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28
NGÄ ROHE
TE TAITOKERAU
ENGAGING COMMUNITIES
FOR EDUCATION
Te Puni Kökiri continues to support the
Engaging Taitamariki in Learning (ETL)
strategy, most recently enabling Ngäti Hine
Health Trust to employ a Strategic Facilitator.
Turi Te Hira (Te Rarawa) was appointed to
the role of Strategic Facilitator, making
him responsible for ensuring schools and
communities between Warkworth in the
south, and Kaitaia in the North ‘are engaged’.
“My role is to strengthen schools’
relationships with their communities,
ensuring there is on-going dialogue
between the two,” Turi said. “I listen to
what the communities tell me they need
from their schools, and what the schools
need from their communities, so both can
make good on their obligations to our
young people and whänau.”
Turi engages with school administrators,
senior management, staff, students and
boards on tailored community-led projects
intended to provide schools and communities
with a fresh perspective on how to improve
student engagement and learning successes.
Since his appointment in February 2012,
Turi has visited 19 of 24 secondary schools
involved in the ETL Strategy in Te Taitokerau.
ETL is a collaborative approach between
government agencies, iwi, schools and
community groups to improve education
outcomes for Mäori in Northland. When the
ETL was initiated in 2006, only 37.2 per cent
of Mäori students in Northland achieved
NCEA Level 2. In 2011, 24 secondary schools
with more than 5,000 Mäori students
have made a commitment to the strategy
by helping to improve Mäori students’
educational achievement rates.
TE PUNI KÖKIRI | KÖKIRI | NGAHURU / AUTUMN 2012
The ETL strategy has three work streams:
Te Ako o Ngä Taitamariki, The School-
Community Interface, Tama Tü Tama Ora,
Personalised Learning Pathways for Mäori
Boys and Te Mana o Ngä Taitamariki,
Identity, Sport, Culture and Leadership. Turi’s
mahi as Strategic Facilitator contributes to
the Te Ako o Ngä Taitamariki work stream.
Turi is also Regional Broker for Tai Tokerau
Trade Academy (TTTA), a regional initiative
which Te Puni Kökiri has supported for
the past six years. Last year the TTTA was
accepted as a Ministry of Education Trade
Academy. Trade Training contributes to the
Tama Tü Tama Ora work stream by providing
practical pathways for Mäori, particularly
Mäori boys.
Both of Turi’s roles are part time. Te
Taitokerau Regional Director Walter Wells
says Turi was critical to the development
and success of the Trade Academy, and he is
confident that Turi’s experience, knowledge
and existing relationships with secondary
school principals will result in successes for
the Strategic Facilitator role and the goals of
the ETL strategy.
Tai Tokerau Trades Academy delivers tertiary
programmes to secondary students, across
a growing range of trade and technology
pathways including carpentry, hospitality,
agriculture, horticulture, aviation,
mechanical and automotive engineering, at
six schools.
“The ETL strategy sets a goal for Te
Taitokerau secondary schools to ensure 75%
of Mäori students achieve NCEA Level 2 by
2013. This goal is achievable - in 2011 the
participation achievement rate was 73%. We
expect at least 75% of Mäori leave school
with a minimum NCEA Level 2 qualification,
if not more,” Walter says.
The Engaging Taitamariki in Learning
strategy is built on three work streams:
• Te Ako o Ngä Taitamariki: The
School-Community Interface – where
schools (boards, principals, teachers
and students) and communities
(whänau, hapü, iwi, industry, Non-
Government Organisations) will be
expected to collaborate on local
initiatives to engage taitamariki
in schools and lift educational
attainment.
• Tama Tü Tama Ora, Personalised
Learning Pathways for Mäori Boys –
where whänau, communities, schools,
industry and government collaborate
to facilitate taitama (Mäori boys)
engagement in learning between
and during the key transition steps
from school, to work, training and
study. Much of this work stream will
initially focus on the existing Youth
Transition Services, trade training
and getting Mäori boys into work.
• Te Mana o Ngä Taitamariki - Identity,
Sport, Culture and Leadership –
where taitamariki are engaged in
learning social, cultural and physical
skills through participation in
relevant and contemporary outside
activities such as sports, kapa
haka, leadership and mentoring. Te
Mana o Ngä Taitamariki is about
opportunities to gain confidence
in learning outside the classroom,
and validating these experiences
in school or other formal learning
instruments.