The power of lifting each other up

Feeling valued and included has led to an increase in attendance.

Jay Geldard was on sabbatical overseas when he was struck by the high rates of suicide in many countries, including New Zealand.

“It was then I knew I wanted to help people to recognise their intrinsic worth and remind young people that they have value,” says Jay.

“I wanted to create a resource that would help individuals understand how to value each another and how an individual’s value can contribute to the success of those around them.”

He made it his mission to help New Zealand tamariki and rangatahi see that they have value, and to help them see the importance of valuing one another.

From this vision, E Tū Tāngata was born.

E Tū Tāngata founder Jay Geldard has made it his mission to help ākonga see they have value.

Lifting each other up

Westburn Te Kura o Hereora is just one of several Ōtautahi kura using E Tū Tāngata to break down tall poppy syndrome and empower ākonga to lift each other up.

“You don’t lose anything by complimenting somebody else. We want our kids to build up and acknowledge others, rather than tear them down,” says principal Susan Jennison.

“We need to get this message right at school so when these kids become adults, they get it right in society.”

One of Susan’s junior students says adopting the E Tū Tāngata has changed the way her classmates treat each other. 

“People in my class use E Tū Tāngata as a way to be kind to others, to help others in need, to be a role model in the classroom, and to have integrity in class even when no one is looking,” she says.

Te Ahi Kaikōmako Rolleston School began incorporating the E Tū Tāngata mindset into its daily school life in mid-2019.

Principal Simon Moriarty says what drew his school to E Tū Tāngata first was that it was not a programme, but rather a “direction” to move in.

“It’s about creating a mindset to help that cultural shift in New Zealand society addressing tall poppy syndrome.

“And we wanted to be a part of that journey ... our school playing a role in positively impacting an aspect of New Zealand much bigger than us.”

Fitting in with school values

Every school can apply the E Tū Tāngata mindset in the way that works best for them.

Te Kōmanawa Rowley School began to incorporate the E Tū Tāngata mindset in 2022.

Principal Graeme Norman says the mindset “fit beautifully with our school values of relationships, identity and dignity – we adapted the programme to suit us and our kura”.

Rolleston School has reshaped its culture around the three pillars of E Tū Tāngata.

Every Monday morning, Te Kōmanawa Rowley holds a whole-school assembly where the E Tū Tāngata values are discussed with ākonga, including group singing of the E Tū Tāngata song.

Graeme says student leaders also suggested using the assembly as an opportunity to do “a thumbs up to the kids that had done cool things during the previous week”, which they have since implemented.

Every Friday, the staff wear t-shirts with E Tū Tāngata wording and talk to students about the values more casually.

Te Ahi Kaikōmako Rolleston School has re-aligned its school values to the three main pillars of the E Tū Tāngata mindset. These pillars underpin their strategic plan and annual targets.

• You have value | He mana tōu nō whakapata.
• We succeed together | Ki te kāpuia e kore e whati.
• Others matter | He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tāngata.

 “From the top down, we are living by this mindset,” says Simon.

Te Ahi Kaikōmako Rolleston School has also reshaped its culture, environment and even curriculum around the three pillars, he explains.

“In every conversation, with every single student, staff member and member of our community, we want to make sure they understand their value and worth.”

'We succeed together' is one of the pillars of E Tū Tāngata.

As an example, Simon said they reframed their school student leadership programme. Each student leader takes on board one of the pillars and champions that.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Simon says for two weeks the school focused on teaching ākonga ‘you have value,’ where students sent in examples of what they valued about themselves, such as juggling a football or playing a musical instrument.

The next two weeks were focused on ‘we succeed together,’ where students were encouraged to do tasks such as collaborating with their siblings or cooking dinner for their parents.

Their two-week focus on ‘others matter’ occurred over Anzac Day, and students created memorial displays on their windows.

Huge positive impact

Simon says Te Ahi Kaikōmako Rolleston School is “100 percent” seeing results from incorporating the E Tū Tāngata mindset.

“The instances of negative self-talk amongst our young people are decreasing and instead being replaced by the language of E Tū Tāngata.”

The school was also involved in a study by Canterbury University, which showed the “huge positive impact” of the mindset.

Westburn Te Kura o Hereora was also involved in the study after picking up the E Tū Tāngata mindset in 2020.

Susan says the study showed the students who had the most positive perception of E Tū Tāngata, also “felt more valued, felt their classes were collaborative and inclusive, had a higher sense of belonging to the school, and were willing to take more risks without fear of failure”.

In comparison, the students who said E Tū Tāngata were not as present in their classes had a lower feeling of being valued and included.

Graeme says his students are learning to be proud of who they are, and this has led to an increase in attendance.

Schools have seen the amount of negative self-talk by students decrease.

“Four years ago, when I started here, our attendance was 40 percent. From teaching our students that they’re valuable, a part of something and that others matter, our attendance has really shot up,” he says.

Attendance at the school is now up to 87 percent.

Graeme says one young student had been in several other schools before joining Te Kōmanawa Rowley School. He would stay for an hour and then be sent home.

“My belief is: If you have value, you’re the same as everyone else and so you go to school all day. When he got angry, he would come to my office and I would talk to him about E Tū Tāngata,” he says.

“And the highlight for me is, at the end of last term, he told his Oranga Tamariki social worker that his favourite thing about his new school was, ‘Even when I’m angry, they tell me I have value’.”

To learn more about E Tū Tāngata(external link) and access their free implementation resources, visit their website.

Feeling valued and included has led to an increase in attendance.