Kathe
Tawhiwhirangi

Qualifications

Teacher Registration (full)

Accredited Facilitator - English Medium & Māori Medium (Ministry of Education)

Diploma of Teaching (Primary) – Wellington Teachers' College

Executive and Organisational Coaching Certificate - International Coaching Federation (ICF)

Teacher Registration: 107144

Accredited MOE facilitator no. ACC232

Professional profile

Since 2012, Kathe has worked for Tātai Aho Rau Core Education in Professional Learning and Development. In 2024 Kathe became the Cultural Capability and Leadership Team Leader.

Kathe is a skilled well regarded facilitator in both English medium and Māori medium settings. Her experience in leadership and quality facilitation has inspired new ways of working and teaching. She is passionate about raising student achievement, and shifts deficit theorising into strategic future-focused, action-based pathways.

Kathe’s career has been focused on improving learning outcomes for all students and empowering, strengthening and building the capacity of all teachers. Kathe develops and models collaborative and inclusive protocols while supporting culturally responsive practice.

Prior to working for Tātai Aho Rau, Kathe was one of two deputy principals at Te Ara Whānui Kura Kaupapa Māori o ngā Kohanga Reo o Te Awakairangi, in Lower Hutt. Wellington – a newly built kura. Her portfolios were performance management, curriculum design, sport and physical education, and elearning.

Kathe works in Tātai Aho Rau Core Education’s direct to client Professional Learning services (PLS). These are products and services developed by Tātai Aho Rau and include those within and outside of the education sector. Past clients in the area include;

• NZ Post
• Hawkes Bay Rescue Helicopter Trust

Testimonials

“Kathe is awesome! Creates a fun, relaxed environment. Ngā mihi Kathe!” Within School Teacher

“I feel encouraged to be my best. I like that Kathe reads the room and where we are at and is flexible on where we go” Within School Teacher

“I found Kathe’s positive approach very refreshing, engaging and professional” Across School Lead

“I love the way that Kathe facilitates. It's a serious skill to get people collaborating, talking, dreaming, engaging and working together so well. I love the way she takes photos and records everything in detail. It gives our work increased mana/sense of importance. I am thinking hard about doing this more in my class.” Emerging Leader

“I think its always important to include a bit of team building and today's musical beat test was so fun :)” Teacher

“Thank you for your commitment to us. I love the resources you've shared and the lovely way you made everyone feel connected and comfortable. Ehara koe i a ia. Ngā mihi aroha Kathe” Deputy Principal

Expertise

Kathe has specialist expertise, in-depth knowledge of relevant education pedagogy and hands on facilitation experience in the following areas:

Culturally responsive practice

Successfully supporting learning communities and clusters to:

• unpack the cultural competencies in Tataiako to ensure shared and common understandings for all
• craft a purposeful, relevant and useful culturally responsive framework for all stakeholders
• audit / self review against their framework
• co-construct a culturally responsive plan to take them forward.

Change leadership

Successfully supporting learning communities and clusters to:

• implement leadership of change within school communities
• connect school charters and strategic goals to ensure a deliberate alignment with key foci of the identified PLD
• evaluate pedagogy and practices to ensure they reflect future-focused education and responsive practices
• use qualitative and quantitative data to inform and critically analyse practice
• maintain a focus on outcomes.

Digital fluency

Successfully supporting learning communities and clusters to:

• use the elearning Planning frameworks (English and Maori medium) to self-review elearning practices and capabilities to identify and target areas for improvement
• increase student engagement and achievement through the use of digital technologies
• develop digital capabilities of teachers suited to the needs of future-focused teaching practices.

Asessment / Evaluative capability

Successfully supported learning communities and clusters to:

• collect and analyse qualitative and quantitative data about students from multiple sources
• scaffold understanding and implementation around professional inquiry for on-going reflection and review of teaching and learning practices
• use frameworks (eg: eLPF/MMeLPF) to guide strategic direction and develop e-capabilities.
• introduce and unpack domain mapping collaborative tools with Kāhui Ako
• co-craft & develop personalised review cycles as a sound structure and process
• facilitate Boards of Trustees through a governing culturally responsive planning process - eg. Hautū Tool

Coaching and Mentoring

Successfully supported learning communities and clusters to:

• engage in large, small & 1:1 bespoke coaching and mentoring PLD
• strengthen and sharpen their own practice
• develop leadership strategies
• work in both collaborative and individual foci
• maintain long term relationships with first time Māori principals, Lead principals, DPs & APs, Across School Leads, and Within School Teachers

Conference presentations

2024 Guest speaker: Decolonisation - Tarikākā Kāhui Ako
Workshop: Culturally Responsive Practice - Tarikākā Kāhui Ako

2023 Workshop: Culturally Responsive Practice LEADERSHIP - Lower North Island
Christian Kāhui Ako

2022 Keynote: What does an effective Kāhui Ako look like? - Ruapehu Kāhui Ako
Workshop: Culturally Responsive Practice - Waitomo Arotahi Kāhui Ako
TOD: Building Cultural Capability - Wgtn Girls College

2021: Conference: How are we measuring our impact? - Ngā Awa ki Te Moana KA

Personal statement

It is a privilege walking alongside schools, educationalists and the private sector to learn with and support them. Acknowledging that everyone has a different entry point regarding their learning and creating safe, supported and fun environments is something that I believe is essential for transformation and progress. Whanaungatanga at its best, ensures a trusting and warm space in which to progress current understandings and practice. Supporting schools' and organisations in the private sector develop and implement their vision, development plans, and raising outcomes, is exciting work.