Hoe Ngā Tahi Newsletter - January 2023: Supporting Māori learner success

Ko te tangi o ngā manu o te waonui ā Tāne
Ketekete ana te Kākā
Kūkū ana te Kukupa
Kuikui ana te Kiwi
Kāokao ana te Weka
Āno te āhuareka ki te taringa.

E ngā tini mate kua hinga atu ki tua o te arai Haere, haere, okioki ai.

Ki te kanohi ora mihi mai rā, whakatau mai rā
E ngā pae maunga, e ngā awa, e ngā moana,
ngā roto, e timotimo ana hei ōranga, e
ngā Marae maha karanga mai.

Kei ngā Iwi, ngā hapū ōtirā ki ngā whānau
whānui, karanga mai, karanga mai, karanga mai.
E rere kau ana ngā mihi o te tau rua mano rua tekau mā toru (2023) ki ā tātou katoa.

The cry of the birds of the forest
The chittering of the parrot
The cooing of the wood pigeon
The wail of the kiwi
The soprano of the weka
What a beautiful sound to the ear.

We pay homage to those who have passed beyond the veil, we bid you farewell and rest in peace.

To the living we bid you all welcome
To the mountains, to the rivers, seas,
lakes that create the dew to sustain our thirst, to our many Marae we welcome you all.

To the tribes and subtribes and most importantly
Our extended whānau
We welcome you back
We welcome you to the year 2023.

At the end of 2022, ākonga Māori had completed 955 programmes. Of those, 705 lead to an NZQA qualification – Pai rawa!

This is a tuakana teina story; those who have completed their qualification share with you who are still on your journey.

In the far north, from Taipā Area School, four Teacher Aides, who whakapapa to Ngāti Kahu, Te Rarawa, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Maniapoto, and Ngāi Tahu, completed their Apprenticeship. These wāhine experienced a range of common barriers – Covid impacts, internet/technology access or lacking confidence, existing demands on time, understanding the questions and expectations, anxiety about not having recent academic history, and just being mature with many years of current experience, and questioning, why?

First, these wāhine are passionate about what they do. This is an important aspect to sustain you for the whole journey. Fran says, “I think the things that I was learning just had me hooked, it was like, finally something for me that I so love doing.”

They were well supported, “I think what kept me going was the never-ending support I received from Whāea Shoda and Matua Joe* and the overwhelming awhi from my work colleagues and friends.”

Whaea Shoda organised regular times each week to observe, go over questions, encourage and gather evidence. Group members met to discuss what the questions meant, their answers, and check if they were on track.

Support initially came from Hineoma, their Careerforce assessor, then Shoda came on board and continued Hine’s mantra, “Don’t overthink it.” It is natural to wonder if you are ‘doing the right thing’ or if you know the ‘right stuff’. That is what the learning journey is about. You might be surprised how much you already know. Use the learning resources you’re given and check reliable sites on the internet too; and “Don’t be whakamā to ask for help.”

There is no penalty for a resubmission. Amanda remembers, “there was one assignment when I needed to add more… and I realised then that I didn’t really need to panic as you weren’t going to let us fail!” She is right, if you are doing the work, Careerforce is there alongside you. We want you to achieve, we will support you to achieve.

These wāhine have busy lives – mahi, tāne, whānau, even a farm to look after. Fran acknowledges “there will be times when it would just be easier to chuck it in and stand in the shadows with your amazingness”, but she also realised “‘I matter’ and this step leads to more opportunities and the finish line is freaking awesome.”

You don’t have to be young to learn, you don’t have to be clever or good with a computer. But you do need to want to do it and commit. This could mean that for a time you will have to give up an activity and use that time for study. Remember, it is only for a time and the rewards can be awesome. Don’t hide your “amazingness!”

To end, some final words from our graduates - “For younger people, any study could lead to an amazing career. For an old duck like myself, just knowing that I am on the right track is empowering and a pass means a pay rise! That’s always a grand result.” And, “I thought that at 50 years I was doing the best I could, but I was wrong, I can do so much more. I have the potential to change lives for the better … This is not an ending, it’s the beginning of a whole new adventure.”

Taipa Area School logo - what a great motto. One these staff members demonstrated on their Apprenticeship journey.

REFLECT on Passion:
What about your role makes you smile, warms your heart, or motivates you? How might completing your qualification enhance your work?

REFLECT on Support:
Who supports you – a colleague, whānau, a friend? Don’t forget you can also connect with your assessor or come to our wānanga mahi or noho marae; you can bounce off us, and you might meet someone to network with.

REFLECT on Routine:
Have you got a study routine, committing an hour or so at the same time every week? Have you let your whānau and friends know? What helps you to focus for that time?

*Matua Joe is Joe Tua who at the time was a Deputy Principal at Taipa Area School. Whaea Shoda is Shoda Tua, Joe’s wife and ‘precious’, much appreciated mentor!

Vincent has just completed his Apprenticeship in Mental Health and Addiction Support and is now in a management role with Arataki Ministries, one of Northland’s largest non-government organisations that provides support for people through transitional housing, community support services, health coaching and more.

Vincent is also now chairing his organsation's Māori advisory group and providing one on one support to staff around their cultural competencies.

Being of Ngāpuhi and Te Aupōuri descent, Vincent is also learning from local kaumatua at his marae in Parakao to develop his own understanding of te reo Māori.
Read more about Vincent's story.