. Many of them have already had trauma in their lives.

“When you’re under stress, you want as much comfort as you possibly can have. They needed to be with people like them,” she says.

The Ethnic Women’s Trust offices were also wrecked in the flood, and they will use May Road School’s parent room as their temporary office.

“They need a place and it’s really good for the school to be seen as part of the community,” says Lynda.

Schools as safe places

Lynda spoke to a mother who, with her husband, had to get four very young children out of their flooded home. They were helped to safety, but the sheer panic they felt continues to haunt the whānau.

“Talking to that mum, she said even if it looks like there’s going to be the slightest bit of rain, her daughter becomes very anxious. People are being re-traumatised over and over again. When the parents are anxious then the children become anxious, so as principals, we have to be really aware of this and keep that weather eye out and be supportive and try and keep that level of calm for people where life goes out of control,” she says.

Schools are trying to be safe places for whānau and not make demands which could create more stress.

“We’re trying to get our students access to devices. In days gone by [before Covid] we would have said to the parents you can pay these off at five bucks a week. We’re not even wanting to go anywhere near that because we’ve had Covid, we’ve had the floods, the cyclone. There’s uncertainty about what weather event may be around the corner next,” says Lynda.

Support needed for schools

It was a stressful and exhausting start to the year for Lou, Lynda and their school kaimahi. They both say that while schools pride themselves on being hubs of their communities, they need easy access to support and resources when events such as the Auckland floods happen.

“I think that collectively we need to grow resilient communities that can face these kinds of things. Also, the structures shouldn’t always be reliant on schools being able to set up what we’ve set up,” says Lou.

“One of the things we found in Wesley/Mt Roskill is that all the support went to South and West Auckland and then it took a while for people to realise there were hundreds of homes that were flooded in our area.

Lynda and her team worked alongside the NZ Ethnic Women’s Trust to support Muslim families. Front to back: Lynda with Fadumo Ahmed ( NZ Ethnic Women’s Trust), Asya Abeid and her children Afnan, Yasir and Aisha Soud.

“You go in to be a principal and think ‘OK, teaching and learning’ but actually, it’s community support, pastoral care, building project management. It’s so much more than that.”

Lynda Stuart

“Now that people have recognised what we’ve done, they want to get on board and get behind it – I’ve been approached by all sorts of groups. I’m looking forward to more collaboration and more support,” he says.

Events such as the flood and Cyclone Gabrielle exacerbate inequities, say Lynda and Lou.

“There’s an inequity in our education system that we battle with every single day. So yes, bring it on as far as the work with our people, because they are why we are here. But give us the support that we really need to be able to do this work,” says Lynda.

Long haul

And they’re in it for the long haul.

“This is not going to be something that goes away quickly and we know that it comes off the back of some pretty significant hardship that people have had through Covid. But they still smile – people are amazing,” says Lynda.

“You go in to be a principal and think ‘OK, teaching and learning’ but actually, it’s community support, pastoral care, building project management. It’s so much more than that. It can be the greatest job in the world when it’s all about the people – little people, big people. But shit it’s hard!” she concludes.

Lou and Lynda acknowledge the mahi of their staff and communities, some of whom have been impacted themselves by the January floods.

“Some of the staff at our local schools and our support agencies have been personally impacted, but they are the same people that come out and help others,” concludes Lou.

“I think that collectively we need to grow resilient communities that can face these kinds of things. Also, the structures shouldn’t always be reliant on schools being able to set up what we’ve set up.”

Lou Reddy

Wesley Primary School across the road from badly flooded homes was a safe haven for families such as Vilivaka Aholelei and his family whose home was extensively damaged by flooding.

Further reading:

Mount Roskill community stories from the aftermath of the flood

Pacific families in aftermath of flood

Former All Black helps community

Family of eight ‘swam’ to school

Whānau displaced

It was all hands on deck after flash flooding in Auckland. Back, from left: Rachel Ward-McCarten, Fiona Lai (ARK), Lynda Stuart, Tili Leilua (ARK). Front, from left: Lou Reddy, Andy Crow, Peter Leitua (ARK).

Te Karaka community leaders, whānau, Civil Defence team members, teachers, and school Board members are pictured here with Te Karaka Area School principal Renae Savage and Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni. Photos courtesy of NEMA; photographer: Josie McClutchie.

Volunteers organise contributions of clothing, bedding and other items for displaced families temporarily housed at Te Karaka Area School in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle.

Koha from the cyclone-devastated community to the school included boxes and trays of food and bottled water.

CYCLONE GABRIELLE

Refuge and manaakitanga in Te Karaka

In areas devastated by Cyclone Gabrielle, marae often provided shelter, food and comfort for locals. But when two of Te Karaka’s marae became inaccessible due to flooding, Te Karaka Area School took on the role of refuge for displaced locals.

Thirty kilometres north of Gisborne, the small settlement of Te Karaka was cut off from the rest of the world for almost a week when communication systems went down. The township was on its own.

More than half of the school population were evacuated from their homes and up to 120 people could not return to their homes, says principal Renae Savage.

“We were very fortunate the school wasn’t affected by the flooding, so we adapted as the marae to provide sustenance and shelter during the immediate shock after the event.”

Along with the gymnasium that served as sleeping quarters, the school provided shower and toilet facilities. The cooking classroom has the capacity to store and prepare food for a large number of people.

The school had a few mattresses and although local marae, Takipu and Rangatira, lost many resources, about 10 more mattresses were retrieved “in the nick of time”. Tank water was plentiful, generators provided power and contributions of food and clothing arrived at the school.

“This is a reflection of the generosity of our community,” says Renae. “Koha came from local people’s cupboards and freezers. If they could give, they were giving.”

Te Karaka Area School’s commitment to a localised curriculum – mātauranga Māhaki, or knowledge indigenous to Te Aitanga a Māhaki tribal lands – has enabled reconnection with the community, and relationships with its six marae to be strengthened, says Renae.

FENZ workers hose silt off paving stones on the school grounds.

Waikohu District Civil Defence deputy area coordinator Dave Pikia outlines to Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni challenges faced by their team during the flood crisis, response and recovery. Photos courtesy of NEMA; photographer: Josie McClutchie

The motto Ki te hoe! (to the paddle) on a banner used for waka ama played out, figuratively speaking, as the Te Karaka community came together to help clean up damage left by Cyclone Gabrielle. Photos courtesy of NEMA; photographer: Josie McClutchie.

“Our localised curriculum includes stories and myths that pertain to the six marae. We’ve been able to connect the school with marae, pa sites and landscapes, particularly our tribal lands. So, we had strong links with the community before the cyclone. Through this we enable our ākonga to develop characteristics according to one of our school values – whanaungatanga/relationships.

“Manaakitanga/care and affection is another of our school values. Whether people in need had a short or long relationship with the school didn’t matter. It was our intention everyone felt the generosity and kindness of our school.”

The school made do with the resources available at the time, but Te Karaka Area School Civil Defence headquarters could have been better equipped, says Renae.

The response from the recently formed local Civil Defence team was key.

“Three months into their civil defence roles they made pivotal decisions which saw most of the township evacuated to safety.”

The crisis also highlighted everyday needs that are easily overlooked in an emergency. These include toiletries, nappies, milk powder, gumboots, spare clothes, cleaning and hygiene products, and even pet food – resources that could be stored on-site for future emergencies.

“It’s the little things you don’t think about when your

house is flooded,” says Renae.

In the aftermath of the cyclone, the school closed for 13 days but needed to eventually return to some kind of normality.

“The school board and Civil Defence met, and we gave them an indication of when we could open the school again. They downsized to an on-site skeleton team.”

With the understanding some students would be dealing with trauma, the school set up mindfulness and wellness workshops for them to help calm their anxiety.

“Staff took part in professional development and learning around responding to trauma. We learned skills and strategies to deal with our own anxiety and tools to help students manage their anxiety too.”

When the school reopened, two families were still staying on site. Temporary fencing across the quadrangle separated students from the remaining whānau.

“I was heartened by the attitudes and levels of response from our students when they returned to school and I am proud of our staff for their professionalism and focus on planning for a return to school,” says Renae.

“Our thoughts, prayers and aroha remain with all of our whānau, locally, regionally and nationally who have been affected and impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle. Mauri ora, mauri Māhaki.”

“Manaakitanga is another of our school values. Whether people in need had a short or long relationship with the school didn’t matter. It was our intention everyone felt the generosity and kindness of our school.”

Renae Savage

Surrounded by thick silt and muddy water this building shows some of the devastation at Te Karaka’s Rangatira Marae.

Photos courtesy of NEMA; photographer: Josie McClutchie

Caption.

President of the New Zealand Principals’ Federation Leanne Otene has decades of experience in education.

Leadership in education drives community wellbeing

President of the New Zealand Principals’ Federation, Leanne Otene’s decades of experience in education leadership has culminated in a wide understanding of how to create and support capable, empathetic and effective leaders in schools. She says both cultural and leadership development is crucial to creating these leaders – especially at a time where many schools are dealing with significant global and national disasters.

Hailing from Te Rarawia in the Far North, Leanne calls Kaitaia home – however she was raised in Taumarunui.

With a father working on the railways and a mother working as a nurse, Leanne describes a childhood full of community – and an education which, while privileged, lacked a level of cultural development.

“At 12, I was sent to boarding school in Hamilton. Looking back now I know how fortunate I was to have that, however there wasn’t much cultural support.

“Being a young Māori girl, I really wasn’t exposed to much within that until later in life. A privileged early education came at a cost to my culture.

“Whilst my whānau visited our marae for tangihanga and hui, it wasn’t until I was a young adult that I really had the opportunity to explore and grow in my understanding of tikanga Māori, te reo Māori and te ao Māori.”

A journey into cultural roots and leadership

After studying at Waikato University for her bachelor’s degree and teaching diploma, Leanne worked at Hamilton West School before moving to Bruce McLaren

Intermediate in Auckland. Before long, she was in for a change – a move to the north, to learn about her roots.

“My grandmother decided it was time for me to come

home and learn who I was, back to Kaitaia. I was 24 when I got my first principal’s position there, at the beautiful Ngataki School.

“Until then, I was very much under the mindset of ‘good teachers end up as principals’. I got the job, and realised I was so naive about what principalship was.”

Ngataki School taught Leanne the importance of having a support network. She was a teaching principal, which meant she only had around 1.5 hours per fortnight to do any administration.

“I was very lucky to have a mentor there, who I could look up to and seek advice. It was there where I really started learning about what the role of principal was.”

The next school Leanne worked at was an ‘at-risk school’ identified by ERO. Pukimero School was in the middle of Ngaruawahia. She spent two years there, and says it was at this school she learnt the leadership skills that she believes were important to drive improvement in education policies, quality teaching and learning programmes.

“At the time ERO’s involvement probably seemed overwhelming, but on reflection I think it gave me an understanding of management. There was a beautiful community fully involved with the school, and they were part of Waikato-Tainui, so iwi involvement was expected.”

Leanne Otene

For three years after that, Leanne worked at Southern Cross Campus side by side with university researchers. She says this was a crucial time where she developed the skills of analysing and using student achievement data, developing her understanding of formative assessment practices and when the BES (best evidence synthesis) was released.

“This gave me a platform to better understanding the importance and place of research in my practice. To this day I am deeply interested in local, national and global research.”

In 2002, while working at Te Horo School in Whāngarei, Leanne was seconded to the Ministry of Education, taking on the role of principal advisor. At this time there were many school closures occurring around New Zealand, and her work was to support those involved and affected by these changes.

“We were working with principals in closing schools, and supporting them in their next journeys, giving professional guidance and support. It gave me insight into the system. I knew how the wheels of Wellington worked, I had to write ministerials, report on different frameworks and milestone reporting.”

Currently Leanne is released from her principal’s role at Manaia View School in Whāngarei, while holding the president of NZPF position. There is currently an acting principal leading the school.

“I have absolute faith she [acting principal Wendy Rudolph] will take the school forward without me. I miss them dearly. When I return, it will have made steps without me and I’ll be catching up. And that’s great, that’s leadership.”

This trust that her school will keep evolving and growing in her absence comes from Leanne’s extensive experience and professional learning as a school leader. Her work at this school and those that came before has included building training and support systems for teachers to be able to lead effectively, most recently demonstrated at Manaia View School.

“You’ve got a school at the top of their game. There’s low turnover of staff; five principals have come out of the staff; there’s a strong understanding around staff progressing through to leadership positions and strong induction programmes for staff and students.

“Developing a workforce at Manaia is not just for Manaia – these teachers will be principals one day at schools that will have my mokopuna at them.”

Support systems are key to leadership growth

Through diving into leadership roles early on in her education career, Leanne learnt early on that positive guidance and thoughtful induction programmes are integral to leadership development and success – schemes which develop knowledge in finance, governance and management.

“It’s fascinating for me to reflect on how every school has had an influence on who I am. I’m still in contact with all those people, I treasure and value those relationships. They’re not just set in that time and place; I’ve taken them with me.”

Leanne Otene

“The only reason I survived my first principal role was because I had a strong mentor. You also need a strong induction – all new principals, regardless of experience must be inducted.

“What other job is there where you wouldn’t have an induction? We need to do better than just handing over the keys and saying, ‘do your best’.”

There are many other organisations and bodies which have contributed to Leanne’s own growth as a leader, including many that have supported the development of her cultural leadership.

“My involvement with Te Akatea [New Zealand Māori] Principals’ Association and the Whāngarei Principals’ Association has contributed greatly. It’s been the support of these and my colleagues which has aided the development of not only my leadership, but my growth in te ao Māori.

“There’s collective wisdom that comes from being part of, and participating in, a professional body.”

Leanne says she encourages any Māori teachers or principals to get involved with Te Akatea and says she wouldn’t be sitting where she was if it wasn’t for the investment in her leadership that she’d received from this organisation.

“They have beginning and aspiring principals’ programmes, which recognise that Māori principals need specific supports. There are expectations placed on us as community members that come because we’re Māori, so we need specific professional development and support.”

Another collective that has greatly influenced Leanne’s cultural development, and one which she has been a part of since its genesis, is the Māori Achievement Collaborative, which provides professional learning and development in ways that support principals to honouring and give effect to Te Tiriti O Waitangi.

“The kaupapa is specifically to ensure principals are culturally responsive and that this is sustained. Principals are the leaders of learning and therefore this kaupapa must be led by them in their schools.”

Responding to crisis

by bringing communities together Also important within the sphere of leadership development in education is responsiveness and resilience in times of stress and crisis within our communities – like the recent Cyclone Gabrielle.

In situations like this, Leanne says she wants to ensure leaders have the tools, resources and personnel to help move their communities through crisis to recovery and simultaneously ensure structured, professional development.

“Principals are people who have the skills and attributes to lead at these times and who are looked to, to support their communities. They do that willingly. They step forward, they’re invested in their children. It becomes more than about education; many principals in those areas are stepping up to support the full community.

“The challenges are real. We share them, challenges of equity, access, services, funding. Key things we are constantly concerned about. Making sure regardless of postcode, you get the services you need to provide things your school needs.”

In this line of work, Leanne is adamant the role of a leader in education goes outside the boundaries of education. It’s a role that is constantly changing depending on community wellbeing – and for this reason, leadership in this space is not only confined to the walls of the classroom.

“Our bread and butter is teaching and learning. But we also have to recognise all other components of the job like dealing with the community wellbeing – there has to be a balance.”

Leanne says it’s crucial that school leaders need to both seek and give support. Throughout her leadership journey, the common factor that ties all her roles together has been the connections made with the people around her and the leaders she has looked up to.

“It’s fascinating for me to reflect on how every school has had an influence on who I am. I’m still in contact with all those people, I treasure and value those relationships. They’re not just set in that time and place; I’ve taken them with me.”

“The challenges are real. We share them, challenges of equity, access, services, funding. Key things we are constantly concerned about. Making sure regardless of postcode, you get the services you need to provide things your school needs.”

Leanne Otene

Trauma-informed kaupapa provides strength through ongoing challenges

Through the enormous challenges of the past few years, most recently the extreme flooding and silt inundation caused by Cyclone Gabrielle, the Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti communities have suffered greatly. But, through good management, they have also strengthened.

Yoga and mindfulness is a calming start to each school day for ākonga at Henry Hill School.

The ways in which Jase Williams and his team at Henry Hill School have worked to help their community heal goes way beyond what would traditionally be expected from a school setting. With his trauma-informed approach, the Napier school principal has put healing at the heart of his mahi. And never has it been more needed than now.

“A couple of our staff lost everything in the recent flooding,” he shares. “And a few of our tamariki lost their homes – one being rescued off the roof of his home and then being taken via a rowing boat to safety.

“Fortunately, as a school, we were very lucky to only have received minor damage – a tree lying down in the main field (still there) and our sensory garden completely flooded and wiped out, again.”

Breaking cycles

Challenges of large-scale flood recovery are the latest to test the grit, and the unity, of the school community. But at its helm has been a man whose kaupapa has been breaking cycles and supporting whānau, in a big way.

Jase’s approach won the school a Prime Minister’s Excellence in Education Wellbeing Award and personal praise from then PM Jacinda Ardern, in 2021. But much more important, is the impact this kaupapa has had on those it is intended to support.

“We are well aware that there is a whole lot of intergenerational trauma and hurt out there, and a lot of overwhelmed parents,” says Jase, who began teaching in 2002 and worked at several schools in the area, before joining Henry Hill School 10 years ago.

Bringing spades of positive intent and infectious energy to his role, an approach to leadership intrinsically linked with wellbeing has been his driving force. A data gathering exercise set Jase and his team off on a non-standard trajectory.

“When we lifted the data on our ākonga who weren’t achieving academically, and for those transient kids who come to us, the picture was really depressing – poor attendance, poor punctuality, poor health, poor behaviour, and disengaged whānau, and the underlying factor was trauma.

“It was then that we made the conscious decision to learn more about trauma and the effects and impacts it has on child and brain development. We learned all about this, but we also learned so much more, such as, we largely parent how we were parented.”

Jase has worked with Matt and Sarah Brown, of the She is Not Your Rehab movement. He is a strong advocate for their mahi, and vice versa.

“In Matt and Sarah’s book, She Is Not Your Rehab, there is a quote I love that I feel sums this up really well: ‘You can’t be what you can’t see’.

“We pass experiences on through our parenting, based on the memories from our own childhood. Consciously, there are some things we choose not to pass on because they weren’t pleasurable experiences for us, but we also subconsciously transmit other negative experiences and practices that we may not even know are negative.”

Trauma-informed

The events of recent times have cemented the need for this community-driven approach to breaking cycles and improving lives that She Is Not Your Rehab and Henry Hill School share.

Jase says, “We’ve definitely seen a real feeling of uneasiness and anxiety over recent years. After Covid lockdowns, alert level changes, and also after previous severe flooding at school and in our community, our students seemed to cope really well. We had very little issue in regard to dysregulated kids and community coming through our school’s gates.

“However, from the second half of 2021 onwards, it has been pretty tough. The effects of vaccinations mandates, constant changes in keeping up with legislated rules or recommendations really impacted everyone here.

“We know that the effects of the Covid era and flooding will be long lasting and far reaching. This has the potential to impact several future generations of our community, and that’s why the trauma informed kaupapa we have introduced here is even more important than ever.”

“We know that the effects of the Covid era and flooding will be long lasting and far reaching. This has the potential to impact several future generations of our community, and that’s why the trauma informed kaupapa we have introduced here is even more important than ever.”

Jase Williams

This kaupapa consists of three primary elements:

» Focused professional development and creating richer relationships with whānau

» Adding regulatory elements to classroom practice

» Making physical changes to the school’s environment and establishing areas where students could regulate themselves in conjunction with nature.

Jase engaged international childhood trauma expert Dr Bruce Perry and his Neurosequential Model in Education to immerse staff in Trauma-Informed Practice. Now, Jase is one of a handful of certified trainers in this approach in Aotearoa, and the only Māori certified trainer in the world.

“Yes, there are elements that are quite confronting and potentially triggering for both students and staff,” he says. “But we have an increased awareness now, so it means we won’t be one of those schools that continues to re-traumatise traumatised students.”

Immersing whānau in learning through a community day each term led to a 100 percent attendance rate. This replaced the traditional parent-teacher interview format, while a monthly ‘Dads and Mums Hui’ at school has provided further opportunity to build on this kaupapa.

Yoga was introduced to classrooms to create a calming start to each school day. Led by students, it is facilitated in te reo Māori schoolwide and is followed by karakia. Jase says the school has also added ‘strategic and planned regulatory breaks’ to create space for wellbeing focus.

The school’s award-winning sensory garden – Te Āhuru Mōwai – was designed to provide a multi-sensory experience, with a winding pathway of built and planted elements to stimulate and soothe. Sadly, however, this was destroyed in Cyclone Gabrielle.

Generational change

Overarchingly, despite all the challenges the past few years have thrown their way, the principal and his school have focused on a lofty goal. “We’re all about creating generational change,” says Jase.

“We now have this ‘privileged’ knowledge and understanding that we know would help everyone, so we have a responsibility to share this with our whānau/ community. They then have a sense of responsibility towards continuing to share this kaupapa with everyone they know.

“We truly believe we can be instrumental in helping not only create generational change, but also in healing a community. People and relationships are the answer to basically everything, and that includes within a school context.

“I’ve always found that being authentic and being your true self is what matters most in a school, rather than trying to be a teacher. Ākonga connect with real people, not labels.

“I know it’s really changed the way we talk to students and talk about our students, for our staff, because we have this whole new perspective and the science to back it up. Personally, it’s changed my life.”

And it has altered the path of his career; after a stellar decade at the school, Jase will move on at the end of term 1 this year, to expand this trauma informed practice kaupapa across the motu.

Read more about a korowai of awhi and wellbeing at Henry Hill School in a previous article at gazette.education.govt.nz

Henry Hill School values authentic relationships with ākonga to show kaiako as 'real people'.

“We truly believe we can be instrumental in helping not only create generational change, but also in healing a community. People and relationships are the answer to basically everything, and that includes within a school context.”

Jase Williams

Henry Hill School teamed up with Matt and Sarah Brown's 'She is Not Your Rehab' movement.

Green-fingered pupils at Waipāhīhī School get help from Heidi Pritchard of Kids Greening Taupō

CYCLONE GABRIELLE

Labour of love blooms in Taupō for floodaffected schools

Green-fingered students and staff at Waipāhīhī School in Taupō are currently tending hundreds of seedlings that will grow into native trees to be presented to schools severely impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle.

From small acorns, mighty oak trees grow. And from native seedlings, mighty native trees grow. Thanks to a caring collaboration between central North Island schools, so too does compassion, support and aroha.

Green-fingered students and staff at Waipāhīhī School in Taupō are currently tending hundreds of seedlings that will grow into native trees to be presented to floodravaged schools in the Hawke’s Bay region.

After hearing about all the school gardens and native planting that had been destroyed by Cyclone Gabrielle this February, staff and students at Waipāhīhī School decided to roll up their sleeves.

“One of our big focuses is hauroa – looking after me, looking after you,” says deputy principal Amanda Wilson.

“And we always work strongly on creating learning opportunities for children that are really purposeful.”

Through the Kids Greening Taupō group, a school staff member was involved in creating care packages for children who were unable to attend school due to flooding.

This led to the seedling project developing, alongside Wainui Beach School in Gisborne, a school with a very similar nature-driven philosophy. It utilises its nearby wetland for nature education and shares a love of the natural environment.

At the Taupō school, every child is welcomed by planting their own native plant, it runs a popular ‘Bush School’, and has an active gardening team. Both schools set about putting their green fingers to good use on a project to help schools whose natural environments had been damaged by Cyclone Gabrielle.

An idea comes to life

Heading up the project with Amanda was her fellow Waipāhīhī School deputy principal Jen Maloney. The plant-passionate pair had already engaged the school in conservation projects and happened to have ‘The Bug Man’

Ruud Kleinpaste at school when they heard of the damage.

“It seemed fitting that Ruud was in school with us, so he helped pivot our focus towards planting and propagating seedlings that would grow well in the Hawke’s Bay region. We saw an opportunity to help rebuild the gardens of schools in need of a helping hand.

“The idea of utilising Ruud’s knowledge of plants to engage students in this seedling project to help another school, learn so much ourselves, and strengthen our connections to the whenua – it all felt very timely.”

Ruud took groups of students to Taupō Botanical Gardens, just down the road from the school, to identify

“The plants should take around six months to mature to the stage where they’ll be ready to be transferred to schools whose gardens were impacted by the cyclone.”

Jen Maloney

Waipāhīhī schoolchildren out in the field with ‘The Bug Man’ Ruud Kleinpaste.

native plants that would be well-suited to the east coast climate. He helped the school source, propagate and plant the seedlings, with the whole school getting involved in the project.

“We now have a very full nursery to tend to,” says Jen. “The children are really enjoying nurturing the seedlings – they’re tending to them every day and even talking to them!

“The plants should take around six months to mature to the stage where they’ll be ready to be transferred to schools whose gardens were impacted by the cyclone.”

Labour of love

A school visit by pupils and staff to hand over their plant labours of love in person is on the cards when timings suit.

“We look forward to taking the plants over ourselves, presenting them to one of the affected schools, and maybe helping to plant them. I think that will be quite special,” Jen says.

Through this nature-focused exchange, the school is proud to be growing compassionate, caring kids who are nurtured and thrive as well as their well-nourished plants.

Ruud Kleinpaste lends his expertise to Waipāhīhī School.

Taking seed: young plants being tended by students.

He reo ka tipu i ngā kura, growing te reo Māori in schools

He reo ka tipu i ngā kura is a research project designed to support English-medium primary schools to take strategic approaches to strengthen Māori language teaching and learning.

Forty Māori and nonMāori pou reo from 10 primary schools were interviewed about the teaching and learning of te reo Māori.

He reo ka tipu i ngā kura: Growing te reo Māori in Englishmedium primary schools by Nicola Bright and Esther Smaill is a project led by Te Wāhanga NZCER.

Nicola Bright is a kairangahau matua Māori and Esther Smaill is a kairangahau matua at Rangahau Mātauranga o Aotearoa – NZCER. Both are passionate about supporting reo Māori revitalisation in education through their research.

The report focuses on pou reo, the individuals or groups who actively support reo Māori teaching and learning in a school.

Twenty Māori and 20 non-Māori pou reo from 10 primary schools across three regions were interviewed for He reo ka tipu i ngā kura. Pou reo are individuals or groups who actively support te reo Māori teaching and learning in a school.

In the context of this study, pou reo included kaiako, teachers, kaiāwhina, tumuaki, principals, and whānau members. The research has a particular focus on how their efforts have benefited tamariki and whānau Māori. These pou reo had different backgrounds, whakapapa, and levels of knowledge about and proficiency in te reo Māori.

The team’s latest report explores the influence of identity on how Māori and non-Māori pou reo position themselves in their schools and examines the motivations for pou reo to teach and learn te reo Māori.

It shows that identity matters when it comes to the teaching and learning of te reo Māori and provides valuable insights into how Māori and non-Māori pou reo position themselves and enact their roles in relation to growing te reo Māori.

These insights can help schools better understand what drives and engages pou reo, and also how schools can support pou reo in fulfilling their roles.

Critical conversations

The report highlights the importance of pou reo having opportunities to engage in critical conversations about their identity, positioning, and motivation in relation to te reo Māori.

Creating space for pou reo to have these conversations supports the development of shared understanding and provides schools with a solid foundation for growing te reo Māori. The latest report includes a tool that has been designed to assist pou reo

with having these critical conversations.

The pou reo interviewed described four types of practice that had had a positive impact on Māori language teaching and learning in their schools.

The four good practices shared in the report provide schools with a range of strategies and ideas that they can draw on to grow their reo Māori teaching and learning programmes.

Strategic planning

The first good practice is about strategically planning to grow te reo Māori in schools, which involves having a clear shared vision that includes whānau aspirations for te reo Māori.

Schools that had made the most progress with growing te reo Māori had comprehensive long-term reo Māori plans.

“Where our school was at the beginning, to how far it has come now in the demands of the whānau, wanting their tamariki in the bilingual unit ... Now we have 10 new bilingual classrooms. 10 out of [the] 21 classrooms [in the school],” says one kaiako Māori.

These schools were able to offer reo Māori teaching and learning at multiple levels to support a range of whānau aspirations for te reo Māori.

They also had embedded strategies and practices in place to support ongoing growth.

Involving whānau and communities

The second good practice is involving whānau and communities in Māori language planning and programmes. Pou reo who did this created opportunities for whānau to share their reo Māori aspirations. These aspirations were then incorporated into school planning.

“Last year, the Board of Trustees put on a night asking the community what they needed to see more in the school and just about everybody said more [reo] Māori,” says a kaiako Māori.

These pou reo welcomed Māori-speaking whānau into their schools and supported tamariki and whānau to learn te reo Māori together at home.

Developing reciprocal relationships that benefited schools, whānau, and local hapori was also an important avenue for strengthening reo Māori teaching and learning opportunities in schools and in communities.

“Last year, the Board of Trustees put on a night asking the community what they needed to see more in the school and just about everybody said more [reo] Māori.”

Kaiako Māori

Raising profile and status

Pou reo in English-medium primary schools have an important role to play in influencing the beliefs and attitudes of tamariki and communities towards te reo Māori. The report findings show that pou reo were leaders who took others along with them.

They acknowledged and supported those who were actively working to grow te reo Māori and advocated to increase the visibility of te reo Māori in their schools.

“Because I rely on [that teacher’s] skill and knowledge, she has a management unit to make sure that she is recognised with a leadership position because it [te reo and tikanga Māori] is important,” says a non-Māori principal.

Pou reo also encouraged positive attitudes towards te reo Māori in tamariki so that tamariki could share their positivity and learning with those at home.

Although there was some evidence that attitudes towards te reo Māori are changing for the better, racism continues to be directed at Māori and te reo Māori in some school communities. There is still much work to be done to ensure all school environments and communities value te reo Māori and see the language as ‘normal’.

Pou reo who were prepared to have critical conversations with colleagues and community members were able to challenge racist assumptions and ideas.

“I remind them that they are in Aotearoa. I say, ‘You’re in Aotearoa, this is our indigenous people, this is our indigenous culture.’ And I say that this is also part of the curriculum, Te Tiriti o Waitangi. I say, we are under a code of ethics as well. So, I have said to any teacher that comes to me with their raru about how they don’t want to be teaching it, I remind them of what their obligation is as a kaiako,” says a kaiako Māori.

Providing reo Māori teaching and learning

All the schools visited were providing tamariki with teaching and learning experiences that supported Māori language acquisition and raised the profile and status of te reo Māori to some extent.

However, permanent reo Māori domains such as bilingual classes made a particularly important contribution to meeting the aspirations of whānau for reo Māori education and elevating the status of te reo Māori.

In addition, through goodwill, modelling, and sharing of practices by pou reo, bilingual classes enabled tamariki in other parts of their schools to gain greater access to reo Māori learning opportunities.

“Because [the bilingual unit] is so strong, many things that have happened in there have spilled over ... The unit is very valuable for that,” says a non-Māori principal.

Recruiting staff who can speak te reo Māori is a major challenge for schools. For the most part, teachers are tasked with teaching te reo Māori while still learning it themselves.

Schools had identified a range of creative ways to support teachers with their learning. Where this involved the provision of informal in-house professional learning opportunities, this was typically provided by pou reo Māori.

“When I started last year, ‘Oh, what’s the Māori word for this?’ Now they know how to go look for themselves and research it... He waka eke noa,” says a kaiako Māori. Schools were also increasing the proficiency and confidence of teachers by funding formal professional learning opportunities, employing reo Māori speakers in their communities, and bringing in external support when needed.

Looking to the future, and mindful of the positive steps that schools are currently taking to support reo Māori revitalisation, the report poses the following questions:

» What other innovative approaches could be explored to better support tamariki to learn and use te reo Māori?

» Could a map or register of schools be created for whānau to show how – and to what extent – schools expect to be able to support tamariki to gain proficiency in te reo Māori?

» Can new reo Māori learning pathways be created so that tamariki who begin their schooling in English-medium schools can learn te reo Māori at a level that would enable them to transition smoothly to a Māori-medium kura at any point in their education?

Being clear about how, and to what extent, a school can support tamariki to develop their reo Māori proficiency is an important element of Māori language planning. Providing this information can assist whānau – for whom te reo Māori is an important consideration – with making informed decisions during transitions to and from primary school.

Ideally, the findings presented here, and in the team’s full report, will prompt those in English-medium primary schools to have critical conversations about identity, positioning, motivation, te reo Māori, and racism, and to develop strategic approaches to Māori language teaching and learning.

Further resources

Embracing eDNA technology to restore local stream

Aorere College is merging STEM education and sustainability to get ākonga out of the classroom and learn how they make a positive difference in their local community.

Since 2021, Aorere College teachers Aidna Kiely and Jenny Scott have run a STEM project where Year 9 students can experience a real-life application of science while learning about sustainability and its link to climate change in their own backyard.

Referred to as Jenny’s brainchild, the project aims to restore the health of a polluted portion of the local Waokauri Stream, located 10 minutes from the school. The hope is for native taonga species to return to and flourish in the area.

The idea of monitoring the restoration using eDNA came to Aidan as he was a participant teacher on the Royal Society Te Apārangi’s Science Teaching Leadership Program. This provided the opportunity to work with Auckland Council and be exposed to different environmental projects across Tāmaki Makaurau.

“We need to live in a way that is in harmony with our environment. We talk about how this stream was once someone’s freshwater source and the place they got their food supply. We can paint this picture of the environment being this wonderful sustaining force,” says Aidan.

He says discussions like this invite ākonga to investigate environmental issues and help them realise that their actions have an impact.

Year 9 students to date have removed a dam, cleaned up a large amount of rubbish and weeds, planted native trees and monitored species present in the stream.

This project was made possible through support from Curious Minds South Auckland Participatory Science Platform,

Year 9 students at Aorere College collecting (above) and analysing (top) water samples of their local awa.

an initiative managed by Te Hononga Akoranga COMET, and funding by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.

Incorporating eDNA

“The ‘e’ in eDNA stands for environmental,” says Aidan, a molecular biologist by trade who saw the opportunity to incorporate a scientific technique called eDNA testing in the restoration effort.

“You run the stream water through a filter which traps pieces of DNA; this DNA then gets extracted and sequenced. The DNA provides a good barcode for what species live in the stream.”

With this technique, Aidan and his students can determine how abundant a species is in the ecosystem.

Students are hands-on throughout the process and learn scientific methods including sample collection and analysis.

Water samples are collected by the students and sent off to eDNA partners Wilderlab for analysis.

The class discovered a lot of unexpected species present in the stream.

“We found some taonga species – kōkopu and longfinned eels – which you wouldn’t expect to see in a stream that looks like ours,” says student Haereata-Rose.

The class also found traces of ducks, possums, sheep, and invasive mosquito fish in the stream.

Critical thinking

Students are encouraged to think critically using the data they have available.

“We describe it to the students as being a crime scene forensic investigator,” says Aidan.

The results identified more possums in the area than originally anticipated and, surprisingly, a strong sheep signal. This shows someone had possibly been dumping sheep remains somewhere up-stream.

“There aren’t any sheep farms or sheep anywhere so that was confusing initially,” says Aidan.

Their findings are passed on to Auckland Council to help identify streams for wider conservation efforts.

Aidan plans to collate the eDNA test data year-on-year to build a clear understanding of the impact their project is having on the stream.

“We’re going to see if our efforts in pulling fungus infected trees, removing rubbish and planting native trees will change the species that live in the stream,” he says.

Aidan says restoration efforts to date have dramatically

improved the section of the stream and they hope to see an increase in taonga species over time.

Next steps for Aidan and Jenny are to extend the restoration efforts further up-stream with the help of a local kindergarten.

“We’re early in the journey but it shows it’s something the school can do as an ongoing thing.”

Starting STEM early

With research recognising that STEM degree graduates are more likely to end up in higher paying industries in New Zealand, Aorere College is proactive in introducing students to different types of STEM learning experiences from Year 9.

Aidan says many students respond positively to being outside the classroom and exposed to science through reallife scenarios like this stream project.

“The two students who you don’t see reading out of a science textbook are the first ones in the stream if you need samples collected. They’re interested in what the findings will be and it pulls them in,” he says.

Throughout the project, students were exposed to people in careers that they never knew existed.

The class dealt with staff from the Auckland Council’s Sustainable Schools and Park Ranger teams and other contractors with science backgrounds.

A volunteer helper on the project is an environmental engineer with whakapapa to a local hapū.

“Exposure and seeing people in these roles brushes off,” says Aidan.

Aorere College has several STEM-related vocational pathways to encourage students to pursue technical careers.

Their Health Science academy supports students interested in medicine, physiotherapy and nursing. The school also provides Digital Technology classes to provide more pathways into IT.

“The goal is to increase university entrance numbers and to help students get more future-proofed and into successful careers,” says Aidan. ”However, even if they don’t pursue a STEM pathway, we want them to realise they can make a difference.”

Read more about the Curious Minds South Auckland Participatory Science Platform

“The two students who you don’t see reading out of a science textbook are the first ones in the stream if you need samples collected. They’re interested in what the findings will be and it pulls them in.”

Aidan Kiely

“We found some taonga species – kōkopu and long-finned eels –which you wouldn’t expect to see in a stream that looks like ours.”

Haereata-Rose, Year 9

Aorere College Year 9 students experience a real-life application of science while learning about sustainability.

Ākonga voices

Year 9 students at Aorere College tell Education Gazette what they enjoy about their stream restoration project.

Vicane: I enjoy competing to pick up the most rubbish, making a difference and seeing a cleaner creek.

Campbell: It’s fun learning to use the various equipment, like the testing equipment. It’s interesting to see that there are some physical science jobs that are outside. That is the type of job I want.

Fabian: Helping the environment and showing others’ good deeds. I expected us to notice something with our efforts because the area was very untidy when we started.

James: I enjoy cleaning up the area and making sure the animals we wanted were able to stay there.

Khalia: It felt good to help the environment. The area was dirtier than I expected, but there were eels and inanga there!

Tehya: Cleaning up the environment is enjoyable. I didn’t realise so many things we can’t see were in the water.

Amaezis: I enjoy getting out of school and into the environment. It was different.

Halana: I like that we worked together to make plans and then seeing a difference at the stream. I didn’t expect eels and native fish to be there.

Hiramaia: I enjoy planting the trees. It was surprising that the water was so alive.

Sydney: I enjoy physically learning to plant trees, which I’d never done before. Testing the particles in the water and identifying germs/bacteria in the stream. Lots of rubbish everywhere, but also inanga.

Vala: Cleaning up our whenua, learning about all of the different wanted and unwanted plants and the types of animals that are living in this environment. It’s surprising because I thought the water would be more polluted.

Sam: I enjoy planting 500+ plants, and also growing our own kowhai seedlings in class. Cleaning up the whenua and making a difference is cool and learning about the different types of animals in the creek. We found native fish, eels, lots of trees too, which was surprising to detect in the awa.

Tristahn: Planting trees and looking after them. The creek was cleaner afterwards.

Restoration efforts also included planting new native flora along the stream.

Alternative Education gives Hamilton ākonga a sense of place, purpose

An Alternative Education consortium in Hamilton works with 16 schools and kura in the area, and three alternative education providers, to support ākonga in Years 9–11 who are at risk of, or already have, disengaged from school.

Dave McNulty, manager of the Alternative Education (AE) consortium in Hamilton says they provide a space where ākonga can reconnect and engage with learning and access support services.

“Alternative Education allows students to reflect upon their educational journey and provides them with the opportunity for a second chance in an environment which is designed to meet their needs better than mainstream schooling.

“It gives them a sense of place and for some, a sense of purpose. There’s more one-on-one and we can target their needs more easily, although we are desperately short of funding so it could be of even more value if we were resourced properly at the level these students need.”

Fairfield College is currently working as the managing school of the Alternative Education consortium in Hamilton. The contract is overseen by principal Richard Crawford and deputy principal Sarah Summerfield.

Dave, as manager, works to engage with the education and workplace providers and he supervises the programme delivery alongside Jane Healey, who is the pedagogical leader.

The consortium is made up of 16 kura in and around the surrounding Hamilton area and three alternative education providers. Its goals are simple but important:

» Improve ākonga engagement and attendance with education

» Help create pathways for ākonga to transition back into their enrolled schooling

» Boost their confidence through work experience

» If mainstream schooling is not appropriate, then they endeavour to direct students into further training opportunities or employment.

“Our strength is in the strong, committed staff we have working with students. The key to success is building strong, lasting relationships.”

Dave McNulty

Mentors are a key part of the Alternative Education programme.

No ‘one size’

The programme is seen as a pathway, not a destination.

Dave says they are working to “ensure our ākonga are provided with an environment that encourages their reintegration back into a learning environment, which will provide them with the necessary skills and knowledge as a pathway back to school, into further education, or into the workforce.”

Many ākonga are not wanting to reconnect with school as it has not worked for them, and they have experienced failure or limited success.

“However, when students understand that they can achieve and have successes they are determined to get back into the mainstream pathway,” says Dave.

“The learning programmes are diverse and can be constructed to suit the needs of the individual students.

“We set goals that are achievable and collaborate with the students and whānau on the best possible options for their tamariki. The one size fits all model does not apply in this space.”

Holistic support

Prominent Alternative Education researcher and academic Adrian Schoone, says the ‘chalk-andtalk’ pedagogy will not simply work with most AE students – rather, a relationship of trust between the teacher and student is essential.

The programme is holistic, offering students a blanket of support across a range of different areas.

Alongside academic learning, kaiako provide opportunities for students to engage in sport and fitness, as well as team building, says Dave.

Those students in Year 11 will be provided with some NCEA learning, and there is also a focus on work experience and pathways, with ākonga taken on trips to a variety of tertiary providers.

The Hamilton team have appointed a specialist careers person who identifies work placement opportunities for the Year 11 students.

“Our focus is to ensure students have a positive experience when involved in work experience, and understand they have the capacity to achieve

Fairfield College is currently working as the managing school of the Alternative Education consortium in Hamilton.

and have success. We want to instil in students they have opportunities available to them,” says Dave.

Adrian says data, such as reading comprehension ages and numeracy levels increase “markedly” for students in AE.

“AE is effective for laying the foundations for future learning and living,” he says.

The programme also helps students with social skills, time management, confidence, and other life skills.

Mentors and counsellors are also available to work with ākonga for continued support in their school attendance and engagement.

Funding was made available for the Alternative Education consortium earlier this year. As part of this, a new initiative was created called the ‘Present Me’ digital CV tool. Ākonga use the tool to identify their own strengths and experiences, which they then use to create a video presentation to show future connections.

Transition support

While students work on changing their behaviours and relationship with their enrolled school, Dave says there is also a responsibility on the enrolling school to review its environment, ensuring the student is not set up for failure again upon their return.

“The students have complex needs and complex lives and sometimes just getting through a day is a success. Most students have experienced some form of trauma in their lives which significantly limits their ability to engage in education.

“They often can’t see forward to their future as their role models often haven’t succeeded at school or in employment. We are dealing with generational issues.”

The consortium provides transition support for students when they re-enter schooling through mentor meetings and follow-up meetings with whānau.

“However, it is grossly under-resourced in this area, something which is a problem as these kids need the connection for longer than most,” says Dave.

This is where he wants to see more support and he is working closely with the local Ministry to look at possible solutions to the challenges they experience.

Lasting relationships

The Alternative Education consortium is seeing great success in Hamilton. Dave says 12 students returned to school last year or at the beginning of this year and they are all still engaged in mainstream education.

Engaging with several different providers allows the consortium to help best meet the diverse needs of each student.

“Our strength is in the strong, committed staff we have working with students. The key to success is building strong, lasting relationships,” says Dave.

In terms of what other schools can do when engaging their own students with Alternative Education programmes, Dave says they must, “provide a safe, engaging learning environment which is designed to meet the individual needs of each student.”

“We set goals that are achievable and collaborate with the students and whānau on the best possible options for their tamariki. The one size fits all model does not apply in this space.”

Dave McNulty

Alternative Education engages ākonga with a number of education and vocational training pathways.

Kura Māori empowering next generation of engineers in Tairāwhiti

Te Kura Kaupapa Māori O Kawakawa Mai Tawhiti is forging a path for ākonga to pursue careers in STEM, particularly in robotics and engineering.

Breaking cycles and empowering the next generation is the kaupapa for Te Kura Kaupapa Māori O Kawakawa Mai Tawhiti on the far East Coast of Tairāwhiti.

The area school is paving a way forward for promising engineers through its STEM work, currently engaging over 70 ākonga in robotics – and with national success.

Zoey Henderson leads the kura robotics programme and has witnessed significant strides among students from Years 1 to 13 since the subject was introduced five years ago.

“The children start out in Year 1 and start to develop the skills in terms of coding as they progress,” she explains.

“Once they are in their senior school years, they then start to move into construction and get to test their robots out in an arena setting.”

Last year, a cohort of girls from the te reo Māori immersion kura travelled to Wellington to compete in the VEX Robotics National Championships.

“Our focus last year was to develop our girls’ robotics

A robotics trip to Wellington was an opportunity of many firsts for ākonga, including flying on a plane.

skills as often it is our boys that dominate in this field,” says Zoey.

She says the kura was thankful for sponsorship from The Gattung Foundation – a charitable organisation established in 2022 to help address inequalities for girls and women across Aotearoa.

“It was an experience of many firsts,” says Zoey. “Most of the girls had never flown on a plane before, nor had many of them ever been to Wellington, and certainly none had ever taken part in a national schools’ robotics championships!”

The team took home a judges’ commendation and grew, not only from taking part in the competition itself, but from the social and culturally enriching experience.

“The organisers really catered to our school being a Māori immersion kura. They ensured that the national event had te reo Māori speakers who could address our girls and teachers in our own language, to reduce barriers to our involvement.

“We were really overwhelmed by the effort that had gone into making us feel welcome. The use of our own culture and language was really empowering to our girls and it

meant we really felt part of nationals from the moment we arrived.”

In a synchronistic twist, Angela Gattung, who helped fund the experience through The Gattung Foundation she established with her sister Theresa Gattung, had been Zoey’s deputy principal.

“It’s crazy,” says Zoey. “When the team at Kiwibots suggested there could be an opportunity for us to partner with The Gattung Foundation, they linked me up with Angela. She was my DP when I was at New Plymouth Girls’ High!

“We met up over Zoom and I thought how awesome it was to be able to share this space with her, and have her Foundation support the school where I now teach. Their input into this sort of mahi is huge.”

And, armed with her own inspiring full-circle story, Zoey hopes to inspire her school’s girls in turn.

“The ultimate goal is hopefully our ākonga pursue a career path in engineering as a result of this,” she says. “They definitely have the skills to forge a path in this direction, so here’s hoping!”

“Our focus last year was to develop our girls’ robotics skills as often it is our boys that dominate in this field … The ultimate goal is hopefully our ākonga pursue a career path in engineering.”

Zoey Henderson

Te Kura Kaupapa Māori O Kawakawa Mai Tawhiti at the VEX Robotics National Championships.

Securing an online presence with SchoolDNS

As part of an ongoing series on digital security, Education Gazette explores how you can secure your school’s online presence with SchoolDNS – a free new service.

What is DNS?

The domain name system (DNS) converts 9-digit (or longer) IP addresses into domain names which helps us to navigate to websites.

Instead of typing in an IP address like 198.0.119.72 to visit a website, you can type a domain name address into your browser to easily access a website, for example: www.yourschool.school.nz. Essentially, domain names are used as an alias for an IP address.

To set this up, organisations pay for the address and redirecting service (from the alias to your IP address) each year.

DNS registration and hosting is offered by various companies. In New Zealand, 95 percent of schools use domains under school.nz.

Technology is an integral part of rangatahi education.

When typing in a domain name, it’s easy to assume that a result will simply appear. But to ensure that this process occurs seamlessly – there is the small administrative task of ensuring that an organisation’s domain name is currently registered. So, who registers your school or kura’s domain name each year? For busy schools, it can seem like such a low priority task.

Even so, it’s an important task! It might not be until a school’s website goes offline or staff and students can no longer receive emails, that it becomes apparent the domain registration has lapsed.

If a DNS registration expires and it’s not renewed quickly, anyone else could purchase the domain, and in a worst-case scenario, schools may need to go through the courts to try to regain access.

Or as an alternative, a school or kura may need to start over again with a brand-new domain name. All of which creates more admin and headaches that busy schools and kura simply don’t need.

To take this administrative burden away from schools, the Ministry of Education is offering a new, free domain name system (DNS) service, called SchoolDNS. It offers DNS registration and hosting for schools and kura.

By centralising the registration and renewal process of domain names, as well as covering the annual DNS registration and hosting costs – the Ministry aims to increase the level of security and control that schools and kura have over their domain name(s).

The SchoolDNS service offers the following:

» Set up and running costs for up to two domain names. This includes any subdomains. Costs for any additional domain names, need to be covered by the school.

» Access to the DNS portal where schools can easily make account changes such as updating key people or contact details.

» Yearly registration renewal as a default. This ensures continuity of the domain and reduces the risk of losing access to the domain temporarily or permanently.

» Reduced administration risks – for example if, due to staff turnover, no-one at your school has knowledge about renewing or changing registration details.

» 24/7 support based in New Zealand.

» A higher level of reliability and security that meets New Zealand government requirements.

» Schools and kura who opt-in to this Ministry-funded service will continue to own and manage their domain name directly. Schools and kura, and their nominated IT partner, can log into the portal to view, manage or update domain records.

» Website hosting is not included as part of the service – for this schools will need to get their website hosted by a web hosting company.

For more information and to opt-in to receive the SchoolDNS service, visit education.govt.nz/schooldns

Help us to shape the future of digital support for schools and kura

As part of a goal to strengthen cyber security and digital support, The Ministry of Education’s digital team would like to better understand what digital support services are being provided by suppliers to into schools and kura.

A survey has been created to better understand the kind of IT support services being provided into our sector. Please share the survey link with your digital services suppliers: https://bit.ly/moe-ds-survey

Netsafe launches bite-sized online safety modules

A new online learning platform launched by Netsafe is designed specifically for Year 9–11 students to improve digital literacy and online safety. The Ministry of Education funded platform is available free to schools across Aotearoa.

The platform features six ‘Micro Learning Moments’ – interactive modules that are less than 20 minutes long.

These bite-sized modules are designed to be engaging and accessible, and they cover a range of topics that are important to young people including online bullying, online identity, and digital wellbeing.

The six topics chosen as most important to the young people who co-designed them (and their learning outcomes) include:

» Be Yourselfie – how to think critically about images we see online and discuss how altered images can affect wellbeing

» Block the Bullies – exploring how laws in Aotearoa protect us from bullies, what we can do about bullying and who can help us

» Find your Balance – planning how we can get the best out of life on and off-line

» News or Views – investigating how to tell what is real and not real online and what we can do when people share something that isn’t trustworthy

» Protect your Brand – creating a reputable online brand and explore how you can respect the future you

» Own your Info – exploring how the internet learns from us, what that data can be used for and what we can do to take control of our information.

While the learning moments are aimed specifically at Year 9–11 students, they are designed to incorporate easily into existing curriculum and can be used by parents and young people who are home-schooling.

Siblings and other family members of students in the school community can also access the resources freely, creating a partnership between home and school that promotes digital literacy and online safety for all.

Co-design

What makes the launch of this platform particularly special is that it was developed as part of the CreativeHQ GovTech Accelerator. Netsafe participated with teams from across government and other organisations to learn how to develop innovative products and solutions to big societal problems.

The development included a process of co-design with design jams hosting teachers and students alike, who chose the topics and created the storyboards with Netsafe.

Schools then tested the demo versions in classrooms, gathering feedback so Netsafe could improve them before launch.

Co-design and user experience processes were key to ensuring the learning moments were relevant and resonate with end-users.

The result is a set of learning modules that are not only informative but also engaging and fun to use.

Commitment to safety

With these new resources for schools, teachers, and parents –Netsafe further demonstrates its commitment to digital literacy and online safety among young people.

The informative and engaging ‘Micro Learning Moments’ are a great way to build digital literacy and online safety among young people, helping them to stay safe and thrive in today’s digital world.

Netsafe ran a co-design process with ākonga and kaiako.

Students helped to inform the topics and storyboards used in the Netsafe modules.

“I think Healthy Heroes is a really good way of giving children a framework to refer to so that they can lead healthy and really functional lives.”

Jan Thompson

Supporting ākonga to be Healthy Heroes

A successful primary school programme to promote wellbeing and healthy habits has been updated for digital classrooms by Rotary New Zealand. The free programme is now available online for schools to integrate into the curriculum in many different contexts.

Pareawa Banks Avenue School deputy principal Jan Thompson is an advocate for the Healthy Heroes programme which has been used at the Christchurch school for a decade.

Jan has given a year of her spare time to help Rotary to modernise the initiative and make it easier for teachers to implement.

“I have a lot of experience using this initiative in the classroom effectively to make a difference in the lives of children,” Jan says.

“I believe in this programme, and I love that the students relate to it, to each of the icons. You can customise it for your class and for your community. It’s a framework for making a difference where a difference is needed.”

The programme changes were made in collaboration with Colin Hill from Te Huarahi Linwood Avenue Primary School, and the two educators worked with a Rotary district committee.

Rotary Clubs funded the new website and the modernisation of the graphic character icons.

The upgrade replaced the former paper-based version and created online resources for teachers such as accessible Google forms and plans, including achievement objectives, with everything customisable to a school’s specific needs.

“What I love about it is that it brings together family as well,” says Jan.

“A programme like Healthy Heroes bridges that divide between school and home. It’s a genuine working together opportunity if it’s marketed right to your whānau and you have your community on board. You can make a real difference.”

A framework for resilience

The programme is mindful of the holistic development of the child, Jan says.

A skipping game is one way Pareawa Banks Avenue School students enjoy the regular exercise promoted by Healthy Hero Active Archie.

“Our children and our schools are all facing the same issues. I think of the current situation in Tairāwhiti and it takes me right back to when I first got into Healthy Heroes after the Canterbury earthquakes.

“There was just such a need for it – so many children with anxiety. There are so many reasons now why we have to help our children become more resilient. Whether it’s ecological because of climate change, whether it’s pastoral because of the home circumstances, or whether it’s just the evolution of society and the changing structure of families.

“I think Healthy Heroes is a really good way of giving children a framework to refer to so that they can lead healthy and really functional lives,” she explains.

One way Jan measures the programme’s success in her classroom is through children talking about their selfawareness of being neurodiverse and how they understand themselves more.

“It helps students with anxiety, with their emotions, as children feel very big emotions and they don’t always have the skills to deal with that,” she says.

The flexibility of the initiative and the different anchor points means there are many ways to integrate the characters and the material into what is happening in the classroom.

“Sometimes we’re using devices, other times it’s a discussion. It really comes back to what you’re doing,” Jan says.

Active Archie promotes exercise, Mealtime Millie is all about eating well, Refreshed Rosie fosters getting enough sleep, Clever Kahu likes to make his brain work, while Helpful Hemi supports assisting others.

“In May it’s New Zealand Music Month so I always do Clever Kahu then, whereas in September and October when it’s weather for activity at the beach we do our beach education using Active Archie,” Jan says.

“There’s so many different ways that you can market it to children, then they’ll come back with suggestions such as what Helpful Hemi would like. They actually think this through because it gives them a mental prompt of what’s the right thing to do.”

History of Healthy Heroes

In the early 2000s Wellington North Rotarian Laury Sinclair was concerned about children’s health and wellbeing and wanted to help prevent children developing Type 2 Diabetes.

He devised the Healthy Heroes concept, prompted by a wish to mark Rotary International’s 100th anniversary with a significant initiative.

The programme was trialled in four schools in the lower North Island in 2004-06.

In 2006 when the programme was launched nationally through Rotary Clubs, the Parliamentary Health Select Committee said it was unique and holistic and needed to be promoted.

The Healthy Heroes programme has been modernised for easy use in today’s digital classrooms.

The five challenges for children that are the programme’s core feature were developed based on policies from the Ministry of Education, Sport and Recreation New Zealand and the Ministry of Health in the mid-2000s and were tested and found to still be relevant today, Rotary spokesman David Buist says. He is the former chair of the Healthy Heroes committee set up to govern the programme.

Susan Haye, the present chair of the committee, says Rotary is committed to encouraging children to be healthy and the key to the success of the programme is that it fits in with what teachers are already doing.

Years ago, Jan had the experience of a lifetime as a Rotary International Foundation scholar for three months in Brazil and her work to upgrade the programme is one way she could give back to the service-oriented organisation.

“We want this to be something that all teachers can use at any primary school,” Jan says.

What tamariki say

Amelie: Mealtime Millie wants you to eat two fruits and three vegetables per day so you can stay healthy and if you eat them it will help you with your fitness because they will give you more power and energy.

Georgia: I like Active Archie because he likes playing outside and running around.

Oscar: Clever Kahu means stretching your mind in everything you do like drawing, reading and writing. All of that helps you to make your mind stronger and to accomplish your goals.

Jakob: Helpful Hemi wants you to help others and make the world a better place. There are plenty of people you can help at home, at school, in your neighbourhood or in your community.

For more information, visit healthyheroes.org.nz

Hazel: Refreshed Rosie wants you to get lots of sleep – 9-12 hours at my age. She says it gives you energy for everyday activities.

Collaborating on a puzzle is a fun tactic to bring the mind activities promoted by Healthy Hero Clever Kahu to life.

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Tuia Burnside Primary School Principal Vacancy

We are a school with a difference. Our gifted name of ‘Tuia’ means “to weave together”, and we live and breathe this inclusivity. We embrace over 40 nationalities, with a bilingual provision in te reo and provide one of only five French bilingual programmes in the country. We work in partnership with community groups, churches, and the University, and our school utilises resources creatively to benefit students and whānau. The school works closely with Wairarapa Cobham Intermediate and Burnside High School, providing opportunities and a seamless pathway for students and their whānau. The Kāhui Ako is highly effective and supportive to all.

Tuia Burnside Primary School continually seeks to achieve excellence in teaching and learning, which combined with high expectations lead to outstanding results for students spanning music, speech and drama, sports, science, and academia.

You only need to walk through the school and feel the support and positive energy in the staffroom to know that this school offers a truly unique opportunity for an aspirational, relational leader who breaks through glass ceilings and connects with our community.

To learn more about our school and apply for this position, please visit: www.burnsideprimary.school.nz • Applications close on Monday the 1st of May at 5pm

Want to recruit an overseas teacher?

The Ministry of Education has support available to help you.

Navigator service - a dedicated, personal service to assist schools, centre management and overseas teachers navigate the steps in the overseas teacher recruitment process.

Call 0800 165 225 (freephone in NZ) or email teacher.supply@education.govt.nz

Overseas Finders Fee - to help with recruitment costs, a grant of $3,450 is available for eligible schools, kura and early learning services who employ a teacher from overseas.

Overseas Relocation Grant - to help with the cost of moving to New Zealand, overseas teachers may be eligible for a grant of up to $10k. COME TO NEW ZEALAND

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ANDTeach Us

Latest research shows long lasting positive wellbeing

The latest impact evaluation report for Pause Breathe Smile, has been completed and released by the New Zealand Institute of Wellbeing & Resilience and Mindquip. More than 1,000 teachers trained in Pause Breathe Smile, from Feb 2021 until Sept 2022, responded to this survey Educators were asked to describe the wellbeing , characteristics and behaviours of children before, during and one year after implementation. Results showed:

- Positive behaviour in the classroom increased by 12.4%

- Negative behaviour in the classroom reduced by 10.1%

- 12 months on from implementation, general student wellbeing was up by 16.6%

- The number of students flourishing increased by 8.1%

- The number of students languishing reduced by 8.3% pausebreathesmile.nz

Get in touch with Lindy at coordinator@pausebreathesmile.nz to find out how your school can train for free.