Te Tiriti o Waitangi and future-focused schools

We all know about te Tiriti. It’s fully embedded in our curriculum, however not everyone knows how to implement it in schools effectively. Some might consider Te Tiriti ‘too hard’, ‘impractical’ and possibly even ‘irrelevant’. While you are busy educating our future leaders you might be asking, “what’s te Tiriti got to do with it?”

This CORE Breakfast will explore practical ways that future-focused schools can grow their understanding of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It will explore how we might apply te Tiriti effectively in practice, so schools can maximise the wellbeing and success of all students and their whānau.

The CORE breakfast session will:

• provide an introduction to Te Tiriti o Waitangi
• explore te Tiriti and its relevance to future-focused teaching, learning and citizenship
• discuss ways te Tiriti can support the development of culturally responsive practices in your school, and advance the wellbeing and achievement of all students
• share how te Tiriti might be used to inform strategic planning and visioning for your school and/or kura
• discuss ways that te Tiriti can be used as a framework to support community and stakeholder engagement.

Who will this session be of interest to?

This session will be of interest to anyone who is:

• curious about understanding the implications of te Tiriti as a foundational part of future-focused citizenship education
• committed to applying te Tiriti in innovative ways to support raising achievement for all students and whānau
• interested in how te Tiriti can be used as a framework to create equitable outcomes for all students and communities of interest.

About the workshop

The workshop will “dig deeper” into the areas covered in the breakfast seminar. It will encourage people to think about and explore individual/professional and systemic approaches to Tiriti application. A mix of presentation and workshop methods will be used to support thinking and action.

The workshop will:

• give examples of how organisations can create opportunities to engage with te Tiriti internally and externally
• enhance your knowledge and confidence about te Tiriti and its relevance to our past, present, and future
• equip people and organisations with strategies that can enable the knowledge and skills required to become more culturally responsive, personally responsible and engaged citizens
• share practical strategies for using te Tiriti as a framework to support effective engagement with students, whānau and other communities of interest (such as hapū, iwi and diverse Māori communities)
• discuss the relevance of te Tiriti future-focused organisational leadership.

Presenters

Janelle Riki-Waaka

Janelle Riki-Waaka is a trained primary teacher who has worked in both English-medium and bilingual settings. Janelle works with schools delivering tailored professional development programmes and supporting the development of cluster visions, values and processes. She is also an Expert Partner working to support Kāhui Ako on their journeys. Janelle is passionate about raising achievement for Māori students and enabling learning environments that foster both their cultural and academic needs. Janelle supports many schools and kura to utilise e-learning as a vehicle towards success for Māori students, as Māori students.

Alex Hotere-Barnes

Alex Hotere-Barnes is a senior researcher, evaluator and expert partner in Māori and English-medium settings. He brings a critical research-based understanding to how systems change can enhance teaching, learning and educational wellbeing. He is interested in resolving the disconnect that can take place between organisations, people's wellbeing, and self-determination. His strengths are in:

• Tiriti education and organisational development
• qualitative research and evaluation theory and practice
• exploring the intersection between non-Māori and Māori in education
• bilingual facilitation (reo Māori and English).