Education Gazette 101.9 by Education Gazette

25 JULY 2022 | VOL. 101 | NO. 9

Building pathways to bright futures Introducing careers to primary ākonga

Schools chipping away at sustainability goals

Exploring the infinite range of tech opportunities

STUDENT WELLBEING:

Digital Tool Design Competition Innovators of the future

Help us design a tool that will be used to measure the wellbeing of ākonga in New Zealand

Prizes include up to $5000 for your school

the end of term 3! Competition is now open: entries close at The Ministry of Education is committed to understanding and improving the wellbeing of ākonga in NZ schools. We have been actively engaging with students and listening. Now it’s time for ākonga to use their significant digital knowledge and design thinking skills to lead the way in helping us design a tool that we can use as a measure of wellbeing.

This is a conceptual design competition based on design thinking. It is aimed at students in any subject area who wish to think through the issues and develop a solution. Students will work as a team and are not required to build a tool prototype. Entries will be judged by an expert industry panel. Finalists will be invited to a prizegiving ceremony in December. Prizes include up to $5000 for your school as well as individual prizes. We intend to use the winning entries to develop our final tool solution so your team entry may end up being used by students across the country!

More information and registration available: Scan the QR code or use link: www.education.govt.nz/wellbeing-tool-competition Please contact the Project Team at: swm.competition@education.govt.nz

ISSU E 1 01 .9

Contents

Spotlight on partnerships and pathways

Strengthening pathways into trades and engineering

Introducing careers to primary ākonga

Te Mana Tikitiki welcomed home

Building successful learning from the ground up

Schools chipping away at sustainability goals

Exploring the infinite range of tech opportunities

Local partnerships elevate learning into real world solutions

Building mentoring capability

Growing a place where students want to be

Fishing for knowledge connects ākonga to their local place

More than just building learning spaces

Construction observers on-hand to keep school building projects on track

25 JULY 2022 | VOL. 101 | NO. 9

On the cover Page 4. Sacred Heart College students Dayna, Zarya and Tali enjoyed the opportunity to explore a future in trades and construction at a Girls With Hi Vis event. Building pathways to bright futures Introducing careers to primary ākonga

Schools chipping away at sustainability goals

Exploring the infinite range of tech opportunities

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E D UCATION GA ZET TE ON LI N E

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Reading for joy at Rangikura School A recent Book Week celebration at Rangikura School saw ākonga writing, illustrating and reading with working authors and illustrators.

Navigating Covid-19: school leaders reflect In this growing series of articles, former principals Steve Lindsey and Erika Ross ask a handful of principals about their experiences of leading their school communities through a pandemic.

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EDITOR’S NOTE

Bring on term 3

au mai haere mai ki term 3. We welcome you to this second half of 2022 with a bumper issue, diving into the industry and community partnerships that take learning out of the classroom and into the ‘real world’, and open opportunities for ākonga beyond schooling. We also take a glimpse into a crucial aspect of education that may be a bit foreign to many (including me), and that’s infrastructure. There is a lot that goes into the spaces you spend much of your time in, and so much mahi is underway to ensure they are safe, durable, usable, and sustainable. There is a lot planned for Education Gazette this term. We’ll have spotlights on creative arts, language and literacy, cultural competency and mental health support, award-winning teaching practice and more. We will also continue our series on attendance and engagement, sustainability and climate change, and inclusive education. If you haven’t already, you can see what we have written so far on the homepage of our website. To finish off the term, we’ll publish a special issue celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Māori language petition. If you would like to contribute an idea to this special issue, please do get in touch. All the best for this term. I hope you stay well and never forget the value you bring to tamariki and rangatahi every single day. Ngā manaakitanga Sarah Wilson Chief editor

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“At first, the focus is on resilience, hand skills and common sense. In Year 9, a student will make six or seven little projects. We teach them that if at first you don’t succeed, you do it again. And again, and again.” Salla Delport

Sacred Heart College students Dayna, Zarya and Tali at a Girls With Hi Vis event hosted by HEB Construction.

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TRADES PATHWAYS

Strengthening pathways into trades and engineering A nationwide shortage of workers in trades and engineering is fast becoming a big opportunity for schools to partner with industry and strengthen pathways to employment.

s the saying goes, crisis equals opportunity, and at Hastings Boys’ High School the opportunities are rolling in thanks to a school-industry collaboration to plug regional skill shortages. The school partners with several local employers in trades and engineering to provide ākonga with opportunities to gain industry-specific skills through a series of technology workshops. “We’ve got four technology workshops – Engineering, Carpentry, Product Design and Visual Communication (DVC),” says Salla Delport, head of technology. This year, the school has opened a Building Academy which is a fulltime option for Year 13 students. From the moment the Year 9 students walk through the school doors, they are told about the pathways to employment through the workshops, says Salla. “First we ask how many trades they know about, and they’ll say, ‘builder,’ ‘plumber.’ And we’ll say, ‘Hang on, did you know that there are trades within plumbing? There is a gas fitter and a drainlayer.’ We start educating them from an early age about the different options in the trades and for tertiary study.” Salla says there are three components to a successful school-industry partnership: a passionate employer who wants to make a positive difference to community; dedicated kaiako, and support from a trust or the board, or a local board that can help obtain funding to equip workshops to industry standard.

Financial and practical support

While the school has long provided technology workshops, the quality of these is now industry standard thanks to a partnership with local employer, Patton Engineering. “Four years ago, they walked through our doors and said, ‘Listen guys, we’ve got a shortage of skilled people in our

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“We would not have known the talent that was out there had we not started this initiative. There are some amazing students coming through the school system and all they are looking for is an opportunity from an employer.” Johno Williams

workshop, and we would like to form a partnership’. “Engineering is expensive. But when Patton came on board, we sought funding from industry and trusts such as One Foundation to bring our equipment into line with industry standards. We’ve invested around $300,000 worth of grants into the workshops so that when our boys go to work, they can add value from day one.” Patton also assists by allowing the school to purchase workshop materials through the company’s trade account, reducing costs by 48 percent, an option now available to all schools across the motu. Salla says access to upgraded workshop equipment and machinery allows students to work at a much higher level than previously. “The quality of our projects has shot through the roof. It’s gone up so much that the workforce development council is working towards supporting our boys to do apprenticeship level standards at school. “I’ve shown professional engineers and architects some of our Year 11 Design portfolios and they say, ‘I will employ this boy when he finishes school’. They will make that call after seeing the work of a 15-year-old.”

Unveiling talent

Johno Williams, managing director at Patton, says the rewards are mutual. “We would not have known the talent that was out there had we not started this initiative. There are some amazing

students coming through the school system and all they are looking for is an opportunity from an employer. We encourage employers to share the same dream that we have.” Patton also takes students for work experience, “and the welding they do there in one day is as much as they would previously have done throughout an entire year at school,” says Salla. “They get so good that they end up working alongside qualified tradesmen while still at school.”

Raising the bar

Time in the field also raises the bar for student behaviour, says Salla. “Five years ago, we’d have incidents in the workshops related to the boys’ behaviour but that’s completely gone. They know that any of our industry contacts could walk in at any time, and it has raised the mana in the workshop. “The boys know someone cares about them and is offering opportunities, and that’s changed attitudes in here. They want to be noticed.” For some students, there are opportunities to move into a cadetship where they can obtain a Level 6 Diploma in Civil Engineering or similar through polytechnic. Industry partners visit the school to explain to students how they can go on to be project managers or get involved with building and construction or civil pathways, and how that can lead to a university qualification.

The engineering workshop at Hastings Boys' High School is equipped to industry standard.

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“It’s like a trade but it leads to tertiary qualifications. Last year we had five boys go down that pathway instead of heading to university. “It’s also the boys who never thought it possible to become a draftsman and earn more than $100,000 a year by the age of 28. They know now that they can go into a trade and become very successful in business. “The students see for themselves the real-world possibilities. Some go on to work with Patton and we’ve had others go to various employers in Hawke’s Bay.”

Why start in Year 9?

By the end of the boys’ first year at the school, Salla says most have passed through at least one of the four workshop options putting them in good stead for the following years. “At first, the focus on is resilience, hand skills and common sense. In Year 9, a student will make six or seven little projects. We teach them that if at first you don’t succeed, you do it again. And again, and again. We teach them basic measuring and marking skills, and how to weld and grind.” Many of the skills are transferable meaning that workshops held during the second half of the year are more advanced as students are already equipped with much basic knowledge. “For example, our DVC workshop is all about computer aided design (CAD). We use Fusion 360, and the boys do a lot of design on the computer then print their projects on 3D printers. And what we see is that when a boy has done that during the first half of the year and goes into engineering, product design or carpentry in the second half, he’s already got the skills that put him miles ahead of the boys who haven’t been in the DVC workshop.” The junior workshops are extremely popular option choices with an average of 96 students enrolled each half year. This means that by the time the students reach Year 11, many have a kete of skills across the technologies giving them a solid foundation for specialist subjects during their senior years. Some ākonga transition directly from Year 12 into apprenticeships while others continue with their technology studies into Year 13. In Year 12, there are more than 80 students in at least one workshop, including 22 in engineering, most of whom will transition directly into employment at the end of the year. The students who return for Year 13 tend to choose carpentry or product design or move into the Building Academy where rangatahi spend four days a week working on a house and the fifth day on work experience. “Because of the demand we have introduced a new physics course in Year 12 which we call Trades Physics. That’s for students who might not be going to university but want to go into a trade or polytechnic and need to learn about basic physics including forces and electricity.”

women making up only 18 percent of the construction workforce. It’s an issue that is being addressed by infrastructure training provider Connexis, through its programme, Girls With Hi Vis (GWHV). GWHV works with a range of companies across the infrastructure sector to promote career opportunities. In June each year, those companies host events around the country for female secondary students. Onsite, the students hear from inspirational women in the industry, learn about careers in civil, energy, telco, and water infrastructure industries, and try their hand at operating an excavator, climbing a power pole, and testing water.

Seeing female role models

“It’s important that our female students can see themselves in those roles through women already there and doing it,” says Connexis director Kaarin Gaukrodger. “We get really positive feedback from the students about how engaging the GWHV events are, and the practical information they get about skills, careers and how to get started in infrastructure.”

Addressing diversity

Skill shortages are not the only issue facing trades and the construction industry. Diversity is lacking too, with

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Fifteen-year-old Awatapu College student Annalena says she left the Palmerston North GWHV event feeling inspired to work towards a career in roading. “Seeing what goes on in the industry and from different points of view helped me see the opportunities. I really liked having the chance to operate a digger and to learn how to use traffic control tools. We also had a tour of the lab where they test roading materials.” Annalena says she will now connect with her school’s Gateway programme to forge her path into the roading industry. More than half of the attendees at GWHV events say they had not known about a career in infrastructure trades before attending, while almost all say the event made them feel more confident about opting for an infrastructure trades career. “This year we have had a record number of businesses participate, including HEB Construction, Fletcher Construction, Higgins, Downer NZ, Waiotahi Contractors, Civtec, Fulton Hogan, Watercare Services Ltd, Citycare Water, CPB Contractors, Genesis Energy, Meridian Energy, John Fillmore Contracting Ltd, and Geotechnics,” says Kaarin.

Inspiring ākonga to study further

Gary Yeatman, principal of Awatapu College, sent 20 students to the event in Palmerston North and says it was highly motivating for them. “They come back with more of an idea about what they need to do to get into that job. They’ll say, ‘I need to keep going with maths and I am going to need English.’ They see those links.” Gary says the sooner students get involved, and the sooner they can see there’s a place for them, the more likely they are to be successful and achieve their aspirations. “They certainly seem to enjoy it and they come back quite excited. And at a time when we have an issue around engagement because of the disruptions of Covid-19, you use everything you can to keep students engaged. “We know in New Zealand that the days are long gone where high schools were all about preparing students for university. About 25 percent of students go on to university which means that 75 percent don’t take that pathway. We offer all sorts of things like automotive, but we can’t do it all ourselves and that’s why it’s so great to have employers and industry on board.”

Read the online version of this article for more information about these projects, and to watch a video about the Building Academy at Hastings Boys’ High School.

Students explore opportunities in telco at a Girls With Hi Vis event hosted by Unison.

Building your school-business partnership Hastings Boys’ High School has partnered with several local businesses to form pathways to employment for students. Head of technology Salla Delport shares pointers for setting up employment pathways into local industry.

Talk to local businesses Salla says local businesses can be worth their weight in gold to schools. “We reached out to local employers and asked them what they needed from us. Obviously, they’ll need staffing. How do you address that? Can you send students on work experience so the company can get to know the student? Find some common ground, what does the company want? What does the school want? Most schools want better equipment and access to cheaper materials, that’s what is holding them back. And that’s what industry can help with.”

Invite the professionals in The school also asked professionals to come in, not only to talk to the students but to upskill teachers. “Patton Engineering provides us with training opportunities to upskill our staff and are always available for mentoring, guidance, and training of staff if needed.”

Reach out to alumni Salla says the school invites old boys in to talk to students and that one of the school’s partnerships is with Tumu Timbers where the managing director is an old boy. “He said they wanted to help the school by providing pathways for students into wood processing, and it’s going along nicely. They took six of our boys during the first year and five or six the next year.”

Nurture the relationship

Hastings Boys' High School has a new Building Academy supported by local construction businesses.

“Our vision is to supply them with competent students at the end of the year, that can add value to their business from day one.”

Be patient The school asked businesses to provide work experience and through a process of trial and error, worked out a system that runs smoothly. Salla says the first time, they sent some Year 12 students, and realised it was not working for some of the students. “The next year we had [students who] knew work experience was a possibility and they wanted to be chosen. And by the third year, we were away, no problems. It’s not a quick fix, you can’t do this in a day or a year, but the students will rise to the expectations.”

Like any relationship, effort is required on both sides. “We invite our partners to rugby games, to graduation. Our workshops carry their signage and our workshop clothing has their logos. We can take parents or school visitors to their workshops to show what we’re doing.

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For more support connecting and engaging with employers, use the Employer Engagement Toolkit at sltk-resources.tki.org.nz

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E DUCATIO N TO EM PLOY M ENT

Introducing careers to primary ākonga School-industry partnerships in the trades and engineering space, or any space for that matter, can start at primary level.

he Institution of Civil Engineers has been collaborating with AUT, Fletcher Construction and Higgins Contractors to create a hands-on engineering workshop, Bridges to Schools, for ākonga from Year 5 and up. They take construction materials for a 13-metre bridge into schools where students work together to build the bridge.

Ākonga from Ellerslie School trial the Bridges to School engineering project.

“It’s like a big Meccano set,” says Sam Best, Chair for the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) and senior project manager for Higgins. “We go into the school, we talk about what engineers do and why it’s fun, we talk about health and safety, and then the students get on with building the bridge.” The aim of Bridges to Schools is to inform participants

about what engineers do, what career paths there are, and ultimately to enable them to be an engineer by building a scale version of a real bridge. “We want to get students thinking about STEM, to understand that if they do their STEM subjects, they can look at going into engineering. We also want to let students who are not necessarily strong in maths and physics know that they can go into building. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to be a builder, you just need to follow the process and the health and safety.” It’s also a way of tapping into and nurturing talent that may otherwise go undiscovered, says AUT lecturer Shahab Ramhormozian, who consults with Higgins. “If you don’t get the opportunity to try something, you may never know you have a talent for it,” he says. Fifteen students from Ellerslie School trialled Bridges to Schools in May this year. “We chose students who have a real interest in engineering and fixing and building; those students who might sometimes go under the radar,” says principal Nick Butler. “It was very big and realistic though on the flipside

that means there is a health and safety aspect to it because the main stays were heavy and required careful handling. It requires students to work as a team and lift things together and that wasn’t straightforward. When it came to joining the bridge together, it had to be adjusted to get it fitting just like in a big engineering project. They had to work out that they were at a different angle and that was quite cool. “The engineers also did a very good presentation which was super interesting, and they showed lots of photos of women in engineering. “We want our students to be problem solvers and that doesn’t mean just engineering. We’re trying to teach kids how to look at a problem, particularly around sustainability, and come up with ways it can be solved.”

“We want our students to be problem solvers and that doesn’t mean just engineering. We’re trying to teach kids how to look at a problem, particularly around sustainability, and come up with ways it can be solved.” Nick Butler

Curriculum links

The Bridges to Schools programme has clear links to The New Zealand Curriculum through the key competencies, values, and guiding principles. Dr Kerry Lee, senior lecturer in technology education at the University of Auckland, explains, “This project develops employability skills for future generations including communication, collaboration, problem solving, critical thinking, creativity, citizenship and innovation.” Regarding learning outcomes, Kerry says ākonga will have the opportunity to learn about health and safety, take responsibility for their actions, develop team-building skills, gain confidence and self-esteem, and construct a substantial structure using simple methods. Kerry breaks down the NZC links as follows: Science – construction and engineering (technology) including forces, patterns and trends, earth systems, sustainability, environmental impacts, energy. Technology – all strands of the technology curriculum, nature of technology, technological knowledge, technological practice and general principles such as research, design, problem solving, innovation.

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“This project develops employability skills for future generations including communication, collaboration, problem solving, critical thinking, creativity, citizenship and innovation.” Dr Kerry Lee

The Bridges to Schools programme has clear links to The New Zealand Curriculum through the key competencies, values, and guiding principles.

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Mathematics – measurement, shape, position and orientation, transformation, probability. Literacy – planning, sequential and instructional writing, reading, speaking, presenting, viewing. Social sciences – links to Aotearoa New Zealand and the world, historical viewpoint, impact on geographical environment and society, economic activity, relationships, and connections. Arts – visual art, design, sketching, developing ideas, observation, ideation, communicating and interpreting. Te Ao Māori – links to Māori culture and viewpoints, mātauranga Māori and te reo Māori.

Gamifying sustainability

ICE is also working with kura on another project, this time utilising the strength of both engineering and Māori wisdom to promote sustainability. A collaboration with Technology Education New Zealand (TENZ) and the Ministry of Education, the project will involve Māori and Pacific engineers and educators working with ākonga to co-design games of sustainability. Understanding of production processes and materials to design and develop the game, link to many technological areas, eg, materials, digital, DVC. All games will be within Māori medium. “Within New Zealand, we have a unique opportunity to draw upon the cultural concepts of our Indigenous peoples, elevating the conversation beyond engineers and into the wider community,” says Kerry. The message does not need to be limited to the effects that practising engineers can have on the climate crisis, it’s an opportunity to spark reflection. “This co-designed game needs to be fun, competitive, re-playable and, above all, engaging. “To be truly genuine to the Māori worldview, we believe that this game needs to be developed from a Māori perspective, with Māori cultural input and linguistic concepts from the start, not translated as a final step. As such, a fundamental aspect of this task is to develop the game in te reo, coordinated with mana whenua at all stages.” During the design process ākonga will play a variety of games to give them an understanding of how games work, then design their game and measure its success using key performance indicators. For example, one game encourages 10 local families to recycle whereas another game encourages 50. “Rangatahi Māori will have an opportunity to exercise agency and leadership co-designing projects around kaitiakitanga and any other areas of interest,” says Kerry. “By the end of the journey we hope that not only the students and family members themselves are more sustainable but the wider community. We also hope that students will have opportunities to contribute to society with a focus on kaitiakitanga and our rangatahi Māori will be inspired to undertake STEM subjects and become engineers.” You can request a visit from Bridges to Schools by emailing australasia@ice.org.uk

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Kristina Perry answers the call of Ngāti Whātua Orākei as Te Mana Tikitiki is welcomed home. Photo: Merania Makoare-Kerehoma/Ngāti Whātua Orākei.

ĀKONGA MĀO RI

Te Mana Tikitiki welcomed home Twenty years ago, Ngāti Whātua gifted Te Mana Tikitiki to the Ministry of Education (He Tohu Umanga Mātauranga) to initiate better academic outcomes for ākonga Māori throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. On 10 June, representatives from the Ministry were welcomed onto Orākei Marae in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland as Te Mana Tikitiki was called home.

t is now widely acknowledged that a vast majority of Māori students have and continue to struggle to engage in the mainstream education system in Aotearoa New Zealand. But behind closed doors, groups of passionate educators have been working hard implementing targeted initiatives for ākonga Māori for decades. One example is Te Mana Tikitiki. In the 1990s, members of Ngāti Whātua Orākei in Tāmaki Makaurau realised they could not ignore the huge gap in academic success amongst their own tamariki, and resolved to do something about it. Te Mana Tikitiki – a programme providing targeted and intensive support for ākonga Māori who require support in relation to behaviour and wellbeing – was born out of a desire for better academic outcomes for Māori students, by a group of passionate Ngāti Whātua people who, through lived experience, understood why Māori were slipping through the cracks. Since its inception, and through implementation by Te Tahuhu o te Mātauranga | The Ministry of Education in partnership with six iwi throughout the North Island, Te Mana Tikitiki has impacted the lives of countless

rangatahi Māori by equipping them with the tools to identify with their culture and whakapapa. However, there has always been the intention to return the taonga back to its rightful place.

Te māmā o te taonga

As the karanga of the tangata whenua rang out across the Waitemata Harbour at the tomokanga (entranceway) of Orākei Marae, Mereana Maxwell held the flax kete containing taonga that have travelled the length of the country, close to her heart. Affectionately known as “te māmā o te taonga (Te Mana Tikitiki)”, she was there at the beginning, after getting a call from a dear friend and mentor Katerina Payne asking her to pack up her life in Opotiki – the heart of Te Whakatōhea (rohe) country – and move to Auckland. At first, she declined. It wasn’t an easy decision, Mereana says, but the statistics were dismal, Māori education needed an intervention, especially in the city. “I said goodbye to my people to come up here,” she says. “Where I come from, our tamariki know exactly who they are. I came up here and some of our mokopuna didn’t even know they were Māori.”

“These tamaiti come with their heads down when they start Te Mana Tikitiki. By the time they leave they are holding their heads high.” Mereana Maxwell

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It’s been 19 years since Mereana moved to Auckland and the tears she cried as she handed the taonga back to Ngāti Whātua are filled with pride and joy. “We are returning Te Mana Tikitiki back to its original roots.” She believes in Te Mana Tikitiki because she knows it works. “Te reo Māori me ona tikanga plays a major part within Te Mana Tikitiki. Learning basic te reo, learning karakia, why we do karakia, waiata, whai kōrero, pepeha. Modules are Marae, Waka, Mau Rakau, Toi Māori, Taonga Puoro. “These tamaiti come with their heads down when they start Te Mana Tikitiki. By the time they leave they are holding their heads high,” Mereana says. “With confidence, self-esteem, mana, pride, knowing who they are and where they come from ‘Ko wai ahau’, we as kaiako set the tone of role modelling good behaviours, ‘awhi mai awhi atu’.”

Know who you are and where you come from

Piripi Davis of Ngāti Whātua Orākei, who is also part of the Te Mana Tikitiki advisory group, doesn’t mince his words when it comes to why he believes Māori students aren’t achieving at school.

“They don’t know who they are or where they come from,” he says. When he and his brother Paora were growing up, “it wasn’t cool to be Māori… We were treated like second class citizens in our own country”. This was glaringly obvious in a place like Auckland, where in the 1960s Māori families flocked from rural areas looking for work and better opportunities. Leaving behind their turangawaewae and culture had devastating effects. And it wasn’t just Māori who had relocated to Auckland, who were losing their cultural identity. When it came to gaining recognition of their rights as mana whenua in the Auckland region, Ngāti Whātua Orākei had their own battles. Realising that real change starts within, a group of passionate Ngāti Whātua educators including kaumatua Danny Tumahai and Esther Davis started the foundational work to establish Te Mana Tikitiki, while Renata Blair and Kate Potter created the Te Mana Tikitiki pilot booklets. Mark Barnard, Piripi Davis, Mereana Maxwell, Rei Samuels, Graham Tipene, Wyllis Maihi, Tiaki Hunia, Dane Tumahai, and Paora Wiki from He Tohu Umanga Mātauranga Special Education Services supported its initial delivery.

Representatives from the Ministry of Education | Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga and Ngāti Whātua Orākei at Orākei Marae for the gifting back of Te Mana Tikitiki to the people of Ngāti Whātua. Photo: Merania Makoare-Kerehoma/Ngāti Whātua Orākei.

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Te Mana Tikitiki began with the purpose of helping Ngāti Whātua tamariki to succeed in education. This rapidly evolving resource can be accessed by Māori ākonga across Aotearoa with the implementation of holiday programmes and other initiatives. Well-known Ngāti Whātua artist Graham Tipene who presented Te Mana Tikitiki to the Ministry of Education in 2004, designed the tohu for Te Mana Tikitiki and says the concept came from Sir Apirana Ngata’s famous whakatauki ‘E tipu e rea’ and that thinking. Graham mentions that a feather in a topknot (tikitiki) can be seen as a sign of nobility and mana, qualities ākonga learn and gain from Te Mana Tikitiki. “This is just one tool in the stepping stone of mātauranga and māramatanga that we can give to our young people,” he says. “It’s a blessing to have these books back and to see so many familiar faces, who have been part of this journey. Mā te rākai o te tikitiki. Ka titiro te mana. Through the adornment of the top knot, one’s skills and knowledge can be recognised.”

Effective partnerships for better outcomes

Over the years, Te Mana Tikitiki has been revised and renamed but the goals of the resource have remained the same.

Te Mana Tikitiki is one of six programmes or initiatives that sits within the Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L) suite of evidence-based practices. When schools collaborate with iwi on Te Mana Tikitiki, they are putting the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi into practice – through partnerships with iwi and mana whenua, the protection of the mana and wellbeing of ākonga, and the participation of whānau and iwi in teaching and learning for their tamariki. Huakina Mai is a partner PB4L initiative to Te Mana Tikitiki, joined by kaupapa Māori principles. Te Mana Tikitiki provides targeted and intensive support for ākonga Māori who require support in relation to behaviour and wellbeing. Huakina Mai is a universal (schoolwide) initiative supporting all ākonga Māori in all schools. When Huakina Mai is in place, there will be fewer ākonga needing support from Te Mana Tikitiki, and staff will be more familiar and confident with using te reo me tikanga Māori in their classrooms. To date, Ngāti Whātua, Te Ātiawa, Te Runanganui o Taranaki Whānui, Rangitāne, Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāti Pūkenga have taken part in Te Mana Tikitiki pilots.

Wyllis Maihi, Graham Tipene, Mereana Maxwell, Piripi and Paora Davis with the kete containing the taonga, Te Mana Tikitiki. Photo: Merania Makoare-Kerehoma/Ngāti Whātua Orākei.

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I N FRASTRUCTU RE

“I got the phone call to say the classrooms were arriving Thursday overnight and that we would leave school with piles in the ground and arrive the next day to see the classrooms. And that’s what happened. It was incredible.” Sharron Scouse

Building successful learning from the ground up Offsite manufactured buildings are constructed offsite and assembled quickly on school grounds. They’re a great answer for schools that don’t have enough teaching spaces for their students and who are looking for an efficient solution that reflects modern teaching practice.

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I like this room better. There is lots of space.” This is how Hamish, a student at Wairau Valley Special School (WVSS) describes the new OMB classrooms at the school. OMB stands for offsite manufactured buildings, and these are becoming a popular delivery solution for schools and the Ministry of Education alike. The teaching spaces are modern and hi-tech, are adaptable to different teaching pedagogies, offer minimal disruption to day-to-day school operations during the delivery process, and have lower ongoing maintenance costs to schools. Because they are transportable, they offer the flexibility to react to roll growth or decline in a more efficient manner than was previously possible. The new classrooms are factory built to the Ministry’s high standards for permanent use but can also be used to address short-term needs such as providing decanting space during major building projects. Many are being installed at schools around the East Coast of the North Island to replace entire schools or create new spaces for growth. Overall, from February 2016 to the end of May 2022, there have been 722 classrooms delivered to schools. A further 216 are scheduled for delivery over the next 12–18 months.

Speedy process

Lorelle Dodds, teacher, is delighted with the new buildings.

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Natalie Todd, principal of WVSS says it is an incredibly collaborative process. “We could talk about what the building would look like and what we would need for it to be effective for us. We could then take that to the teachers as well and show them what we were going to get. Because all the work had been done off site, there was minimal disruption. The best thing for me was that the timeframes were met.”

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Timing was also crucial for Wayne Carter, deputy principal at Te Awamutu College. The school roll rose from 1,050 students in 2015 to 1,400 at the start of 2022. Wayne had been keeping a close eye on numbers and had predicted the increase in enrolments this year. “That additional growth was going to put pressure on us in terms of our ability to be able to timetable and room everything within our school,” he says. Finding a solution for the anticipated increase in numbers led Wayne to contact the Ministry to see what could be done. From there it was a speedy process that saw three new buildings ready for use a year later. The ease of completion was aided by the pre-planning that Wayne and the school had done.

Room to grow

The ability to respond quickly to the need for additional space is one of the main drivers of OMB projects. As with Te Awamutu College, Mangatawhiri School is also experiencing rapid growth. Sharron Scouse, principal, explains the school has grown from 52 students to 200. “In 2018 our school roll really exploded, and it was at a point we were using our school library as a classroom. So, we began the conversation with the Ministry around what was needed for our school.” As with the other schools, Sharron was impressed with the level of collaboration and speed at which the buildings were able to be installed. “The design team were very open to input from us in terms of colours and the staff were making choices about what they would like to see inside the classroom. “I got the phone call to say the classrooms were arriving Thursday overnight and that we would leave school with piles in the ground and arrive the next day to see the classrooms. And that’s what happened. It was incredible,” Sharron says. The speed at which the buildings can be installed is in part due to the effective contracts that are in place to produce the buildings as well their design, explains Cindy James, delivery team manager for the Ministry of Education. “We can actually build these really quickly and with proven performance in the OMB design, it means we’re not reinventing the wheel every time – there’s a uniformity to them that provides efficiency without compromising on quality.”

Creating the best space for students

Top: The buildings have lots of room for activities. Middle: Outdoor areas surrounding the classroom add to teaching space. Bottom: OMBs were able to be shipped to Great Barrier.

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The uniformity of the basic structure does not mean that the buildings can’t be tailored to suit the needs of the school. For example, Raglan Area School wanted connectivity with their moana, informed by their cultural narrative. The delivery team were able to accommodate this with the site selection and the use of larger windows with etchings that faced out toward their moana. “Two different iwi support Raglan Area School, and their input influenced the placement of the classrooms and its focus on the moana. It was just one of the ways we

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could use the OMBs to support connection with their land and sea,” says Cindy. For WVSS their input as to site selection was important. They wanted something that would cater for the additional needs of ākonga. “The majority of the students in this class are on the autism spectrum, so noise impacts on anxiety levels. This is an area away from the rest of the school, but it’s all within walking distance.” The OMBs come in a variety of sizes and configurations, ranging from smaller single teaching spaces to larger buildings that can accommodate four teaching spaces. The size of the classrooms provides plenty of opportunity to develop flexible work areas. “They’re quite large. They are 83 square metre classrooms and when I look at some of our older classrooms in the school, they sort of range from about 54 square metres to about 65 or 70 square metres. So, they’re quite spacious,” says Wayne.

Flexible design

Schools can choose what will go into the space and how it can operate to best fit their needs. There are a number of layout options to suit various teaching styles. They can be easily adapted to support current teaching and learning activities or any future changes in practice. Wayne says the configuration they have allows for a lot of flexibility. “They’re multipurpose, so we’ve got dividing doors, glass doors between each of the rooms. There are double doors that can open. So, you could combine classes or dual teach if you needed to.” The ability to combine classes easily when required is a feature that Mangatawhiri School enjoys. “Having a modern learning environment like this means that we can come together as two classes, so we collaboratively plan and teach the mat times together. But it also means that we can move apart and group our

children accordingly and teach to different strengths and learning needs as well,” says kaiako Lorelle Dodds. This flexibility has also been very beneficial for WVSS. “The students can go and work individually in workstations as there is enough space to do that. There’s space at the back to do the hard tech. It’s not within the class. For children with autism, having defined spaces is so important. They know what to expect and where to go to. We’re getting fewer incident reports which shows me that they are really comfortable in the space, and so that speaks volumes for us,” says Natalie.

Robust and modern

The buildings are constructed to a high level of quality and are fully insulated with lots of natural light. Cindy explains these are good, robust modern classrooms with all the bells and whistles. The quality and design are comparable to a bespoke build, but without the longer build period and disruption to the school. “The lighting is adjustable to enable the ideal light settings for the classroom, and CO2 monitors help to indicate when the windows should be open to allow for additional ventilation.” Wayne encourages schools to learn more about OMBs as there is a lot of support to make the process as easy as possible. “You get to know the people [the project/delivery managers] and they’ve got a really good feel for the school, what we’re about and what we were trying to achieve. They worked really hard on our behalf to get what we needed.”

For more information about OMBs, visit education.govt.nz/school.

Colour schemes can be personalised to reflect school culture.

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OMBs support remote areas The community of Aotea Great Barrier Island are also seeing the benefits of offsite manufactured buildings, with new permanent classrooms installed and ready to use at the new Aotea Learning Hub.

The hub provides academic and e-learning support and connectivity, transition and careers support, mentoring, external exam facilitation, and communication with whānau.

The flat-packed building was transported by barge from Auckland to Great Barrier Island in January this year. The hub had been operating from a leased building since February 2017.

The new fit-for-purpose hub is on the Kaitoke School grounds but will operate independently. Delivery manager Linda Van Zyl says the project was a huge success and overcame several delivery and access challenges. The fact that the community relies heavily on rainwater and solar power (electricity is scarce on Great Barrier Island) also had to be factored in.

Aotea Learning Hub was established after discussions with the community about how best to provide for secondary school students on the island. While boarding school is an option for secondary students, there is a group of young people who remain on the island and carry out their schooling via Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu, with a wraparound of pastoral support, and two days per week of secondary-tertiary opportunities and/or work experience and training.

Read more about schools on Great Barrier Island in recent Education Gazette article, ‘Managing a pandemic in a remote community’.

“For children with autism, having defined spaces is so important. They know what to expect and where to go to. We’re getting fewer incident reports which shows me that they are really comfortable in the space, and so that speaks volumes for us.” Natalie Todd

OMBs can be transported to any location.

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$120,000 of STEM equipment to be gifted to schools Applications open 26th July and close 12th August 2022* genesisschoolgentrust.org.nz *Terms & Conditions apply

The Genesis School-gen Trust gifts STEM (science, technology, engineering, maths) equipment to schools to empower students and inspire them to become the next generation of Kiwi innovators. The Trust was established in 2019 to allow Genesis and its customers to support schools and help students get the skills needed for jobs of the future.

REDUC I NG EM ISSIO NS

Schools chipping away at sustainability goals The School Coal Boiler Replacement Programme is supporting schools to reduce their emissions by providing more environmentally friendly and cost-effective replacements.

Fiordland College caretaker Steve Davison is happy with the new high-tech woodchip boiler.

he best thing since sliced cheese – that’s how Steve Davison, caretaker at Fiordland College, describes the school’s new boiler. The school got their old coal boiler replaced with a state-of-the-art woodchip boiler, under the School Coal Boiler Replacement Programme. It’s part of a government funding scheme with $200 million initially given to the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) to distribute for emissions reduction. The aim is the decarbonisation of the state sector. Ryan Holt, national programme manager for the Ministry of Education, says, “Our first priority was to replace coal boilers in schools. The Government’s goal is to get rid of coal boilers by 2025. So, that was the first cab

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off the rank as far as the Ministry was concerned in the decarbonisation of the portfolio.” Paul Bull, EECA’s public sector portfolio manager, says replacing coal boilers in schools with low emission heating options is not only an important step in reducing the state sector’s carbon emissions, but also an opportunity for government to lead by example and demonstrate solutions that may be applicable to New Zealand businesses as they transition to a low carbon future. The programme’s initial goal was to replace 90 coal boilers by the end of June 2023, which is estimated to reduce carbon emissions by about 5,000 tonnes a year. Now, with additional government funding announced in gazette.education.govt.nz

May, the programme’s goal is to replace all remaining coal boilers in New Zealand state schools by 2025. Current estimates are that there are about 150 remaining. The process to replace the boilers has several steps. First the school is identified as having a coal boiler that needs to be replaced. EECA assesses the boiler replacement requirements for the school and makes a recommendation. “EECA engineers provide a heating solutions report for each school following an onsite audit. The report outlines the options and recommends a solution based on technical and cost factors,” says Paul. Ryan adds that for some schools this will not be a new conversation. “Across the country many schools are part of the Enviroschools scheme. We would get ad hoc requests for ideas to make the school more environmentally friendly or more sustainable. So, a number of schools have asked about replacing their coal boiler.”

Focus on sustainability

Fiordland College is one such school. In Te Anau, the school has a strong focus on sustainability and environmental education. “We have the National Park just on our doorstep, so it’s a hugely important part of our community to be able to reflect sustainable education, looking after our environment, and being proud of the really unique environment that we have here,” says principal Steven Mustor. The school was built in 1976 and was outfitted with coal boilers which had collapsed and were rusted through. So, the school got a temporary replacement. “They installed a diesel boiler, but it only had a small tank. If we had an event on, we never had enough diesel,” says Steve. The school then looked at which options best met their goals of sustainability and being environmentally friendly, while also being cost effective. This included options such as solar panels. “Solar works best if it can move in the right direction and stuff like that. If all your buildings are fixed from the 1970s when they were put in there you can’t really shift roofs and other bits and pieces. Whereas with replacing a boiler you’ve got existing infrastructure you can work with,” says Steve. Fiordland College now has a high-tech woodchip boiler. The buffer tanks hold around 3,000 litres and can heat the school within half an hour of being turned on. The boiler requires little manpower to operate. The system can be pre-programmed to turn on at certain times and, if required, this can be altered using a phone app. There are also cameras in the bunker where the woodchips are stored so the level of chips can be monitored remotely. There are many safety features, including the system stopping if a fire bell is activated, and it can detect if any flames escape along the funnel that transports the wood chips to the furnace. If this is

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detected the system will use an extinguisher and send an alert to the phone app. As well as saving time, there are substantial gains beyond emissions reduction. The ash from the wood pellets can be distributed on school gardens (coal ash is toxic and must be land-filled). While burning wood creates CO2, plantation re-planting effectively means the CO2 is reabsorbed – therefore it is carbon neutral. It also produces 99 percent less CO2 than coal. As well as wood pellet boilers there are other options such as air-to-air and air-to-water heat pumps. Paul says EECA will discuss with the school what solution best fits their needs and infrastructure, as well as aiming for one that will most reduce the school’s energy use and ongoing costs. For schools concerned about replacements causing disruption, Ryan offers reassurance. “When we replace a boiler, we always try and replace it outside of the heating season. We’ll continue through the winter months doing the electric systems or the smaller systems where we can over a weekend or a short period of time. But the bigger schools or schools that really have a need for heating because of their location in the country, we pause through the winter months.” Even though the boiler replacement team will be reaching out to schools, Ryan is keen to hear from schools that have questions or concerns about their boilers and the boiler replacement programme.

“We have the National Park just on our doorstep, so it’s a hugely important part of our community to be able to reflect sustainable education, look after our environment, and be proud of the really unique environment that we have here.” Steven Mustor

For more information or to provide feedback, email coal. boilerreplacement@education.govt.nz. For information about the School Boiler Programme, visit education.govt.nz/school.

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TECH PATHWAYS

Exploring the infinite range of tech opportunities Industry and educators are collaborating across the country to steer a more diverse group of ākonga towards technology pathways, in ways they might never have imagined – like gaming. Education Gazette explores some of the initiatives underway to expand opportunities for girls and women, and for Māori and Pacific students. Whaia te pae tawhiti kia tata, Whakamaua te pae tata kia tina! Explore beyond the distant horizon and draw it near, take hold of your potential so it becomes your reality!

Ākonga exploring technical wizardry at last year’s Tech21 Summit aiming to inspire Māori, Pacific and female ākonga into technology careers

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he need to develop more opportunities for ākonga was a hot topic during TechWeek 22, and it was at the core of a panel discussion hosted by MYOB on why improving diversity is key to New Zealand’s tech sector. During the kōrero, Mahsa Mohaghegh, founder of SheSharp and director of women in technology at Auckland University of Technology, expressed how stereotyping and terminology can be a deterrent for women seeking to enter the world of technology. “I think it’s really important that we take a humancentric approach. We need to rebrand technology as something that can really help people to make their life easier solving a real problem. I think by doing that, and rethinking the culture that you’re promoting, we will start seeing that more and more girls, and the next generation of our rangatahi, decide and make an informed decision about their career paths,” she says. Gender stereotypes and their connection to traditional concepts of technology can create challenges for women wanting to enter the field, adds Mehak Mahajan, DevelopHer/Protégé developer at MYOB.. “I told one of my friends that I’ve got this opportunity with MYOB, and I want to really learn coding. His response to me was like, ‘Oh, you’re a woman and in future you’re going to have a family? Are you sure is that the industry you want to be in? It’s going to be hard to manage your family and coding, because it’s changing constantly’.” Mehak feels attitudes such as this can create self-doubt despite the fact the tech industry can provide a great deal of flexibility to allow people to work and have families. Diversity is something that benefits all involved, adds Mahsa. “A lot of research is backing up evidence of the benefits of balanced diverse workplaces. They can increase productivity, efficiency, and innovation. I think this is enough evidence and reason for us to try to get to that diversity inclusion in our workplace.” The panel also discussed barriers for Māori and Pacific people when entering the tech industry, says Malcolm Luey, policy director at Digital Boost (a free digital skills training platform of MBIE). “Many of these groups are coming from socioeconomic populations that might be already suffering digital equity or digital inclusion issues. So, it’s about working with them to get the confidence to take that first step,” he says.

Poncho Rivera-Pavon, director of pathways at TupuToa, felt that there was a push for these students to enter more traditional fields such as being a doctor or an accountant. Having more diversity in the sector, and more role models, also gives confidence to young people to take the step when they see themselves reflected. “Some of our interns, when they finish their internship, they come back and say, ‘It was pretty good. I saw a lot of people that look like me’. That really sways their decision to think, ‘Maybe I’ll choose this career pathway’.”

Empowering ākonga Māori

Empowering ākonga Māori to pursue technology careers is a passion for Duane Grace, CEO of tiaki Limited – a global SaaS company providing outstanding outcomes for Indigenous students worldwide. The Kalinda tiaki Foundation that Duane cofounded created ‘Te Huakirangi,’ a highly innovative, personalised and industry backed programme driving ākonga Māori into technology jobs. “We were tired of seeing the same negative statistics that haven’t changed over a lifetime. Education underachievement, income inequity and intergenerational poverty that place Māori firmly at the bottom of the heap. Everyone is focused on symptoms, and not the problem.” The choice of technology as an employment pathway was both personal and strategic. “We have a single KPI – to double the number of Māori in technology jobs within seven years. These are highly skilled, well paid and globally sought-after roles.” says Duane. The programme itself delivers industry certification in kura as a preparatory stage to fulltime apprenticeship and work placement with a global technology partner. The kura component of the programme was initiated at Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Hoani Waititi in January and three additional kura will be engaged before the end of the year. The apprenticeship runs out of the Foundation’s office in Sydney and will expand to Melbourne in December. “We started in kura because of their unparalleled success in Māori education, their will to innovate and that identity, language and culture are embedded.

“A lot of research is backing up evidence of the benefits of balanced diverse workplaces. They can increase productivity, efficiency, and innovation.” Mahsa Mohaghegh

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“While the programme will inevitably move into mainstream schooling, it needs to start from a position of strength.” Those involved in the programme have significant education technology experience and Duane admitted it hasn’t all been plain sailing. “The first course we ran like this was back in 1998 at Whitireia Polytech in Porirua, and we’ve worked with kura since with varying degrees of success. We’ve learned a lot, in particular candidate readiness – both ākonga and kura – the importance of industry backing and the lack of good quality learning resources.” The application of those lessons is evident in success to date where Microsoft have endorsed the programme along with other global technology companies. “This year is about validating the training model and employment pathways. With significant industry support, we are well ahead of schedule.” Tutoring is mostly online, using tiaki’s own learning platform that identifies ākonga strengths, personalises learning and ‘engages the village’ to ensure their success. Delivery is built into the kura timetable and weekend wānanga prepare ākonga for certification exams. “Ākonga accelerate through the programme and at their own pace, while their learning adapts in real time, and they strive to make selection for apprenticeship.” Unique to Te Huakirangi, apprentices begin their working life with tiaki and Kalinda. “It is critical ākonga see themselves in this space which is why they work with us for at least six months before being placed with one of our industry partners.” Te Huakirangi is going from strength to strength, improving lives and moving fast. As Duane put it well, “Let’s quantify failure by the day, and then decide how long you’re willing to wait.”

Gaming broadens the playing field

Get into Games is another programme seeking to broaden awareness and diversify pathways in a fastgrowing sector, and it’s certainly a relatable field for young people who might have had a ‘narrower’ view of what tech is. The initiative arose after Ministry of Educationfunded vocational training schemes were put on hold due to Covid-19 and lockdowns. Instead of ‘in person’ communications, online events that connected youth to potential employers were hosted. Alongside this was a significant growth in the gaming industry. Shaun Gear, integration advisor at Te Pae Aronui (the operations and integration arm of the Ministry), estimates there was a 40 percent increase in the sector during 2019/2020. “We saw that this was an industry that was really resilient during Covid. So, we had the idea of looking at how we could run a week of events that connected schools with this industry.”

“We started in kura because of their unparalleled success in Māori education, their will to innovate, and that identity, language and culture are embedded.” Duane Grace

Industry experts spoke to students about their experiences during Get into Games.

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The project was also informed by TEC Drawing the Future research as to the views of young people towards employment. “We found out that young people had quite narrow views on what jobs and careers were. We also learned that who they saw, and who they were connected to, also influenced the inspiration of what careers were out there. So, we wanted to use the gaming industry and online events as a way of broadening young people’s horizons.”

Eliminating stereotypes

One aim of Get into Games is to eliminate negative stereotypes and demystify the careers and jobs that exist within the industry. A week of events was run in 2021, funded by the Ministry and delivered by the Digital Natives Academy in Rotorua. “We had about 8,500 young people participating, and we were quite targeted on age group. We had Years 7–9,” says Shaun. The age group was chosen as it was felt this was a time when young people are curious and becoming more aware of the world, and of employers and different industries. A lot of the content focused on employment, with industry experts speaking as to their success in areas such as Esports and Game design. This helped the ākonga, parents, and teachers to understand how gaming can lead to career opportunities. “The technology that’s available are things that young people are interacting with on a daily basis, they just don’t know how they might be able to utilise that to generate some revenue in the future or a job,” adds Shaun.

A myriad of opportunity

Given the success of last year’s events, Get into Games was held again in June this year. The event saw significant growth, with 13,345 students from 182 schools and kura across Aotearoa, and 199 teachers and parents getting involved. The key themes were game makers, players, and digital wellbeing. “There are careers and jobs related to making games and developing games, then there are players. Esports is among the fastest growing sports in the world. Then there are the jobs that support that part of the industry. So, Esports coaches, nutritionists, people that put on the tournaments, tournament managers. There’s a whole myriad of jobs that sit behind each of these areas that young people may not be aware of at all,” explains Shaun. The game development side of the industry is a major area for employment. Shaun says there are several studios in New Zealand that are developing ‘triple A’ games and exporting these. The same goes for Esports, with many support roles associated with game development. “Whether you’re an artist or you like music, or you can write stories, or if you’re into animation or even production, there are jobs. “If you look at games, it is not one person building a game all by themselves. It’s a team that comes together,” says Shaun. Parents and whānau could also join in on sessions that focus on digital wellbeing. This includes looking at security, bullying, and other situations in which young people could be quite vulnerable. “Many of these games, if they’re on the internet, are community games. There are other people that are playing alongside them [the students] – you don’t know who they are, where they are. So, it’s just about being safe.”

Gaming is a growing industry in Aotearoa New Zealand.

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Keeping ākonga safe online is an important aspect of digital technologies education.

Digital wellbeing There are many benefits in learning with digital technologies, but also some challenges and potential risks for students and schools. The Digital Technology: Safe and responsible use in schools guide provides principals and teachers with the information to act confidently and in the best interests of students in digital technology. The resource is designed to help schools:

“We found out that young people had quite narrow views on what jobs and careers were. We also learned that who they saw, and who they were connected to, also influenced the inspiration of what careers were out there. So, we wanted to use the gaming industry and online events as a way of broadening young people’s horizons.” Shaun Gear

Session recordings are available for schools unable to attend the Get into Games events.

Not a linear pathway

Whether it’s TechWeek22, DevelopHer, Te Huakirangi, Get into Games, or any of the other successful initiatives in this space – the key takeaway is that there is no one pathway into tech, and no one type of person who can succeed in the industry. Shaun hopes to alert students to the fact that success in the industry is not necessarily a linear pathway in which ākonga go from school, to university, to developing high end games. There are several ways in which ākonga can enter the industry and thrive. For more information on Get into Games, visit getintogames.nz. TechWeek22 was held in May this year. To find out more and to make sure you’re looped in for TechWeek23, head to techweek.co.nz.

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» understand how young people use digital technology » deal with or prevent problems with its use » understand the law on what you can and can’t do. Digital wellbeing was also a significant theme of this year’s Get into Games event, which included a digital wellbeing session for schools and ākonga, and one for parents and teachers. Both sessions covered information on the challenges facing young people in the digital spaces and educating them on key issues to be aware of so that they can navigate these spaces safely, while continuing their journey into digital and creative tech pathways. Digital Natives Academy spoke to their Te Iwi Matihiko Digital Wellbeing programme. Te Iwi Matihiko helps young people, their whānau and teachers understand the positive and negative impacts that digital spaces play on our overall wellbeing. It’s a value-based approach to digital wellbeing, which aims to introduce tamariki (9–11 years), rangatahi (12 years+) and pakeke (adults) to the key tools they will need to safely navigate social media and online gaming while they learn to understand their own wellbeing using Sir Mason Durie’s Te Whare Tapa Whā Model of Health. More information on safe use of digital technology for schools is at education.govt.nz/school/digitaltechnology.

More information on Te Iwi Matihiko is at digitalwellbeing.nz.

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CO M MU N IT Y C O N N ECTIO NS

Local partnerships elevate learning into real world solutions Kura ki Pakihi is a secondary transitions programme that seeks to partner youth with local civic and business stakeholders to develop creative solutions to regional challenges.

Students receive mentoring to help with their community projects.

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onnecting with local businesses and civic entities can be a challenge for busy teachers. During the 2019 Grow Waitaha Secondary Digital Technology Teachers Community of Practice (CoP), a solution was created – Kura ki Pakihi. Josh Hough, professional learning services programme manager at CORE Education explains they had been working with many teachers around the country and had noted the common theme. “When you’re a teacher and you’re managing classes and timetables and all these things, then you have to do an assessment, it can be a really big ask to try and find an opportunity to go out into the community and find these authentic challenges,” says Josh. Kura ki Pakihi connects schools, teachers and ākonga with local civics and businesses to create authentic opportunities for rangatahi to help solve local challenges. The Ministry of Education funded CORE Education to develop this mahi over 2019 and, while severely impacted by Covid-19, it has come to a point this year where schools in Ōtautahi Christchurch have been able to work with local businesses on tech solutions.

“The stakeholders were just blown away by the innovations. One of the businesses actually went on to invite the rangatahi to pitch their prototype to their partners and clients who were then equally impressed.” Josh Hough (pictured)

Tackling digital equity

In February and March, the initiative kicked into action with two sets of two-day ‘sprints’ and culminated in a celebration event at Christchurch City Council in April. In the sprints, rangatahi from Avonside Girls’ High School and Rolleston College met at the YMCA with a range of facilitators, mentors and community participants. Ākonga heard from stakeholders, such as Stratos Technology Partners, Canterbury Tech, and Christchurch City Council. Each of these stakeholders shared information about the digital equity challenges they were facing. “These included things like the need for the design of an online portal to engage with people with irritable bowel disease. Another one was to equip all people within Ōtautahi with the skills and confidence to use the city’s innovative technology solutions, as there’s lots of those going in all around the place. “The last one was to attempt to remove barriers to highly paid jobs available in the fast-growing tech sector, for those who may not have had awareness, knowledge, skills or resources to access them,” says Josh. The students were mentored in the use of an innovation framework and innovation mindsets. They then followed a process of meeting and forming teams, ideating, prototyping and refining their ideas which culminated in a final pitch back to the stakeholders. “This all happened through facilitators from CORE Education, backed by community mentors who came from all around Christchurch. They were from the business sector, the civic sector, the education sector and folks who came in to work with them to build up their confidence when it came to pitching,” explains Josh. The solutions ākonga came up with showed a high level of creativity and innovation. Some of the ideas included a digitised mental health learning experience supporting young people who are finding their path in life. Another one was a technology and learning hub designed to connect elders with tech savvy youth.

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Students work in teams to develop creative solutions.

“It can be a really big ask to try and find an opportunity to go out into the community and find these authentic challenges.” Josh Hough “The stakeholders were just blown away by the innovations. One of the businesses actually went on to invite the rangatahi to pitch their prototype to their partners and clients who were then equally impressed,” says Josh.

that will be useful for engaging in those spaces. “Alongside that, there will also be specific support to tie the learning together with NCEA and making those links to the curriculum,” says Josh.

Supporting kaiako

Expanding the programme

As well as providing students with an opportunity to grow and showcase their talents, the programme also provides support for teachers. Kura ki Pakihi can relieve the pressure on teachers to also come up with authentic contexts for assessment that reflect who the students are and where they are going in their lives. “It spreads the load by connecting teachers with community. So businesses, civics and the education sector are all working together to supercharge opportunities for these youth.” Many participating teachers have shown gratitude for the opportunity. “[One teacher] was absolutely thrilled to have the chance to be part of that without having to own the whole process. It was an opportunity for her just to come and take part and have it all set up and ready to run, and have it mean something to the youth,” says Josh. It is hoped that the next phase in the scheme will further build teacher support by inviting them to take part in solving the digital equity challenges alongside the youth, as well as being provided with resourcing and one to one support. “We will also be working closely with the teachers to empower them with the skills, the confidence and the innovation mindsets

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The next stage of Kura ki Pakihi is about creating opportunities for ākonga and kaiako at nine Ōtautahi schools as opposed to just the two that were part of the first initiative. Josh says he can also see how well the programme could run nationally. As part of this, there are plans to develop a website that will help schools and kura become involved and provide resources such as networking. Josh advises schools wanting to undertake a similar project to connect with partners in their area that have experience, such as business and civic sectors as well as education specialists. His second piece of advice is to lean into the voices of youth and trust them. “One comment that we had from a couple of participants at the celebration evening was they couldn’t believe what great speakers the youth were; how articulate, how confident, how clear and how strong their messages were. “A lot of the questions we got were people asking, ‘How did you prep them to speak that way?’ We said, ‘Well we didn’t, that is just what they’re like’. I think this has helped to shift perceptions of what youth are capable of.” The next iteration of Kura ki Pakihi, which is confirmed with events to run in terms 1 and 2 of 2023, is named E Whiti! E Whiti!

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PLD

Building mentoring capability Ngā tikanga whakaaweawe a te kaiārahi mō ngā kaiako kura tuarua ki Aotearoa | Effective mentoring practices for secondary teachers in New Zealand is empowering kaiako to reflect on their mentoring practices and strengthen relationships within their school communities. Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi engari he toa takitini. I come not with my own strengths but bring with me the gifts, talents and strengths of my family, tribe and ancestors.

Dave Staite and Janie Moore. Photo by Rebecca McMillan.

hat is mentoring and why is it important? Although many kaiako have experienced being mentors and mentees, views on what an effective mentor looks like are often underpinned by a range of assumptions. Unfortunately, many of these can negatively impact the mentoring process in adult learning relationships. To address this vitally important topic, a programme to support kaiako to develop their mentoring skills has been established by the Post Primary Teachers Association/ Te Wehengarua national PLD coordinator Dr Helen Finn. Through engagement with PPTA members, kaiako highlighted that while they understand the importance of mentoring and its impact, they rarely have an opportunity to undertake formal professional learning about the topic. This programme was co-designed and developed in partnership with Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington’s subsidiary Kāpuhipuhi Wellington Uni-Professional.

Secondary school context

Combining a variety of resources and teaching approaches, participants focus on mentoring as it relates to the secondary school environment. Developed as a micro-credential course, it offers a postgraduate qualification opportunity specifically targeted at the needs of secondary teachers with

leadership responsibilities. Micro-credentials have become an increasingly popular way for busy people to undertake specialised training by breaking learning into manageable chunks, an approach particularly suited to the busy kaiako workforce. Amanda Kirkham from Nayland College says even more experienced teachers would benefit from this course too, during times of burnout in particular. “It can be unclear, especially in middle leadership, what you need to do to progress your career – this has been so clarifying.” Jacqui McKay from Dunstan High School adds that she is enjoying learning the theory behind mentoring, and to give herself permission not to solve people’s problems. “I’ve been trying a few approaches in my teaching practice: policy-based mentoring is working especially well as groundwork for challenging conversations.” One of the encouraging aspects attributed to the uptake of this course, is that it is also helping kaiako identify and set career pathways within their school. “My ambition is to be a deputy principal. I previously had no set timeframe for this goal, but this course has helped me clarify a pathway and I’m aiming to achieve this within two years,” says Riejanne Campbell from Stratford High School.

“Something in particular that I took away from this course was the concept of intention. I’ve learned how to start the mentoring process by co-constructing a relationship: establishing what the mentor and mentee would like to achieve.” Natasha Taylor

Kate Thornton, Melanie Webber, Dave Staite and Helen Finn. Photo by Rebecca McMillan.

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Culturally responsive

The programme has a specific focus on what contemporary mentoring looks like within the context of Aotearoa New Zealand and examines the approaches and frameworks through the lens of an educational leader. Exploring mentoring in the context of Te Tiriti o Waitangi has been carefully woven through the learning process to develop an understanding of the importance of aligning Te Tiriti principles of partnership, protection and participation to the concepts of kotahitanga, maanakitanga and whanaungatanga. “To acknowledge the Treaty within their system, a school needs to have genuine intent from the board level through the charter, right down to the implementation of the relationships we have with each other,” says Ruapehu College principal Marama Allen.

Reciprocity

There is a focus in the programme on the reciprocal nature of mentoring to acknowledge that while the mentee may be less experienced, they bring a kete of other knowledge from prior experiences. On completion of the course, participants will have deepened their understanding of effective mentoring approaches, strategies, and capabilities and be confident to set up mentoring relationships for themselves and their school community. Brooke Ashton from Melville High School says as a teacher, you’re mentored throughout your PCT years, and then suddenly there’s no longer that support. “As a middle leader, for example, developing your career can feel isolating. This course has helped me realise we’re not in the waka alone.” Natasha Taylor from Rangitoto College talks about the concept of intention in relationship-building. “Something in particular that I took away from this course was the concept of intention. I’ve learned how to start the mentoring process by co-constructing a relationship: establishing what the mentor and mentee would like to achieve.”

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Kimbali Harding enjoys the reciprocal nature of mentoring. Photo by Rebecca McMillan.

Further information Ngā tikanga whakaaweawe a te kaiārahi mō ngā kaiako kura tuarua ki Aotearoa | Effective mentoring practices for secondary teachers in New Zealand is free for all post primary kaiako with course costs covered by the PPTA Learning and Development Centre. This includes reimbursement of up to $500 (including GST) towards travel, accommodation and childcare expenses. Taught over one school term using a blended approach, the course includes a set of self-paced modules, three webinars and a one-day face-to-face workshop held in either Auckland, Wellington or Christchurch. With additional sessions now scheduled through until the end of 2023, there are plenty of opportunities for kaiako to participate. To find out more and register for upcoming courses, visit wellingtonuni-professional.nz

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Sponsored content

New app the way forward for early childhood education management

The Playground app launched in May to help early learning services digitally streamline their business and compliance task load.

new app to enhance parent and caregiver engagement in the care and early learning of their tamariki launched in May, bringing another game-changing tech solution to the country’s early childhood education (ECE) sector. The app called Playground, has been designed to use with cloud-based student management system Discover, distributed by Xplor Technologies and used by thousands of ECE services in New Zealand and Australia. Discover by Xplor Chief Commercial Officer Richard North says, “Discover has become an essential business tool for thousands of services in New Zealand since its launch in 2016. Playground adds to its functionality – and is part of our commitment to offering an end-to-end software solution to the ECE sector.” “While Discover enables ECE administrators and owners to carry out everything from enrolling a child and scheduling staff to the tracking and reporting of compliance activities, Playground is for ECE educators and the tasks they want to complete,” he says. Playground, for example, can be used as a secure, online portal to store information about a child, including important health, safety and learning and development data. It can be used as a daily diary to record a child’s eating, napping and toileting. Educators can also use Playground to post classroom activities and record observations of child development and learning through play, updating parents in real time. All information stored in Playground integrates seamlessly with Discover and can be securely shared with a child’s parents and caregivers when they log on through Home, the app designed specially for them. “Discover automates and streamlines many of the daily tasks carried out by ECE services,” says Richard. “Ultimately saving services time and money and freeing up staff to focus on caring for and educating children.” Owner of My Kindy Ltd, Emma Norrie, started using Discover across her two Auckland-based services in May. Already, she’s saved 10 hours a week in administration time and is confident savings will keep

Photo / Getty Images

Discover Interface. Photo/Supplied mounting as she becomes more familiar with the software and continues to acquire more ECE services and move them from legacy systems to the Discover platform. Emma has improved cash flow and reduced bad debts, by ditching Eftpos machines and setting up Discover’s direct debit payment facility. Morning drop off at both services is up to half an hour faster now with parents and caregivers signing in on an iPad linked to Discover. “Using this one automated feature means I know exactly how many children are absent or on site at each service in real time.

Immediately, those daily decisions about how and where to use staff are quicker now,” says Emma. Generating reports for the Ministry of Education and meeting government compliance regulations has become easier too. She’s also better equipped with accurate, real time information to forecast and make financial decisions. “Since using Discover, we’ve been able to achieve pay parity for all our teachers. At the same time, we’ve reduced our monthly wages bill by around 10 percent in part because we have better visibility of who is needed when and where.” Emma says moving to Discover

was hassle-free. “I didn’t really have to do anything much; I just handed over our files and let someone else do the work. Onboarding couldn’t really have been any better. And there’s a dedicated New Zealand team available for training and to answer your questions.” In time, Emma hopes to use the Playground app to complete routine compliance tasks such as getting a parent or caregiver to sight and sign off records of their child’s medicine use. It’s a new feature of Playground currently in development. “Right now, it’s a pen and paper exercise that takes up valuable time at the end of a busy day when parents and carers are rushed and kids just want their mum, dad or nanny’s time and attention. It doesn’t seem like a biggie. But wouldn’t it be great if it could be done with the press of a button – and, with that, have the information instantly shared with the Ministry and logged on a child’s dashboard for both parents and educators to see. How good would that be?” To find out more, visit https://try.discoverchildcare.co.nz or contact Richard North at richard.north@myxplor.com

Year 10 student Majestic is in Paeroa College’s rumaki class and has relished the opportunity to continue her learning in a Māori medium setting at secondary school.

Education Gazette

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AT TEN DANCE & ENGAGEM ENT

Growing a place where students want to be Paeroa College is working hard to boost attendance and engagement by removing barriers wherever possible, providing rich learning opportunities, and really listening to students and families. Education Gazette’s reporter visits the school in the heart of Hauraki to learn more.

t’s a cold, wintry day on the Hauraki Plains but there’s a real warmth emanating from Paeroa College. A real vibe, so to speak. It’s appropriate to channel social media vernacular in this instance – I’d been tasked by my colleagues with filming a TikTok video that highlights the school’s participation in the free period products initiative. I was apprehensive about asking students to share their views on the topic, let alone fulfil any TikTok ambitions, but it quickly became clear that any associated stigma was mine alone; the rangatahi are articulate and refreshingly honest. “Yeah, I think it’s a great opportunity, because they are expensive for such a product that we need, you know, very regularly. So it’s good,” says Breanna, Year 13. “And also if they are feeling awkward about asking their parents to buy them – like for people that only live with their dad, that can be an awkward situation.”

“Period poverty is a real thing”

Paeroa College was among the first schools in the country to take part in Ikura | Manaakitia te whare tangata – Period products in schools initiative, rolled out by the Ministry of Education. Now it is well embedded in the school, and is actually having an impact on attendance, says principal Amy Hacker. “Period poverty is a real thing here,” says Amy. “I know that there were a number of girls who wouldn’t come to school when they were menstruating.” Paeroa College introduced free period products at around the same time as it introduced Ka Ora, Ka Ako | Healthy School Lunches. “There was an increase in attendance rates across the board. But then I ran the girls’ versus the boys’ data and the girls’ attendance was an additional five to 10 percent better than the boys’ in terms of the increase since prior to the lunches and the period products. And that indicates to me that the period products are affecting girls’ attendance rates,” says Amy.

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Lunches help learning

The healthy lunches programme has definitely had a positive impact on attendance too, says Amy. “You know that old joke that says, ‘Oh, I just went to school to eat my lunch’? Well, it’s sort of a thing. Of course, the first step to having students engaged in education is getting them physically here. We also have a breakfast club that runs every morning. So yes, the students do come to school to eat – but I think even more so, they’re able to engage effectively in their learning because they’re not hungry.”

Getting out of the habit

Paeroa College’s daily attendance rate is now sitting at around 85-90 percent, which given the school’s rural setting and demographics, and the ongoing challenges of Covid, is not bad. Amy is keen to do whatever it takes to get students attending school and engaged in their learning. “We’ve had to work really hard at it. And that’s the reality. The barriers to attendance are as individual as our students.” And Covid hasn’t helped matters. “I think a lot of students got out of the habit of school,” reflects Amy. The move from virtual to in-person learning was daunting for many students, she says, especially those grappling with complex family situations. “We have a number of our families who are doing it hard financially, and so their kids are working outside of school hours. So they might work late into the evening and not get to bed till quite late. And that might mean that they come into school late or they’re looking after siblings, getting those kids to school so that parents can work. Those are things that we can identify, and we can try to have some agency around, but we can’t always fix it.” Amy says they are focusing on what they can control. “We really do work hard to make this school a safe place and a place that our kids want to come to.”

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“We really do work hard to make this school a safe place and a place that our kids want to come to.” Amy Hacker

Māori immersion pathway

As if to illustrate this point, the school bell rings for lunch, and students bowl enthusiastically into the gymnasium for Whetū Dodgeball as part of their week-long Matariki celebrations. It looks great fun. I try to grab a soundbite from one of the students. “I can’t sorry – I’m leading Whetū Dodgeball,” she says apologetically. “Majestic will talk to you though.” Majestic, Year 10, is slightly appalled at being put on the spot, but fields my questions like a pro. She is enjoying the Matariki activities so far. Majestic is in Paeroa College’s rumaki class and has relished the opportunity to continue her learning in a Māori medium setting at secondary school, after being in a rumaki class for her primary school years. “I like interacting with other students in my class and learning more about my Māori side and the history and all that,” she says. When Amy joined the school as principal in 2019, she says it became clear from conversations with mana whenua that the needs of Māori – who comprise approximately 50 percent of the school roll – weren’t being met at the college. Students in the Paeroa community could pursue a Māori immersion pathway through

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primary school and then it just ended – they either went into English medium study or left the Hauraki area for their secondary education. “Whānau were really strongly advocating that the college put in a Māori immersion pathway. So in 2020, we opened the doors to a Year 9 and 10 rumaki. And that now includes an NCEA pathway. “We will have another community consultation hui to make sure that we’re refining that and delivering on our graduate profile for our Māori students. It’s exciting.”

Eliminating Friday-itis

The other thing that strikes me as exciting is the school’s approach to timetabling. Fridays are set aside for academies – elective subjects that rotate on a semesterly basis. Students immerse themselves in their chosen academy for the entire day. Unsurprisingly, attendance on a Friday is generally good. Health & physical education teacher Ramai Gurnick leads the Mana Wahine academy. “Mana Wahine is about lifting women’s resilience and wellbeing and helping them to become more confident with themselves. I’m extremely excited about leading this because I see some of our young women are a little bit down on themselves and I’m hoping to be able to give them some skills to be able to lift them and just be the really confident, beautiful young women that I know they can be,” says Ramai, who is also Year 11 dean. It’s all part of the effort to keep students engaged in their learning, agrees Amy. She references the recently launched Attendance & Engagement Strategy. “Really, that document is around getting students in school, keeping them engaged, and then helping them to make meaningful progress in their learning. And I guess for us, the biggest thing is that engagement piece. We believe that students will come to school if their families and they feel they’re getting value out of being here. And so that means that we work hard every day to make this a place where kids want to be. “I’m a big believer that if you want to know what is going to get kids to school, you ask them and you ask their family. So, a lot of times adults in my experience will sit in a room and try to figure out how we’re going to get these kids to school. But actually, the biggest thing for us is really partnering with our community and saying, ‘What is it that we can do better, do differently to encourage your kids to show up every day, to be here, to be thriving the way that we want them to be?’”

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Paeroa College students.

Health & physical education teacher and Year 11 dean, Ramai Gurnick.

Paeroa College principal Amy Hacker.

Working together on a huge 10-metre by 3.5-metre traditional fishing net was challenging and rewarding for Reipuia, Fantasia, Uepare, Ngakau and Cheydin.

LO CAL CU RRIC U LU M

Fishing for knowledge connects ākonga to their local place Ngata Memorial College is using local cross-curriculum projects to hook Years 9 and 10 students into learning without them even knowing.

eter Heron, principal of small rural area school Ngata Memorial College, says there was some different thinking at the end of last year when planning projects for 2022. Fast forward to end of term 2 and the results of that planning are clear; ākonga in Years 9 and 10 have achieved many competencies across multiple subject areas through exploration of mātauranga Māori in a local context. Term 1 was themed Maunga te Moana and ākonga made traditional Māori fishing nets from local resources. And in term 2, themed Matariki, they made hinaki (eel pots). Execution of the mahi involved a new approach to the school day; students start with maths, English and science, then moved to project groups for the afternoon lessons. These have been a blend of subjects, the first of te reo Māori, social studies and food technology, and the second of art and technology. The term theme is also incorporated into the core subject lessons. “It is a way our students learn without realising they are in a formal lesson,” says Peter.

Harnessing local knowledge

The nets have relevance for the East Coast students. “Nearly all of our students will have food from the local area every week, whether it be kaimoana or food from hunting,” says Peter.

“There is a huge interest in how and where food comes from. Doing a project like this makes it relevant for the children while they gain key competencies.” Peter says ākonga loved making the nets, and there have been many positive impacts across the school day. “We no longer have wanderers in the afternoon as the traditionally tough subjects are over in the morning and the afternoon is engaging them in a local curriculum.” At the same time students learned traditional practices that go together with the nets, such as saying a karakia to Tangaroa before going fishing. Peter adds that they also gained a range of key competencies such as relating to others, teamwork, measurement, using natural resources and how to treat them before use. Students are also realising their Māori knowledge is actually an advantage in terms of connectedness to the whenua and the environment,“especially in this huge space in the world now, in terms of environmental awareness.”

Making the Maui Kupenga

Art teacher Lionel Matenga and technology teacher Wayne Palmer are passionate about the traditional projects. To make the 10-metre by 3.5 metre Maui Kupenga and some smaller Kohokehe Kupenga (net on a long pole), the first step was to find and prepare the resources. “There is a process to prepare the harakeke (flax), the

“There is a huge interest in how and where food comes from. Doing a project like this makes it relevant for the children while they gain key competencies.” Peter Heron 25 July 2022

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“The team-teaching made it manageable. The collaboration made it so we could leverage a lot of learning off one theme.” Wayne Palmer

manuka for the poles and supplejack vine,” says Lionel. Another side is learning the karakia and aligning the type of waiata to go with the project. “We also focused on tikanga to maintain and uphold our old people while creating the taonga,” he says. Lionel was taught how to make the nets by a kuia at Tuparoa, near Ruatoria. She would tell him how her family used them. Wayne showed students a picture of his tipuna Apiranga Urupa-Pipi, a barefoot figure among a gathering at the mouth of the Waiapu river 80–100 years ago with the same design kupenga. Lionel has loved the mahi but says keeping 25 students focused was a challenge. “Some groups were really engaged and stayed engaged and others we had to encourage,” he says. “The team-teaching made it manageable. The collaboration made it so we could leverage a lot of learning

off one theme,” adds Wayne. On the tech side, students learn traditional kai gathering tools and techniques, the dos and don’ts, and learn about materials used. During term 2, ākonga made hinaki using modular steel mesh and high tensile wire and comparing them. This linked to mathematics with perimeters and area calculations. “The students can’t wait to take them home and get eels.” Making the huge kupenga was a “mammoth task”, but Lionel says the group really gelled. “It was the length of our room. Rocks are woven along the bottom to hold it down and pumice is braided into the top of the opening.” All the nets will get used – the production line was a bit too slow to hit the right traditional fishing season, but they are ready to go as soon as the time is right.

Ngata Memorial College students with the long pole fishing nets made in traditional ways with natural resources. Toka, Cole, Xavier, Rico, Toihau, Tukaha, Keanu, Zion, Bruce, Trent, Ariki, Naomi, Pearl, Stevii, Aali, Karma and Charlotte are pictured looking very proud of their mahi.

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Join 2,500+ education staff already signed up to Gold Star The Ministry of Education and EAP Services have launched Gold Star, a programme designed specifically with school and kura workers in mind. Burnout and fatigue can impact your mental health. Our new series focusses on building good sleep habits, managing stress from work and how to spot, avoid and recover from burnout. Discover resources and webinars designed and facilitated by clinical and wellbeing professionals. Sign up for Gold Star for free and discover the benefits: • Help you feel less stressed at work • Build resilience in times of change • Guide your personal development or career direction

• Give you tools to handle conflict or tension in the workplace • Offer resources to support you with lifestyle or health issues

I N FRASTRUCTU RE PROJ ECT

Manurewa East School officially opened their new building with a dawn blessing ceremony.

More than just building learning spaces While the successful completion of the two-storey building at Manurewa East School is reason enough for celebration, there is more to this school construction project that everyone can be proud of.

n 23 May, Manurewa East School officially opened a new school building with eight new learning spaces after a formal dawn blessing ceremony, paying homage to their ancestors, as well as to everyone who contributed to making the project possible. The new building is named Te Puna o Te Reo Whiria which means, ‘the bubbling spring of intertwined language’. “It is modern, vibrant and a wonderful space to grow the leaders for today and tomorrow,” says Manurewa East School principal Mary Takatainga. “Our tamariki feel mana and are proud to be in this truly amazing learning space.” This journey started 15 years ago for the school, and

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Mary pays special tribute to all those who came before her time as principal. She says the builders, architects, designers, and the team from the Ministry all became part of the school whānau and together, they set about to continue on and complete the dream. She adds that they were humbled to have their local kaumatua and kuia guide and support them along the journey to ensure tikanga and protocols were adhered to. “It is of great importance for our kura to respect what we have and to build on that for the future and all that it may hold for our tamariki, whānau and community.” In addition to giving students new, safe and fit for

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purpose learning spaces, this construction project also helped deliver substantial positive outcomes that benefit not only the local South Auckland community, but also the whole world.

Supporting local

The past couple of years have been tough for everyone, particularly for small local businesses that have struggled to stay afloat due to the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. “Covid-19 brought its challenges, however, it also allowed us to consider different ways of doing things and supporting each other through this journey. This is very evident in the way products and services were sourced locally where possible and local sub-contractors were given opportunities to display their talents and expertise,” says Mary. Through the Manurewa East School construction project, the Ministry of Education was able to help boost South Auckland’s construction industry by encouraging main contractor, NZ Force Construction, to prioritise local businesses as sub-contractors. This resulted in 20 percent of the total project spend going local. NZ Force Construction was also encouraged to consider giving Māori-owned and Pasifika-owned businesses a fair opportunity to work on this project. They worked with Amotai – Aotearoa New Zealand’s supplier diversity intermediary – who helped introduce them to several new suppliers to potentially work with. “It is our understanding that the majority of the Manurewa East School population identifies as Māori or Pasifika, so it felt right to engage businesses from these communities and empower them to be part of the development,” says Rebecca Grbin, finance manager of NZ Force Construction. Adding a focus on engaging local Māori and Pasifika sub-contractors to complete the project did not necessarily require much effort for Rebecca and her team. “The only adjustment we had to do was cast our net a little wider, which we also found beneficial because expanding our supplier base is simply good business practice, particularly in the current market,” she says. Many of the sub-contractors they’ve met through Amotai have now joined and diversified their company’s pool of suppliers. Among them is the proud Pasifikaowned business, Ideal Fitouts, who has worked on other NZ Force Construction projects since Manurewa East School’s completion. “This has provided us opportunities to expand our business and create more jobs,” says Samuel Rikiau,

managing director of Ideal Fitouts. Mary adds the wider collaboration has taught them much about partnerships with their community. “This opportunity brought about new learning and understanding in regards to working cooperatively to achieve a shared vision for our tamariki, whānau and community.”

Reducing waste and emissions

The construction and demolition industry is one of the largest waste-producing industries in New Zealand. Construction and demolition waste represents up to 50 percent of all waste generated nationwide. To minimise unnecessary construction waste, Green Gorilla was enlisted to help manage on-site recycling throughout the duration of the project. Their report shows an overall 75 percent waste diversion rate. Among the key contributors to the significant waste reduction is an effort to salvage and repurpose items that can still be reused or recycled. “Of the roughly 250 tonnes of demolition material removed from Manurewa East School, Greenway – the demolition expert – achieved an impressive recovery rate of about 96 percent,” says Rebecca. The Ministry of Education is responsible for the management of the state school property portfolio of around 2,100 schools across the country. “As one of the biggest investors in construction in Aotearoa New Zealand, it is imperative that we do everything we can to divert items from going straight to the landfill. With a property portfolio as big as ours, even the slightest change to reduce our carbon footprint can make a significant impact in support of the global movement against climate change,” says Junior Ioane, the Ministry’s lead advisor broader outcomes.

Broader outcomes

The Broader Outcomes initiative is a New Zealand government-wide effort aimed at leveraging procurement activities to achieve wider public value. It recognises that government procurement can and should be used to support wider social, economic, cultural and environmental outcomes that go beyond the immediate purchase of goods and services. “As demonstrated by the remarkable achievements of the Manurewa East School project, the Ministry’s procurement activities can offer a unique opportunity for secondary outcomes that can benefit the wider community in more ways than one,” say Junior.

“It is of great importance for our kura to respect what we have and to build on that for the future and all that it may hold for our tamariki, whānau and community.” Mary Takatainga 25 July 2022

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I N FRASTRUCTU RE SU PPORT

Construction observers on-hand to keep school building projects on track A team of skilled construction observers is helping schools across the motu see their building and renovation projects to completion, and to quality standards.

CO Vince Daly inspecting the roof on a new admin block getting built at Newlands College.

he role of a construction observer (CO) is to ensure new buildings and renovations meet the Ministry of Education’s extra stringent design specifications, which exceed the New Zealand Building Code and acceptable solutions in areas such as increased roof slopes, additional drainage, wall cavity build-up and the use of more durable and appropriate cladding systems. Schools connected with a construction observer for their projects report that onsite work is being completed safely, efficiently and to high standards.

Delivering efficiently

Delivery manager Gerhard van der Merwe has supported a number of school-led capital works projects. “We take the project strain away from the school and by combining projects, we also save the schools money.”

Education Gazette

Gerhard says combining a project with capital works means his team can deliver the project efficiently and cost effectively through a single procurement process. He says the key to success is getting the right people on the Project Control Group (PCG) so school leaders can again concentrate on what they do best – teaching our tamariki. “A CO on board will ensure the products delivered by suppliers are 100 percent to Ministry design standards, which ultimately means a great structural and weathertight teaching space for years to come. “I absolutely love having a CO on my PCG teams. It is a great tool to have in the back pocket.” Gerhard says projects where COs are not involved often run into unnecessary issues. “We’ve found significant technical detail can be covered

gazette.education.govt.nz

up with cladding, which looks good on delivery but has a negative impact on the buildings in years to come.” His advice to school leaders taking on any building projects is to bring a CO onboard. “This will give you qualified eyes looking over the finer details of the project. It’s a win-win situation for the school and us [the Ministry].”

CO Joel Devine inspecting the plastering at Kuranui School.

Papamoa Primary’s experience

When a school-led project to modernise the hall at Papamoa Primary School in Bay of Plenty ran into issues, principal Matt Simeon reached out to his Ministry property advisor Richard Standing for help. Richard says they organised a CO to visit the site the following day to inspect the works and report on their findings. Matt says, “As a principal facing a challenge that’s beyond my technical capabilities, to have that support, the knowledge of the industry, and ability to de-escalate the contractor as well was really, really helpful.” The CO attended the site over the next few days to ensure that the works were being corrected and is now visiting the site on a weekly basis until all defects have been remedied. “The CO has provided the level of support I needed to get the outcome for the school,” says Matt. His advice to school leaders dealing with complex property issues is to ring their property advisor and ask for a CO. “The process was so simple. Having someone with a trained eye and industry knowledge is what we as principals need. I don’t know what a flashing should look like; I’ve heard the word and I know they are important, but I don’t know what to look for,” he says. When deciding on building contractors, Matt recommends choosing one that has school project experience. “I’ve found that well-known and renowned larger companies, while more expensive, will give you more peace of mind.”

Joel inspecting the window installation at Wairarapa College.

For more information about construction observers and Ministry-led infrastructure projects, visit education.govt.nz/ school/property-and-transport.

“Having someone with a trained eye and industry knowledge is what we as principals need. I don’t know what a flashing should look like; I’ve heard the word and I know they are important, but I don’t know what to look for.” Matt Simeon 25 July 2022

Tukutuku Kōrero

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ONEHUNGA HIGH SCHOOL

A place to discover your real leadership potential Maunu School - situated on the beautiful rural fringes of Whangārei, 5 km from the Whangārei CBD. A unique semi-rural setting, offering an awesome lifestyle and close to city amenities. We have strong values that reflect supportive community aspirations. Positive relationships, a sense of belonging and responsibility, open communication, exciting learning experiences and a focus on wellbeing are the foundations of our success. We value curiosity and innovative learning experiences that provide children with “the freedom to soar” supported by quality teaching. We treasure inclusiveness and engagement that spring from children who are caring and confident of each other. We are looking for a principal who: can build great relationships, is collaborative and can demonstrate strong leadership for staff, children and the community. Our new principal will be highly visible, build mana, grow leadership in our students and staff, enjoy their role, show a sense of humour and inspire others. We would warmly welcome your visit to the school. Applications are welcomed by new and experienced leaders. Applications close at 12.00 noon on Friday 2 September 2022 An application pack is available online at www.educationgroup.co.nz If you have any queries please contact Tanya Prentice or David Ellery at admin@educationgroup.co.nz or phone 09 9202173

Our school is proud of its academic record, innovative developments, and outstanding new educational facilities. We are looking for a leader who will value and enhance our school culture and who will continue to motivate and inspire our students, staff and community. Onehunga High School is a Year 9-13 coeducational, multicultural school with a stable roll of 1000 students, located in a supportive and diverse community. We are looking for a Principal who: • Has high standards and commitment to achieving excellence • Has excellent interpersonal skills with students, staff, and community • Is innovative and energetic • Will appreciate a school culture that treats students as individuals • Has a wide and up-to-date perspective of educational issues • Demonstrates being a passionate learner • Has ideas about current theory and learning activities Applications close 1:00 pm Friday 19th August 2022. Appointment commences Term One 2023 or as negotiated. Application pack available at: www.educationgroup.co.nz/ portfolio/ohs. Any queries, please contact Tanya Prentice or Kay Hawk, admin@educationgroup.co.nz or 09 920 2173.

25 July 2022

Tukutuku Kōrero

Nō konei ahau, nō mai rā anō

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