The Ministry of Education document "Action Plan for Pacific Education" 2020-2030 is a government commitment to transform outcomes for Pacific learners and their families. Key Shift 5 of this Action Plan focuses on valuing, growing, and retaining "teachers, leaders, and educational professionals with diverse Pacific heritages"…

The purakau presented in this article come from a narrative inquiry underpinned and guided by kaupapa Maori theory and research principles (G. Smith, 1997; L. T. Smith, 2015). This rangahau explored four teenage Maori mothers' experiences of support in health, social, financial, education and whanau domains. The purakau presented here are the…

This paper examines how kaiako (teachers) view professional learning and development training (PLD) in structured literacy (SL) in a Maori-medium immersion context. Through interviews with kaiako in a kura kaupapa Maori (Maori-medium educational setting) who teach students in Years 1-6, and images of the literacy environment to capture some of the…

This research paper asks what Maori educators want Pakeha outreach teachers to know when working with tamariki Maori on the autism spectrum with high, complex needs. A review of the literature noted a shortage of specialists who can speak te reo Maori and practice in a culturally responsive way. Three Maori educators participated in…

In this article Kay-Lee Jones describes the attributes of the Te Pa o Rakaihautu school. Te Pa o Rakaihautu is unique, it is different and designed to be so. It is a 21st century pa wananga (learning village) for the whole whanau (family). Through the hallways of Te Pa o Rakaihautu one feels the mauri (essence) of the different entities that make…

In this piece, I recount some events in which I was called upon to speak in te reo Ma ori on behalf of others in a variety of formal situations. I call this being 'on the paepae' but the paepae should be understood more properly as the paepae tapu. I will leave the further explanation of this for others who should rightly speak about such things.…

This article seeks to highlight the importance of consciously implementing universal design for learning principles in practice in early childhood intervention. Universal design for learning (UDL) is based on three principles: (1) providing multiple means of engagement; (2) providing multiple means of representation; and (3) providing multiple…

This research provides chalk-face insights from a group of predominantly Pakeha teachers grappling with culturally-responsive relational practice (CRRP), in a time and environment where external factors can affect self-efficacy and limit personal agency. It details a two-phased professional inquiry undertaken with fourteen teachers from one Kahui…

The purpose of this article is to examine literacy as a key contributor to cultivating individual and collective self-determination for indigenous peoples. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) defines literacy as a human right intrinsically important for human development and well-being. Therefore, literacy…

This paper provides an autoethnographic view of the influences that have changed my perceptions and helped me to make better sense of the world that I live in, and my place in it. It is a story of personal, ongoing critical reflection. A story of unlearning and conscientisation that changed how I came to understand myself, my teaching practice and…

This professional inquiry investigates how Community of Learning Ka hui Ako across-community teachers (ACT) can support teacher confidence and perceived competence in relation to their culturally-responsive pedagogy. Communities of Learning Ka hui Ako are explored in terms of defining what makes a community successful and how they can be used as a…

The concept of home-school partnerships is widely accepted as being important for student success. How this concept can be quantified in a more equitable and valid way, specifically through the lens of the Resource Teachers of Learning and Behaviour (RTLB), is the focus of this inquiry. RTLB and parent surveys, plus a questionnaire answered by the…

The concept of home-school partnerships is widely accepted as being important for student success. How this concept can be quantified in a more equitable and valid way, specifically through the lens of the Resource Teachers: Learning and Behaviour (RTLB), is the focus of this inquiry. RTLB and parent surveys, plus an interview with a Ministry of…

Teacher-talk is a key tool for engaging students in learning. This report examines a process whereby data was used to support teachers in reflecting on their teacher-talk. The context for the study was a small rural New Zealand area school with predominantly Maori students and staff. Emphasis was on strategies that engage, in particular, Maori…

Before graduating from my year as a student in an initial teacher education programme, I am tasked with demonstrating my ability to show how I am able to achieve equitable outcomes for 'priority student groups'. My success or failure in this hinges on a number of factors. Arguably, the most important factor is the quality of practice I observe…