Hon Kelvin Davis

Associate Minister of Education

21 February 2018

Māori achievement a priority for Education

The Government’s three-year education work programme prioritises lifting achievement for Māori students, Associate Education Minister Kelvin Davis says.

Today Education Minister Chris Hipkins announced a comprehensive work programme to ensure the education system delivers for New Zealand children and their families, with a focus on lifting Māori achievement.

“The gap between the educational achievement of Māori students and the total population is substantial and persistent,” Mr Davis says.

“Even though results in Māori-medium education are better, near that of the total population, significant numbers of Māori students do not go on to any tertiary education.

“Too many Māori students are disengaged from the school system or not progressing to tertiary education. Remedying this situation is a key focus of our education work programme over the next three years.”

Work being undertaken to lift Māori achievement includes a refresh of Ka Hikitia (Māori Education Strategy); strengthening the Māori-medium education pathway; providing long term solutions for the supply of te reo teachers; and improving the transition of students from school to further education and training or work.

“One of the biggest levers we have to raise Māori achievement is to strengthen teaching – in English and Māori-medium schools,” Mr Davis says.

“That means ensuring we have a pipeline of te reo competent teachers and making the most of initial teacher education and professional learning and development to support the teaching workforce to be confident and culturally competent in our classrooms.

“We expect that better integration of Māori language and culturally responsive teaching and learning practice across the whole education system will provide significant leverage for addressing the inequity that currently exists.

“How the education system can be more equitable for tamariki and rangatahi, and its role in protecting te reo and fostering Māori identity and culture will be key themes at Minister Hipkins’ Education Summits in May. I encourage hapū and iwi as well as Māori educationalists to get involved and contribute to the discussion.”

Minister Hipkins’ Press Release and the Cabinet Paper is available here.

Te reo version:

Me whāinga nui te putanga ihu o te Māori i te mātauranga

Hei tā te Hoa Minita mō te Mātauranga a Kelvin Davis he mea nui tonu te whakatutukitanga a ngā ākonga Māori i te mahere mahi a te Kāwanatanga mō ngā tau e toru e tū nei.

Nō te rā nei i puta te kōrero a te Minita o te Mātauranga, a Chris Hipkins mō te mahere mahi hei kawe mā te pūnaha mātauranga mō ngā tamariki o Aotearoa me ō rātou whānau, otirā hei hiki ake i ngā whakatutukitanga a te Māori.

Hei tā Davis anō, “Kei te ū tonu te noho a ngā ākonga Māori i muri rawa i ngā tauira katoa i ngā whakatutukitanga mātauranga.”

“Ahakoa e pai ake ana te whakatutukitanga i te kaupapa mātauranga arareo Māori, tata ki te katoa o Aotearoa, tokomaha ngā tāngata Māori e kore e kuhu ana ki ngā wānanga.”

“Ka nui rawa ngā ākonga Māori e ngaro ana i te kura, kāore rānei i te whai mātauranga i ngā wānanga. Ka noho matua i te mahere mahi mātauranga ki te whakatikatika i tēnei tūāhuatanga i ngā tau e toru e tū nei.”

Ko ngā mahi kei te whāia hei hiki i te whakatutukitanga Māori ki te whakahou i a Ka Hikitia (te Rautaki Mātauranga Māori); te whakapakari i te kaupapa mātauranga arareo Māori; te whakarite i te puna kaiako reo Māori; te whakapakari hoki i te huarahi hei whai mā ngā ākonga atu i te kura ki te whai mātauranga anō, ki te whai whakangungutanga; ki te mahi rānei.

Hei tā Davis anō, “Ko tētahi o ā tātou kaupapa nui hei hiki i te whakatutukitanga Māori, ko te whakapakari i te whakaakoranga – i ngā kura arareo Pākehā, arareo Māori anō hoki.”

“Kāti me mātua whakatika i te kapa kaiako, matatau ki te reo, ā, me whai hua rawa te kaupapa whakangungu tuatahi mō ngā kaiako me ngā kaupapa whakapakari kaiako hei āwhina i te hunga kaiako kia māia, kia whai tikanga hoki e tika ana i roto i ngā akomanga. E tūmanako ana, mā te tuitui i te reo Māori, i ngā whakaakoranga me ngā akoranga e whai tikanga ana, horapa i te pūnaha mātauranga, ka nui rawa te whakakorenga o te tōrite e noho nei i te pūnaha mātauranga i tēnei wā.”

“Me pēhea e toharite ai te mātauranga mō ngā tamariki me ngā rangatahi, tōna wāhi hoki ki te tiaki i te reo, ki te manaaki i te tuakiri me te tikanga o te tangata ētahi o ngā kaupapa matua o Ngā Hui Taumata a Minita Hipkins ā te marama o Mei. E whakahau atu ana ki ngā tauira, ngā whānau, ngā hapū, ngā iwi, me te hunga mātauranga Māori kia whai whakaaronui mai, kia tahuri mai ki te kōrero.”

ends

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