Kaupapa korero mo te Whakamanutanga o ‘Te Piko o te Mahuri – Nga Ahuatanga Matua o te Kura Kaupapa Maori Whai Angitu’ Dr Pita Sharples, Minita Tuarua mo nga Kura. 5 o Whiringa-a-Nuku, 2010

He koa rawa atu taku ngakau i taku haere mai ki konei ki te whakamanu i te purongo rangahau nei: Te Piko o te Mahuri.

Ka nui nga mihi ki te Runanganui o nga Kura Kaupapa Maori, na koutou te karanga, na koutou te manaaki i a matou. Ko koutou hei awhina i nga whanau, kia eke ai nga tamariki ki nga taumata teitei.

Ka whakahihi au i aku hononga ki te Runanganui, mai ra ano i taku tu hei Tumuaki i te timatanga o tenei ropu.

Ko te angitu, no te ao Maori tera tikanga.

Ka whakatata te manuhiri ki te marae, me tika, me kaha, me marama te pa o te karanga. E kore e pai te pai noa iho.

Ka tu te kaikorero i te paepae, e kore e tika te korero noa. Me whakapau kaha te katoa kia eke ki te taumata – he mana kei reira.

Pera ano te hakari – me hora nga kai whakawai i te karu, whakawai i te korokoro. E kore e reka nga toenga.

Huri rawa ake ki te whakaako tamariki, me eke ki nga taumata. Me puawai te pai o ia tamiti, o ia tamaiti.

Heoi ano, e mohio ana tatou katoa, i nga tau maha nei, kaore a tatou tamariki Maori e whai hua ana i nga akoranga a te kawanatanga. No reira e kokiri ana te mahere akoranga Maori ‘Ka Hikitia’, kia huri ke nga tikanga whakaako i te Maori, me te Maori, ma te Maori.

No te mana Maori, te reo Maori me nga tikanga Maori te angitu Maori.

Ko nga akoranga kaupapa Maori, he huarahi tika mo te ao Maori.

Kua roa ke te hora haere mai o nga akoranga kaupapa Maori, mai i tona timatanga i Hoani Waititi, puta noa i te motu whanui.

I nga tau rua tekau ma rima, kua whitu tekau nga kura kaupapa Maori, a, kotahi te kura teina.

He maha nga hua pai ki nga iwi, mai i nga akoranga kaupapa Maori.

I roto i nga tatai korero o Nga Haeata, ka kitea nga tamariki rumaki reo e eke panuku ana. He nui ake te wahi o ratou [proportion] e whakaeke ana i te pae o te Whare Wananga, i te wahi o nga tamariki reo Pakeha.

Me hora enei painga ki nga kura katoa. No reira i tohua ai, ko te raranga kupenga o nga kura angitu, tetahi o nga whainga nunui i roto i te Kawenata a te Runanganui me te Kawanatanga, i tamokotia i te tau rau mano ma rima.

Me wetewetekia nga ahuatanga o nga kura angitu, kia taea ai ta tatou e whai nei.

No reira, ka nui nga mihi ki a Nuki Takao ratou ko Denis Grennell, ko Kate McKegg, ko Nan Wehipeihana, na ratou nga mahi whakahirahira o tenei rangahautanga, ‘Te Piko o te Mahuri’.

Me mihi hoki ki te Tahuhu o te Matauranga me te Runanganui, nana te kaupapa nei i tautoko.

Ka ata titiro Te Piko o te Mahuri ki nga mahi pai i nga kura pai, hei tauira mo etahi atu, hei waitohu hoki i te ara whakamua.

I rangahautia nga kura e rima, i nga taone, i nga takiwa, i nga papakainga, he purongo arotaketanga pai mo aua kura.

Ka wanangatia nga painga i runga ano i nga tikanga Maori. Ka whakamaramatia nga kaha ki te whakatutuki i nga wawata o te iwi.

Heoi ano, he aha nga tohu angitu o nga kura e rima nei?

Tuatahi, e whai ana nga kura kia tipu pai te wairua Maori o nga tamariki, to ratou hiahia hoki kia eke panuku, kia whakatinanatia nga tumanako o te iwi. Ka whakaakona nga tauira kia mau ki nga matapono o Te Aho Matua – manaakitanga, whanaungatanga, tuakana-teina - hei taonga mo ratou, ake tonu atu.

Tuarua, ko te hiahia o te tumuaki ki te matauranga, he tohu rangatiratanga. He torotoro te tumuaki ki nga whakaaro hou, ki nga huarahi hou e whai hua ai o ratou kura, a ratou tamariki hoki.

Ka puritia, ka whanaketia e aua tumuaki he kaiako kohure ki te ako.

Ko te aroha te whariki mo te akoranga. Ka whakawhanaunga te kaiako ki te tauira, ka pumau ia ki nga wawata o ia tamaiti, o ia tamaiti.

E whakapono ana te kaiako, me tonoa te tamaiti ki te ako, me pohiritia ki te akoranga. Ma te karakia, ma te koronga, te tamaiti e whakatau, e whakapai, kia tika ai ki te ako.

Ko nga kura angitu, he akoranga tuku iho, tuku iho. Ma nga kaumataua e whakatauira, e whakamarama nga korero tuku iho mo te whakapapa me te whanaungatanga.

Ka whakapono tuturu nga kura papai ki te whakarauora i te reo, ma te whakatauira, ma te whakamahi i te reo i nga wa katoa.

Ka whiria enei ahuatanga katoa, ka whai hua nga tauira.

Ma ‘Te Piko o te Mahuri’ e kitea ai, me kai nga mata o te whanau i nga taumata teitei. Ma te rangatiratanga, a, ma te u ki te kaupapa, ki te reo me nga tikanga, ka taea

He whakamatau enei korero ki a koutou katoa, kia whakapumautia enei tikanga ki roto i o koutou kura. Ka whakaatu mai tenei rangahau, ka taea te angitu e nga kura katoa.

Ka mihi ano ki nga kairangahau, hei tauira koutou mo nga tauira Maori. Ka mihia o mahi e te hunga e rapu hua ana mo nga akoranga Maori.

Ka koa taku ngakau i te whakamanutanga o Te Piko o te Mahuri. He awhina ki a tatou, i a tatou e raranga kupenga ana o nga kura.

Ma nga mahi penei, e kite ai tatou i te huarahi whakamua mo tatou.

I mua noa atu, ka mahi au ki te whakatu Kura Kaupapa Maori, kia tutuki ai nga tumanako o nga whanau Maori. Inaianei, hei Minita Tuarua mo nga Kura, kei te whai au kia kaha ake nga kura, kia kitea ai nga hua ma a tatou tamariki. Kia ora koutou katoa, e whai angitu ana!

Speech Notes for Release of ‘Te Piko o Te Māhuri: Ngā āhuatanga matua o Te Kura Kauapapa Māori whai angitu – the key attributes of successful Kura Kaupapa Māori’ Associate Education Minister Pita Sharples 5 October 2010

It is a great pleasure to be with you today to launch Te Piko o Te Māhuri: Ngā āhuatanga matua o Te Kura Kaupapa Māori whai angitu – the key attributes of successful Kura Kaupapa Māori

I want to thank Te Rūnanganui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori o Aotearoa for hosting this conference which brings us together today. You play an important role in supporting kura kaupapa Māori whānau to realise their aspirations for their kura.

I’m proud of my long association with Te Rūnanganui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori o Aotearoa, including a stint as inaugural tumuaki many years ago.

Success is a concept that is well grounded within te Ao Maori.

When manuhiri arrive at the marae, the kaikaranga makes it her absolute responsibility that the karanga she gives out is distinguished by its clarity, its message and its strength. Mediocrity is not an option.

When our speakers rise on the paepae, a half-hearted effort is not acceptable. The mana of the people resides in the collective commitment to give of their best.

In much the same way, when the hakari is laid out, we expect it to be the finest feast that one has ever seen. This is not the time for bubble and squeak, the leftovers. Make do, simply won't do.

When it comes to the education of our tamariki, Māori do not expect anything less than outright success. We want all Māori learners to realise their potential.

However, as we all know too well, the education system has been under-performing for Māori students and their whānau for too long. That’s why Ka Hikitia, the Māori Education Strategy, is all about transforming the way in which the education system performs for and with Māori.

Language, identity and culture are crucial to Māori enjoying education success as Māori.

Māori-medium education provides a pathway for education, which has at its very heart the world, the values and the aspirations of Māori.

Kura Kaupapa Māori in particular have come along way since the first was established at Hoani Waititi Marae. Twenty-five years later there are now 72 Kura Kaupapa Māori and one Kura Teina across Aotearoa.

Māori-medium education has produced some great results for Māori.

The latest Nga Haeata shows strong patterns of achievement among students at Māori-medium schools. A compelling fact is that the proportion of students from Māori-medium schools who leave school qualified to attend university is much higher than their peers in English-medium schools.

We want to make sure these great results happen across all kura. That’s why the development of a strong national network of high quality kura was a key goal of the Memorandum of Understanding between Te Rūnanganui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori o Aotearoa and the Ministry of Education, signed in 2005.

To achieve this there was a need to identify what successful kura have in common.

I want to congratulate Nuki Tākao, Denis Grennell, Kate McKegg and Nan Wehipeihana on the fantastic work they have done to put together this study, Te Piko o Te Māhuri.

It is also important to note the support of the Ministry of Education and Te Rūnanganui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori o Aotearoa.

The focus of Te Piko o Te Māhuri is about what’s working well in high-performing kura and how this can be promoted and built on.

It looks into five kura from a range of urban, rural and tribal settings that had positive ERO reports.

The great thing about this study is that it examines what success is like from a Māori perspective. It identifies our strengths and responds to the aspirations of our people.

So what are the attributes that successful kura have in common?

They all aspire to grow young Māori who have good character, are high achievers and exemplify the hopes and aspirations of their people. Learners are taught to value the principles of Te Aho Matua – manaakitanga, whanaungatanga and tuakana-teina. These attributes are the taonga they carry with them in their life beyond kura.

The tumuaki’s thirst for knowledge is a distinctive leadership feature. Tumuaki are open to new ideas and look for ways to achieve better results for their kura and their students.

These kura develop and retain exceptional kaiako who deliver effective teaching and learning programmes.

Aroha is fundamental to teaching and learning relationships. Kaiako treat tamariki as if they were their own and are totally dedicated to each tamariki’s aspirations.

They believe tamariki need to be invited to learn and welcomed to the place of learning. They prepare tamariki for learning through practices such as karakia and meditation. This settles the tamariki so they feel safe and can concentrate on learning.

Successful kura are intergenerational places of teaching and learning. Kaumātua are role models and are essential to contextualising traditional knowledge involving whakapapa and whanaungatanga.

A deep commitment to revitalising te reo Māori is one of the strengths of high-performing kura. They place high importance on usage and proficiency of te reo.

When all of these attributes come together; there are really positive education outcomes for learners.

What Te Piko o Te Māhuri shows us is that successful kura have their eyes set on the highest peaks. Effective leadership and teaching, and a deep commitment to kaupapa, te reo and tikanga are essential elements of success.

The challenge now is for all of you to look at ways you can strengthen these elements in your kura. As this study demonstrates, educational success is well within reach for all kura.

I want to congratulate the researchers for the leadership they have provided, to foster success for Māori learners in kura.

This study will be welcomed by all who seek to improve Māori educational outcomes.

I’m delighted to be able to launch Te Piko o Te Māhuri today. Its findings will be vital as we continue to build a strong network of successful kura.

Studies like this show us all, the way to make a difference for our tamariki.

Many years ago I worked to create Kura Kaupapa Māori to better meet the education aspirations of Māori communities. Now as Associate Minister of Education, I am working to strengthen Kura Kaupapa Māori and to promote its many benefits for our tamariki.

Thank you all for your commitment, your optimism and your determination that success is the only outcome.

ENDS

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