Empowering Students to Walk in this World
With the core business of teaching and learning, constant change is a given.
It’s not how it was when we, as parents, were at school, and neither should it be. It is imperative that we respond to current social change and practice, in order to prepare our students to manage within it.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi is a central pillar in New Zealand. It is within this document that the principles for realising the vision and aspirations for New Zealanders are articulated. Our obligations that guide how tangata Tiriti and tangata whenua operate with mutual respect are clear. They reflect many of the values and dispositions that are at the core of our Rangi Ruru guiding documents – our strategy, our pillars, our Graduate Profile and our values. The principles of rangatiratanga, partnership, equity, opportunity, participation, active protection are already substantially embedded in who we are, even if our descriptors are different.
We do not aspire to and practise the principles and dispositions because we must, but because they are right. This is our whakapapa – our line of descent linking us to the past and to all people and living things. As we prepare students for what they will encounter in this world and beyond, they must be able to respond to the uniqueness and diversity of all. Employers today are looking to appoint people who understand the Aotearoa New Zealand of now, encompassing the principles of participation, protection and partnership. Currently in New Zealand they need to be prepared for identities, languages and cultures beyond their own and to understand that there are multiple ways to belong, feel valued and be successful.
The term ‘Mātauranga Māori’ is used to describe the tenets and knowledge from the Māori world within teaching and learning. Foundational to New Zealand’s national identity, history, and culture, it is a significant and vital component in Te Mātaiaho – the refreshed New Zealand Curriculum. This document connects learning areas, using the same structure to formulate a coherent curriculum designed for all students, ensuring equitable outcomes through high-quality learning experiences.
Te Mātaiaho – the refreshed New Zealand Curriculum. ‘Mātai’ means to study deliberately, to examine, observe and ‘aho’ describes the many strands and threads of learning. To examine the strands of learning within a New Zealand and broader perspective is the responsibility of all subjects. The contexts for this will be different within each learning area.
To learn more about our curriculum, please click here.
Juliet Collins
Assistant Principal, Curriculum