Strengthening Te Marautanga o Aotearoa now and into the future

Feedback from Māori – including Māori medium educators and kura whānau – shaped the recommendations of the Curriculum, Progress and Achievement Ministerial Advisory Group to strengthen Te Marautanga o Aotearoa and improve equity, trust and coherence for all ākonga learning through te reo Māori.

Te Reo Māori Group Manager Kiritina Johnstone says the advice provides a clear direction for te reo Māori educationpathways in Aotearoa.

“The time is right to review Te Marautanga o Aotearoa, to make sure it continues to reflect Te Ao Māori approaches to education and what whānau, hapū and Iwi deem to be important for their children and young people.

“We have an opportunity now to work with Māori to strengthen Te Marautanga o Aotearoa as a child-centred, strengths-based curriculum both at the national and local level, while making clear the significant learning that all ākonga need to become global contributors as Māori.

“We need to make it easier for kaiako to recognise and respond to ākonga progress in a broader range of learning – including the knowledge, skills and capabilities that are most important to whānau, ākonga, hapū and iwi.

“We have taken some first steps towards this by making sure all ākonga learn about New Zealand’s histories, and providing Kauwhata Reo.”

Kauwhata Reo is a new online platform launched in September that supports the growth of teaching and learning in te reo Māori.

Capabilities needed by ākonga 

Two existing initiatives already in development are providing a starting point for this work. 

Te Tamaiti Hei Raukura is a framework that is being tested to help kura and their whānau to plan for, recognise and respond to progress in learning that ākonga need to develop as contributors to a global world as Māori. 

Tīrewa Ako – previously called Anga Tupuranga – help to describe the most important learning in te reo matatini and pāngarau and are organised as progressions from Years 1–10. Tīrewa Ako will be holistic and include Te Ao Māori capabilities. 

“We want to work together to make sure that our ākonga learning through te reo Māori get the holistic learning they need and that whānau value for their tamariki,” says Kiritina.

“We can build on the work we’ve done so far, and describe learning across Te Marautanga o Aotearoa at the different stages of a child’s learning journey.”

“We’ve begun talking with kaiako, tumuaki, whānau and ākonga across Aotearoa to test Te Tamaiti Hei Raukura and Tīrewa Ako. 

“These discussions are part of broader conversations we’ll be having with Māori over the coming months about a process for routinely updating Te Marautanga o Aotearoa. 

“We’ll also be working together with Māori to progress the Advisory Group’s other recommendations that will benefit ākonga – including developing a common approach to digital records of learning, and creating a high trust environment for sharing information.”

For more information and to find out how to get involved, go to the Education Conversation| Kōrero Mātauranga website and visit Curriculum, Progress and Achievement.(external link)