Ako Aotearoa has a wealth of resources, research, and professional learning opportunities to help you support your Māori and Pacific learners to succeed.

Resources

Māori Learner Success - Cultural Capability Resources
Videos and tools for educators covering topics such as using Māori pedagogies and culturally responsive teaching and learning methods, including the model of mātauranga Māori by Professor Mason Durie known as Te Whare Tapa Whā.

Pacific Learner Success - Cultural Capability Resources
Videos and tools covering using Pacific pedagogies and culturally responsive teaching and learning methods.

The Ranga Framework/He Raranga Kaupapa
The Ranga Framework, developed by Professor Wiremu Doherty, provides a comprehensive approach to engaging Māori learners. The key idea behind the Ranga Framework is that local context is extremely important in literacy and language learning

Māori and Pacific Literacy and Numeracy - Videos from He Taunga Waka Wānanga
Videos explore Māori and Pacific literacy and numeracy and cover topics such as indigenous notions of success, what makes a difference to outcomes and the impact of financial wellbeing on access to education.

Utilising Māori and Pacific pedagogies in literacy learning
Information and resources related to improving learning, engagement, motivation and progression rates of Māori and Pacific learners. Covers topics such as extending learners’ vocabulary, strategies for decoding unknown words, and comprehension.

Creating a space to talk about the Tuakana-Teina pedagogy for tertiary educators
Covers topics such as defining Tuakana-Teina, reasons for talking about it with tertiary educators, distinction between Tuakana-Teina and peer mentoring models, and identifying the ‘spaces’ to talk.

See all cultural capability resources »

Research

A selection of Ako Aotearoa research projects with a foundation learning and cultural capability focus:

• The kaupapa Māori wellbeing assessment model – Hei Ara Ako ki te Oranga
• A Māori perspective for embedding literacy and numeracy within adult education programmes
• Integrated assessment for Māori youth learners entering tertiary education for the first time
• Hīnātore | Upskilling Māori and Pasifika workplace learners
• Project-based learning focused on numeracy and literacy skills with Māori second-chance learners

More cultural capability research:

• Te Whaihanga – Preparing students to work with Māori
• Huakina Mai: Doorways Toward Culturally Responsive Education
• Weaving the mat | Data-informed initiatives to enhance Māori and Pacific Student Achievement
• Tū Te Ngana Hau – Breath of Endeavour

See all cultural capability research »

Pathways: self-directed online learning

Our Māori Cultural Capability and Pacific Cultural Centredness pathways offer foundation-level educators a great springboard to gaining the cultural knowledge you need to support your Māori and Pacific learners to succeed.

• Māori Cultural Capability has four pathways structured around Tikanga Māori values: Ako, Rangatiratanga, Manaakitanga and whanaungatanga.
• Pacific Cultural Centredness has seven modules based on different Pacific nations: Samoa, Fiji, Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau, Tonga and Tuvalu.

Courses

In addition, these courses run by the Manako Programme will help foundation-level educators build cultural capability:

• Applying Māori Cultural Capability workshop series
  A series of one-hour workshops, each exploring ways to apply Māori values/ methodologies in various contexts.
• Enhancing Māori Cultural Capability
  Increase your awareness of Māori knowledge, values, and learning/teaching methodologies, and how to apply these to your teaching context. We will work with you to design specific learning outcomes to support your organisation’s need. This course is offered in-house only
• Introduction to the Pacific Cultural Centredness Pathway
  Gain greater understanding of the seven major Pacific nations in Aotearoa and an appreciation of the unique values that define each one.
• Enhancing Pacific cultural capability
  Build on your learning from the ‘Introduction to the Pacific Cultural Centredness Pathway’ course. This course helps you align your approach to each of the major Pacific nation groups.
• Le Va | Cultural social distancing
  Explore the meaning and importance of Le Va and why observing this is crucial for Pacific learning.
• Financial wellbeing | A Pacific Islands perspective
  Explore tools and strategies that you can share with your learners to help them make informed decisions about money and financial planning.

Ako Aotearoa offers a number of other courses for supporting Māori and Pacific learners, including popular Te Tiriti o Waitangi courses:

• Māori Learner Success courses
• Pacific Learner Success courses