Maori Party Launch of Education Policy

Waihoroi Shortland, Maori Party Candidate for Te Tai Tokerau Hato Petera College, Wednesday 9 November 2011; 4pm

Miria te pounamu; piata ana

Polish a gem till the brilliance sines through

• 1. Every child is a gem and our education policy aims to reflect that. In our view children are the living messages to a time we may not see- they are our future - no investment can be too small when we are shaping our next generation. And yet while we often worry about what a child will become tomorrow, we forget that they are someone today, The Maori Party education policy reflects our high expectations of success for Maori learners, and for the system that must deliver excellence for Maori and for Aotearoa as a whole. We will embed the implementation of Tâtaiako (the cultural competence framework) nationwide by 2015 to guarantee that the cultural integrity; that unique identity that every child brings to the learning process is valued, acknowledged and catered for.

2. Maori taking control of their future

We start with our own rich resources which we must build off – our people, our whanau, our language. We want to encourage everyone to step up – for whanau to become actively engaged in the learning process; for iwi to invest in the education and development of their people; for our language champions to be valued as a key resource in the educational continuum.

• We will resource iwi capacity to be engaged in student achievement – as a provider and an advisor in teacher professional development and in teacher recruitment strategies, including iwi bonding schemes – ie. iwi will provide for students in teacher training and they in turn are bonded to deliver to iwi.

• We will invest in digital hubs to be established in communities and rural marae.

• Every whânau will be knowledgeable on financial matters to better understand and be in control of their finances.

• We will recognise the unique status of kohanga reo, kura kaupapa Mâori, wânanga and Mâori medium initiatives through their own statutory legislation. This could then be linked to te reo in the homes being revitalised through encouraging the parents in assisting their children in their learning and drawing on the knowledge and expertise of kuia and koroua.

• Te reo Mâori will be compulsorily available in schools by 2015. This last point bears expanding upon. One of our policy priorities is to establish the Heikoko fund to boost the number of te reo speakers. We believe that Te Ataarangi provides a vital opportunity to grow our reo; to strengthen the Maori language base of every school. We have deliberately phased the requirement for te reo Maori to be compulsorily available by 2015 because we know we simply don’t have the resources now – and it is important that we plan it right; to enable our reo to thrive and to survive. We will promote a three year recruitment drive for 200 Mâori to enter into the teaching profession, especially those who are competent in te reo Mâori. This will involve a bonding scheme where a scholarship will be paid in return for years of service.

We will also establish a multi-site Mâori language teacher training centre and a centre for Mâori educational excellence in teaching and leadership.

3. Education to be nurtured in a safe pair of hands We acknowledge that the great majority of Maori children- as many as 95% are in mainstream education. We must ensure that their education is one of excellence; we will demand that the education system is held accountable for performance. And we hold the highest expectations for Maori learner achievement – and that includes the organizational leadership in every school making its business known, that whanau play a pivotal role in nurturing talent and coaching for success.

• We will ensure early childhood education as the foundation to our future is affordable, available and responsive and includes initiatives such as PAFT, HIPPY, PAUSE, PAUA, kôhanga reo and whânau led centres.

• Initiate nationwide discussion about compulsory early childhood education.

• Encourage schools to engage with families to improve educational outcomes for young people – by increasing community literacy programmes, such as Reading Together; and working with families to improve their skills and qualifications.

• We place a high priority on the rollout of literacy and numeracy strategies for deciles 1-3 schools; and require that all children within the education system can read, write and count to their age.

• We will advocate for a culturally inclusive curriculum and open up ways where iwi, hapû can have direct input into local curriculum documents. • Implement financial literacy as a core component of the New Zealand curriculum from year 7 and 8.

• We will investigate pastoral care models to ensure the appropriate support of Mâori students in education.

• Guaranteed mana whenua representation on the boards of all state schools.
• We will review priorities based on an evaluation of progress achieved under Ka Hikitia.

• Review progress of the recommendations in the 1996 Smith report on Mâori boarding schools, including reviewing the impact of scholarships.

• Nô te hapori, mo te hapori, i te hapori: We will promote inter-generational / whânau engagement in learning and participation in work, community life and civil society.

4 We celebrate diversity across the learning continuum

The final plank of our educational policy is to welcome creativity and courage into our contemporary curriculum. We describe this as Te Tâpapa Matauranga • We will take a values and virtues approach to schooling, expecting excellence and achievement for all students. We will promote the concept of self-managing schools which focus on whânau achievement and success. We will support:
• Roadshows to promote educational pathways in areas where Mâori are under-represented - ie health science academies (Te Kura Pûtaiao Hauora) or science camps.
• Arts and performance institutes to nurture our creative potential; or sports academies to grow our talent.

• Initiatives to advance Mâori academic leadership and scholarship excellence.

• Diversify the current service academy model to include trade skills, culinary arts, medical, horticultural and agricultural studies. Our job in the Maori Party is to argue for the resources; to listen to the aspirations and the expectations whanau share with us and then to make that happen. Polish a gem till the brilliance shines through Miria te pounamu, piata ana

Authorised by Waihoroi Shortland, 188 Mountain Road, Waiatarua,Waitakere City, 0612.

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