Pacific education is an area of priority in Aotearoa New Zealand. It involves the teaching of Pacific students by a workforce that is largely of European origin. Pacific communities value education and have the capability to contribute to the understandings of teachers as they seek to provide the kinds of service that communities want to see. This…

A relational approach focusses on connections between things, assuming that all things exist in relatedness. In this article, attention is given to the relationship between innovative learning environments (ILE) as described in literature, and elements of the field of Pacific education. In order to investigate this relationship, I take a layered…

Tok stori is a Melanesian form of dialogical engagement. Although it has been generally associated with informal activities, this article points to the potential of tok stori as a pedagogical or teaching process. Set in a school leadership programme spread across the Solomon Islands, the discussion illustrates the value of approaching the…

Education in an inter-cultural space is a feature of Aotearoa New Zealand: the education system is of European origin as are many in the teaching profession, while the student population is diverse. Within that diversity are Pasifika students, those with links to Pacific Island nations resident in Aotearoa New Zealand. This article offers insights…

Understanding, articulating and managing relationality, the state of being related, is a central feature of research, teaching and other people-centred matters in the Pacific. Although various groups in this diverse region, Indigenous and otherwise, bring their own concepts and protocols to relationships, physical, social and spiritual connection…

If schools wish to be more inclusive by reflecting the communities they serve, paying deliberate attention to embedded values can be helpful. This article describes thinking and actions set in a school with a history of attending to values. It suggests that when consulting on values, the ethics of critical research can enhance the process of…

Like all acts of naming, the term 'Pasifika', which is used to refer collectively to persons with connections to Pacific Island nations living in Aotearoa New Zealand, can be used to represent or to misrepresent, to enable or to control. Consequently, the notion of a field of Pasifika educational research is contested. This article provides a…

It is a rare event when senior scholars and actors in a field come together; more so when that takes place in the company of new and emerging scholars. Even rarer are such occasions in the Oceania region, where distance can mediate against key players coming together in time and space. When the stars align, the opportunity must be seized. This…

Donor-funded programmes in areas such as leadership development take place in every continent. In the Western Pacific, Melanesia has been host to such programmes based on non-Melanesian thought and practice over the years. However, a review of donor-funded leadership programmes in the region reveals a history of concern regarding effectiveness but…

Mainstream thought on Pacific education tends to highlight the relatively poor educational achievement and sub-optimal experiences of Pacific learners in Aotearoa New Zealand. This article explores further understandings of the links between Pacific learners, their environments, and relational learning experiences. The argument is supported by…

The quality of relationships has been identified as a significant factor in Pasifika education. Pasifika education refers to students who have links with Pacific Islands, who are at schools in Aotearoa New Zealand. In the past, attention has been given to the type of person who can successfully create relationships as a teacher of Pasifika…

Set in Aotearoa New Zealand, this examination of "Pasifika" education as an inter-cultural event discusses what students from the Pacific diaspora say about educational success. Against a backdrop of literature that pays attention to teacher-student relationships, achievement targets, and peer relationships, the article uses Pacific…

Intercultural education is often a contested area. This is true of Pasifika education, the education in Aotearoa New Zealand of students with links to Pacific Island nations. Despite shifts of framing, one area identified as significant in Pasifika education is student-teacher relationships. This article describes two phases of research which pay…

In the complex and diverse region of Oceania, researchers often work across more than one cultural understanding. Thus, a researcher's position with regard to their research requires careful ongoing negotiation because position, when understood through relationality, is fluid. Negotiating position requires acute reflexivity of the researcher but…