Growing Māori Medium Education

Associate Education Minister (Māori Education) Hon Kelvin Davis has received Cabinet approval to develop a work programme to grow Māori medium and kaupapa Māori education in early learning, schooling and tertiary education.

The Māori medium and kaupapa Māori pathways programme will reconnect more Māori tamariki with their language and culture. 

Read the Minister's Press Release A new dawn for Māori education by Hon Kelvin Davis | Beehive.govt.nz(external link).

Background

As part of this work, Minister Davis intends to introduce legislation in 2023 to provide a regulatory framework for growing Māori medium education and kaupapa Māori pathways.

The work programme is being developed in conjunction with an independent Māori Education Oversight Group, Te Pae Roa. It aims for a target of 30 percent of Māori learners participating in Māori medium and kaupapa Māori schools and early learning services by 2040, and to grow the kaupapa Māori workforce.

The development of a Māori medium education and kaupapa Māori pathways work programme in partnership with Māori supports education objectives of ākonga Māori, tamariki and rangatahi to be able to learn in a system where they can feel safe and confident in themselves and connected to their learning environments. Māori medium education creates improved te reo, educational achievements and wellbeing outcomes for Māori learners, and supports the Government’s commitments to te reo Māori.

Te Pae Roa discussions and consultations with sector stakeholders and Māori are under way, and these will be ongoing as the work programme is further developed.

Advice 2022

Te Pae Roa completed its first round of nationwide engagement and reviewed the feedback from these hui at the end of March 2022. Its resulting first report provides initial advice to the Minister on the possible direction of a Māori medium and kaupapa Māori pathways work programme.

Read the report: The Future of Kaupapa Māori and Māori medium education - Report back and independent advice following Te Pae Roa’s engagement process April 2022 [PDF, 345 KB]

Te Pae Roa has since completed further engagement. You can read the next report here: Supporting Māori medium education and growing Kaupapa Māori Education July/August 2022 [PDF, 274 KB] Ngā Pitopito Kōrero [PDF, 130 KB]

Te Pae Roa can be contacted at whakahaere@tepaeroa.maori.nz.

The table below details Ministry advice that relates to this work.

Date

Title

Reference

11 December 2020 Briefing Note: Update on growing the supply of Māori Medium teachers in relation to Rāngai Māori Education Workforce Strategy  [PDF, 1 MB] 1246293
7 May 2021 Te Tira Hou | Māori Medium Education Network Information [PDF, 18 MB] 1259078
21 June 2021 Briefing Note: Māori Education Strategy Session 2021 [PDF, 1.4 MB] 1264143
4 October 2021 Work Programme to Grow Māori Medium and Kaupapa Māori Education [PDF, 1.1 MB] CAB-21-MIN-0395
2 March 2022 Terms of reference for Te Pae Roa [PDF, 974 KB] 1282110
9 May 2022 Māori Medium and Kaupapa Māori Education: Te Pae Roa Report [PDF, 1.9 MB] CAB-22-MIN-0167

Māori Education Oversight Group - Te Pae Roa 

Chair - Dr Wayne Ngata MNZM

Te Aitanga A Hauiti, Ngāti Ira, Ngāti Porou

Dr Wayne Ngata

Dr Wayne Ngata is a strong supporter of the revitalisation of te reo Māori and education models that are underpinned by Māori processes. He has a PhD in Māori Studies from Massey and became a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for service to Māori and education in 2021.  He has had a number of academic, management or governance roles, at EIT Tairāwhiti, Ministry of Education, Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiarangi, the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, and the MacDiarmid Institute. He is a specialist in Māori literature, specifically mōteatea, and is a former Chair of Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori. 

Dr Ngata is currently a Board member of the Tertiary Education Commission, Board Chair of Te Taumata Aronui, and leads work with Sport NZ and the Ministry of Education to encourage kaiako in Māori medium kura to actively engage with their environments.  He is also an active supporter of waka hourua kaupapa and chair of Uawa Tiaki Tai (Tolaga Bay Surf Club).

Moe Milne

Ngāti Hine

Moe Milne

Moe Milne was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Māori and health in 2017 and in 2018, received the prestigious Akenehi Hei Memorial Award for her contribution to Māori mental health. Her knowledge of Māori health, education and research is extensive. She has provided considerable leadership across a number of national developments in these areas.

She is a fluent reo Māori (Māori language) speaker and is committed to ensuring that her whānau grasp hold of the values and culture of their ancestors. She is passionate about ensuring that Māori are looked after and cared for with the utmost respect in all of the systems that she has been involved in including health, social services, justice and education. 

Moe is an inspirational leader of Māori development in Northland and nationally. She is renowned for her contribution to individuals, whānau and communities. She is an educator, leader of innovation and best practice, key advisor to the Health and Disability Commissioner, mediator, keynote speaker, author and songwriter.

Jason Ake

Tauranga Moana

Jason Ake

Jason is a strong supporter of te reo Māori and tikanga Māori. He has spent a considerable amount of time involved in kaupapa Māori education as an advocate, board member of a kura kaupapa, and parent. He brings experience of representing the voice of tamariki and whānau in kaupapa Māori education.

He has spent more than 30 years in the communications and marketing profession with a particular emphasis on engaging with Māori communities. He has been the General Manager Engagement and Communications at Waikato-Tainui since 2017. He has previously worked as an advisor across agencies in the public sector and understands systems and how to effect change.

He is currently a board member of Ngā Taiātea Wharekura in Hamilton, a Trustee of Tūhua Trust, a Member of the Law Commission’s Māori Liaison Committee, and Chair of the Māori Media Studies Sector Shift panel for Te Puni Kōkiri, which is reviewing Te Ture mō Te Reo Māori |The Māori Language Act 2016.

Miriama Prentice 

Ngatoroirangi and Tuhourangi

Miriama Prentice

Miriama Prentice is a former school principal who now gives an enormous amount of her time, energy and expertise to her iwi, hapū, kaumātua and local community. She is working to preserve and disseminate the language and other cultural taonga of Ngāti Tūwharetoa for the next generation.

Miriama has been a leader in her tribe’s Te Ara Mātauranga o Tūwharetoa education team since 2012. She has been furthering the goals of the Tūwharetoa Education Plan to 2040 through the Tūwharetoa Cultural Knowledge project and other initiatives. This has included a collaborative Tūwharetoa Cultural Knowledge 'Floating Classroom’ project on Lake Taupō in 2020.

She is an advisor to two Kahui Ako in the Taupo region and is a trustee or director for two local Kura Kaupapa schools.

Rahui Papa

Ngāti Korokī Kahukura

Rahui Papa

Rahui Papa is the negotiator, spokesperson, and recognised authority on Waikato reo and tikanga.

He has a background in broadcasting and education and has served on the Waikato-Tainui Governance Group since its inception.

Rahui is the negotiator for Waikato-Tainui outstanding Treaty claims, having previously chaired the Waikato Tainui Executive, Te Arataura, and served as a director and member of various holdings companies, ministerial committees, and national and local boards.

He plays an integral role in the Iwi Leaders’ Forum, providing advice to Ministers and Crown officials on matters of national significance.

Last reviewed: Has this been useful? Give us your feedback