The First Māori Education Strategy
Ka Hikitia: Setting Priorities for Māori Education
Ka Hikitia – Managing for Success: The draft Māori Education Strategy 2008 – 2012
Consultation Themes
Launch of Ka Hikitia – Managing for Success: The Māori Education Strategy 2008-2012
The First Māori Education Strategy
The first Māori Education Strategy was launched in 1999 with three main goals in mind. They were: 
- to raise the quality of mainstream education for Māori
- to support the growth of high-quality kaupapa Māori education
- to support greater Māori involvement and authority in education.
That first strategy recognised that Māori education success was a ministry-wide responsibility. It created an environment that led to a range of new initiatives, including:
- iwi education partnerships
- professional development programmes such as Te Kotahitanga and Te Kauhua
- the Whakaaro Mātauranga communications campaign (Te Mana – ki te Taumata) and the appointment of more than 20 pouwhakataki (Māori community liaison officers) throughout the country
- additional Māori-medium schooling support initiatives such as Resource Teachers of Māori
- student engagement initiatives.
In 2005, the strategy was republished to reaffirm the ministry’s commitment to Māori education.
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Ka Hikitia: Setting Priorities for Māori Education
By 2006, the ministry had begun the process of redeveloping the strategy. It started with an initial think piece that asked the ministry’s iwi partners and a small group of key stakeholders to review and feedback on through a formal engagement process. The document was called Ka Hikitia: Setting Priorities for Māori Education.
The 2006 engagement process had three key aims:
- to engage with leading Māori academics, seeking their feedback on the background paper
- to discuss with the ideas in Ka Hikitia: Setting Priorities for Māori Education with key stakeholders
- to introduce Ka Hikitia: Setting Priorities for Māori Education to Ministry of Education staff.
Stakeholder and staff engagement ran from October to December 2006, involving the ministry’s iwi partners, the PPTA Māori caucus, the Early Childhood Advisory Committee, the Schools’ Consultative Committee, Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust, NZEI Māori Caucus and ministry staff.
Several key themes emerged from the engagement process, including:
- clear support for the strategy development process, particularly the opportunity for groups to comment and be involved in the early stages of development
- strong support for the use of the Māori Potential Approach as a way of shifting education outcomes for Māori and as an example of strong cross-government collaboration
- support for the conceptual framing set out in Ka Hikitia: Setting Priorities for Māori Education, with some suggestions for minor refinements.
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Ka Hikitia – Managing for Success: The draft Māori Education Strategy 2008 – 2012
Ka Hikitia - Managing for Success was launched for a three-month public consultation period as a draft document on 16 August, 2007. Consultation involved:
- 13 face to face public hui across the country, attended by over 600 people in total, including young people and rangatahi
- bilateral discussions with the ministry’s iwi and Māori education partners where Ka Hikitia – Managing for Success was discussed
- presentations to a number of education groups including the Ngai Tahu Wanaka Matauraka Summit, the Marlborough Principals Association, the Industry Training Federation, Te Akatea Māori Principals Association (Northland Group) and the Correspondence School
- discussions with key government departments and agencies
- distribution of over 7,300 copies of the strategy document (81% in English, 19% in Māori) and 4,600 copies of the summary document (76% in English, 24% in Māori)
- articles and features in a number of publications and communications channels, including the Education Gazette, The Batch/Ed Online (monthly communications from the Ministry of Education to all schools), Pitopito Korero, NZEI, PPTA and NZQA newsletters, Kokiri Paetae (Te Puni Kōkiri) and the Leadspace, Te Kete Ipurangi and Education Counts websites
- more than 100 submissions were received (19% by email, 14% using the online feedback form, 11% using the hard copy feedback form in the draft strategy document, 28% written submissions and letters and 28% [33 responses] through the Taiohi Rangatahi online questionnaire)
- additional meetings with professional leaders and representatives of schools and other educators in Dunedin, Rotorua, Thames, Hamilton, Ruatoria, Christchurch, Blenheim, Nelson, Hokitika, Westport and Invercargill
- engagement of leading Māori academics.
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Consultation Themes
Overall, the feedback received was positive about the direction and content of the draft strategy and a real desire was expressed for it to make the difference that it proposed. Within that support was a clear challenge, not only to the Ministry of Education, but to the wider education agencies, the sector and those involved in education, including leaders, educators, and parents, family, whānau and communities, to collectively ensure that there is a step up in education system performance for Māori.
The overarching themes that emerged from the feedback, included:
- the absolutely fundamental importance of productive relationships for effective teaching and learning that results in achievement for Māori students
- the critical importance and role of parents, family, whānau, hapū and iwi in education
- the importance of valuing and prioritising te reo Māori and tikanga Māori for all New Zealanders
- strong support for resourcing of the implementation of the strategy, and ongoing research and development
- scepticism that what is proposed will actually happen.
The Ministry of Education analysed all the feedback and used it to refine and update the final strategy.
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Launch of Ka Hikitia – Managing for Success: The Māori Education Strategy 2008-2012
Ka Hikitia – Managing for Success was launched at Parliament by Hon Chris Carter, the Minister of Education, and Hon Parekura Horomia, the Associate Minister of Education on 15 April 2008. There was also a community launch of the strategy as part of a Māori education forum hosted by Ngati Whakaue in Rotorua on 15 May 2008.
In May and June, materials to support the implementation of the strategy have been distributed to early childhood education centres, kōhanga reo, kura kaupapa Māori, schools, Boards of Trustees, tertiary providers and others.
Email us to tell us what you think of the resources, or to let us know if you haven’t yet received your pack.
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