Hon Erica Stanford
Minister of Education

The Government has released its Māori Education Action Plan which sets out its approach to deliver better outcomes in the classroom for Māori students, Education Minister Erica Stanford says.

“25 per cent of learners within our schooling system are Māori. While many achieve excellent results, on average Māori experience worse outcomes than other learners on every major metric that we measure. Just 12 per cent of Māori in English Medium settings are at the curriculum benchmark in maths by the time they reach Year 8. In Term 2, only 39 per cent of students in English Medium settings attended school regularly,” Ms Stanford says.

“This needs to change and our Government is committed to driving this change.

The plan outlines early actions to support the achievement of Māori students in English Medium settings, decisions to strengthen Māori Medium Education and early language acquisition, and a commitment to working with leaders and representative groups of Kaupapa Māori Education to build a work programme that reflects shared priorities.

“We have begun refreshing Te Marautanga o Aotearoa to be a world-leading indigenous curriculum. We have invested in the roll-out of structured literacy in te reo Māori, developed decodable books and pāngarau mathematics resources in te reo Māori, and developed Hihira Weteoro, a nationwide phonics check,” Ms Stanford says.

“The next phase of work will provide teachers and kaiako the resources and professional development they need to bring the curriculum to life in their classrooms. It will also focus on teacher training to support the workforce of the future.

“We also want to continue supporting the important role whānau play in a child’s learning. The Ministry of Education will explore options with the Social Investment Agency on Alternative Education and partner with iwi to strengthen whānau engagement.

“This is just the start. I will draw on the advice and guidance of my Māori Education Ministerial Advisory Group as we develop and augment this plan. I will also continue to engage with Te Matakahuki and Māori education leaders so we can all ensure our tamariki benefit from a world leading education,” Ms Stanford says.

Glossary:

Mahere Mātauranga (Māori) – Māori Education Action Plan

Kura Auraki – English Medium education

Kura Ara Reo – Māori Medium education

Kaupapa (mātauranga) Māori – Kaupapa Māori education

Toi Hau Tāngata – Social Investment Agency

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