Empowering social and emotional literacy with Te Ara Whakamana

Ako Solutionz tumuaki Susan Ngawati Osborne and Te Ara Wakamana director Nigel Marshall.

Masterton Primary School is using innovative frameworks to foster positive communication, relationships, and a strong sense of identity among its ākonga with a ‘mana wheel’ tool.

Central to this shift is Te Ara Whakamana: Mana Enhancement, rooted in Māori cultural principles, which helps schools nurture and enhance the mana (core value) of ākonga and kaimahi.

Tumuaki Gene Bartlett says Te Ara Whakamana has been crucial for advancing the school’s social and emotional literacy.

“We’ve been a Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L) school for many years, but it lacks the cultural responsiveness we need. Te Ara Whakamana will be PB4L for our school.”

By integrating pūrākau, ākonga and kaimahi connect with and embrace the different sides of kaitiaki (guardians) to develop mutual understanding and meaningful interactions.

Deputy principal Jo Lennox says, “The mana wheel shows the duality of kaitiaki. They have their positive and negative sides, and we reward students for showing the positive traits. Gene developed the taiaha in the centre of the mana wheel to help students express their feelings.”

Intrinsic value

Te Ara Whakamana is a holistic approach that prioritises empowering and uplifting individuals by recognising and nurturing their intrinsic value.

The model draws on traditional Māori concepts and narratives, particularly pūrākau, to build a framework that promotes personal growth, positive communication, and strong, respectful relationships.

It was developed in 2012 by a group of multi-disciplinary experts led by Nigel Marshall (Ngāti Ingarangi, Tangata Tiriti), a tenured teacher in special education with a focus on learning and behaviour.

Nigel’s aim was to find a better way to address issues that were prevalent at the time around extreme behaviour and the over-representation of ākonga Māori.

“At that time there were several programmes being introduced from overseas and you could see that there were some good aspects in them but there was no cultural context. They didn’t speak of our own country at all,”
Nigel recalls.

Nigel and his group wanted to move from the technical jargon of these programmes and recentre the approach to the relational pedagogy that works best for the Aotearoa New Zealand context.

Te Ara Whakamana influence in other schools – Jacqui Wrigg, deputy principal/SENCO at Papakura Normal School, presents a kaiako mana wheel that represents their full staff of 60.

Agency to express themselves

Susan Ngawati Osborne (Ngāti Te Ara, Ngāti Kopaki, Ngāti Hine, Te Uri Taniwha, Ngāpuhi) is the tumuaki of Ako Solutionz, the organisation who has provided the training for Te Ara Whakamana to over 100 schools across Aotearoa to date.

Susan emphasises the importance of Te Ara Whakamana having its roots in te ao Māori and how the pathway to creating the model became seamless once this came into focus.

“As we were developing the model, we knew that because it was based on te ao Māori, centred in the Māori creation story, it would just keep on giving. The more we explored, the more we realised how powerful and perfect it was for the model we were trying to create,” says Susan.

Another key aspect in its success is the agency it gives children to express themselves.

“It’s 100 percent agentic. This is another part of the model that resonates with whānau. The children get to define who they are, who the people are in their lives that they appreciate, their interests, things that are precious to them and their own ways to interact with others,” explains Susan.

The mana wheel

One of the pivotal tools within the Te Ara Whakamana model is the mana wheel.

Ākonga at Masterton Primary School familiarise themselves with the attributes of each kaitiaki through a game of Go Fish!

The mana wheel is a visual and practical tool designed to help individuals and groups reflect on and enhance their mana. It has various domains that contribute to a person’s overall sense of wellbeing and dignity.

After attending a national conference held by Melville Primary School in Waikato, Gene and Jo got to work on adapting this tool to their learning environment.

“We received funding through the Masterton Trust Lands Trust to implement this programme for Masterton Primary School and Masterton Intermediate School with a focus on resilience, social and emotional regulation, with a transition phase [between primary and intermediate] in there too,” recalls Gene.

Even though Masterton Primary only implemented the mana wheel last year, Gene and Jo express that it has been a positive learning journey for both ākonga and kaimahi.

By integrating the mana wheel into their curriculum and daily practices, Gene and Jo say their ākonga have been provided with a comprehensive framework for self-reflection and growth.

“Identity is a really big factor, especially in relational pedagogy. I think the model just gives that a process. It supports and strengthens positive identity, and that identity is known by teachers.

“The process of enhancing mana is at the centre of it all and that mana doesn’t just apply to Māori. Everyone has mana,” reinforces Susan.

A new way forward

The implementation of Te Ara Whakamana and the mana wheel at Masterton Primary is yielding infinite benefits.

Ākonga are developing a strong sense of identity, and there is positive communication and mutual respect among ākonga, kaimahi, and whānau.

The focus on mental, spiritual, and emotional wellbeing has led to a more balanced and fulfilling educational experience.

“This is the centre for which we will hang all of our kaupapa off,” says Gene.

“It works across all curriculum areas. It just fits into lots of things, which is helpful when implementing an integrated curriculum,” adds Jo.

Masterton Primary’s successful integration of this model demonstrates its potential to enhance educational experiences and outcomes profoundly.

“At its core it’s culturally responsive. It also works because we’re passionate about it, we know it’ll make a difference for our children. It’s not a programme as such, it’s a kaupapa, it’s a way of being, it’s a way of working,” concludes Gene. 

The mana wheel has proven to be a successful tool to connect ākonga and kaiako at Masterton Primary School.