Ako Aotearoa

Informed by the voices of students and staff from Wānanga organisations, this report
provides a rich tapestry of the outcomes of success that the Wānanga aspire to, and the actual experiences of the students themselves.

Kaikaikaroro is the metaphorical and visual conceptual framework for sharing the findings and presenting the opportunity for ongoing development.

The Kaikaikaroro framework provides reflective questions that can be used by all educators to ensure their practice and ongoing learning caters for the needs of Māori.

This focus on more responsive approaches will contribute to ensuring the future of Aotearoa is one that is underpinned by the knowledges and experiences of Māori and looks towards a potential-filled educational landscape for all our tamariki and mokopuna.

Download the report:

Kaikaikaroro: Enhancing student success within Wānanga (PDF, 2Mb)

Background:

This project, completed in 20121, aimed to better understand what the unique features of the Wānanga experience are that contribute to student achievement and success. This project is a collaboration between Te Wānanga o Raukawa, Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, and Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi.

Research report prepared by By Hannah Simmonds.

Co-funded by the Ako Aotearoa Project Fund

Entering tertiary education for the first time can be a daunting experience for Māori youth who leave mainstream education with few or no qualifications and a history of truancy, or exclusion from mainstream education.

This report looks at the process of integrated assessment for learners who might struggle with traditional assessment. It offers recommendations for building organisational capability to ensure long-term sustainability of integrated assessment approaches.

Download the report:

Integrated assessment for Māori youth learners entering tertiary education for the first time (PDF, 1.5Mb)

Background:

A project completed in 2011, undertaken by Matapuna Training Centre, Gisborne, to investigate the use of integrated assessment with Māori youth learners entering tertiary education for the first time.

The project focus was to gather naturally occurring evidence towards achievement of units (including elective units) linked to the National Certificate in Employment Skills (NCES) Level 1 while students engaged in day to day course activities.

Research report prepared by Hannah Hohapata.

Co-funded by the Ako Aotearoa Regional Hub Project Fund (RHPF)

This report documents an investigation to gain a deeper understanding of the importance of truly integrating a bicultural component in initial teacher education (ITE) programmes.

Resource download:

Inakitia Rawatia hei Kakano mō Āpōpō: Students Encounter with Bicultural Commitment (PDF, 1Mb)

Background:

A project, completed in 2014, to better understand student encounters with biculturalism; their understanding of te ao Māori (the Māori world) from their past experiences; and the new learning that will occur during their study in an initial teacher education (ITE) programme.

A collaboration of the University of Canterbury and Rangi Ruru Early Childhood College.

Research report prepared by Diane Gordon-Burns and Leeanne Campbell.

Co-funded by the Ako Aotearoa Regional Hub Project Fund (RHPF)

This report details an investigation by two Private Training Establishments (PTEs) to develop co-joint and/or complementary programming to improve participation, retention and progression of Māori tertiary learners. 

It may be of use to other organisations looking to create a collaborative approach to learner success.

Download the report:

Improving Participation, Retention and Progression of Māori Tertiary Learners in the Whanganui Region (PDF, 1.1Mb)

Background:

A project, completed in 2009, to investigate how two Private Training Establishments (PTEs) could improve the participation, retention and progression of Māori Tertiary Learners, and more specifically, Tangata Whenua, of the Whanganui region. A collaboration of Whanganui Learning Centre Trust and Tupoho Whanau Trust.

Research report prepared by Gail Harrison, George Marshall and Aroha Beckham. 

Co-funded by the Ako Aotearoa Regional Hub Project Fund (RHPF)

Relational based practices for strengthening cultural connectedness for Māori learners in trades training, agriculture and the polytechnic sector.

These reports detail a project to drive systems-level change to improve the educational experience and outcomes for Māori learners. It explores the impact of Culturally Responsive Professional Learning and Development (CRPLD) for educators on Māori learning success.

The Hūtia Te Punga reports provide research insights from three very different tertiary programmes. It highlights both challenges faced by educators and examples of best practice. If offers recommendations for education providers and workplaces as to how the learning environments and completion rates of Māori in vocational education could be improved.

The accompanying workshop guide helps educators think more deeply about their own work and experiences. What can you learn that will enable you to more effectively ensure the success of Māori tauira as Māori?

Resource download:

Full report | Hūtia Te Punga (PDF, 5Mb)

Summary report | Hūtia Te Punga (PDF, 5Mb)

Hūtia Te Punga – Workshop guide (PDF, 300Kb)

Supporting videos:

Four tutors talk about what Culturally Responsive Teaching looks like at Telford.

Janine from Otago Polytechnic talks about Māori student success from a leadership perspective and some of the strategies that they have implemented.

Background:

This project, completed in 2019, was a two year collaborative partnership with Ako Aotearoa, Te Tapuae o Rehua, Otago Polytechnic, the Building and Construction ITO and Taratahi Agricultural Training Centre.

The focus of the research project was to better understand the needs of the ITP and ITO sectors by scoping and probing different learning contexts, and making recommendations as to how outcomes for Māori learners in vocational education could be improved.

Research report prepared by Dr Porsha London, Dr Sonja Macfarlane, Sharon Armstrong, Dr Eruera Tarena, Dr Wayne Duncan, Claire McIntyre, Dr Joe Kuntz, Janine Kapa, Vai Punivai, Piripi Prendergast, Melany Tainui and Brett Fleming.

Co-funded by the Ako Aotearoa National Project Fund (NPF)

Creating a Kaupapa Māori secondary tertiary pathway for Māori Medium students

This report documents the delivery and evaluation of Mātauranga Māori programme to Māori students, with content delivered in Te Reo Māori across the subject areas of Health, Education and Social Sciences in a tertiary setting. 

The report highlights institutional capabilities that develop Māori learner-centred systems, thereby increasing Māori student success.

Download the report:

Huakina ngā tatau o tōku whare: Creating a Kaupapa Māori secondary tertiary pathway for Māori Medium students (PDF, 900Kb)

Background:

This project, completed in 2021 at Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology, developed from the want to increase Kura Kaupapa Māori student participation in our local tertiary programmes, as a way of increasing the number of culturally and clinically qualified Māori health professionals.

It aimed to create a Kaupapa Māori secondary-tertiary pathway for Māori Medium students within the subject areas of Health, Education and Social Services. The programmes aimed to close the gap between Māori medium and Kura Kaupapa Māori learners and the tertiary sector by designing, delivering and evaluating a L2 and L3 programme that is written with University Entrance approved Te Marautanga o Aotearoa NCEA credits , in Te Reo Māori, to Kura Kaupapa Māori students.

Research report prepared by Maria Ngawati, Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology.

Co-funded by the Ako Aotearoa Regional Hub Project Fund (RHPF)