Ngā Kaiako Māori

These are the two kaiako. Michael Long (Ngāpuhi/ Ngāti Whātua) is an ex-student of Pakuranga College who graduated in 2021 with the Mokai Kāinga leadership trophy for being an outstanding all-round Māori student. He has returned to assist Whaea Bex and to tutor their kapa haka group. Whaea Bex (Ngāti Tūwharetoa) has returned to teaching at Pakuranga College after having her 3 sons. She had taught other subjects, including social sciences. However, after having her son she had discovered her passion for her language and culture and had accepted the offer by the school to teach te reo Māori. This is her first year as the kaiako for te reo Māori at Pakuranga.

Ētahi Whakaaro | Some Thoughts

After watching, listening and talking to Whaea Bex, I have arrived at the conclusion that Pakuranga are very aware of the heavy workload that kaiako Māori are oftentimes forced to take on. The leadership team there had brought in their ex-student Michael Long to assist Whaea, as the Tumuaki Michael Williams believes that there should be at least two kaiako in each department, no matter how small or big the classes are. However, like all other kaiako I have met so far, she too wears multiple hats. She is the kaiako Māori, acting HOD of Te Reo Māori, she coordinates the kapa haka schedule and events, she spearheads the Māori Development team, and is the tutor for the Whānau tutor class, which consists of all the Māori students in the school that are assigned leadership roles (i.e. pōwhiri, kapa haka, etc). The school is also in the process of creating another group specifically for Māori students who are at-risk of leaving school. So, there is a lot of wrap-around support for the ākonga Māori at Pakuranga College.

Although Whaea Bex has only just started teaching te reo Māori this year, she is killing it! He momo ia! Her organisational skills, her aroha for the kids, her aroha for te reo, as well as her primary-trained background have stood her in good stead. She has not yet had time to look at or through the rauemi available for teaching te reo Māori (i.e. Māori To Go). She has hit the floor running and has been too busy creating units and lessons on the go. She is yet to develop and grow her senior programme as she is not confident enough to teach at a higher level. I felt aroha for the current seniors, who are not proficient enough to complete their assessments without assistance. These senior students had been subjected to a high turnover of kaiako Māori over their time at Pakuranga College, and are completing the rest of their te reo course on Te Kura (online correspondence school). I understand that trying to teach concepts to senior students who missed all the basics in their junior years is a never-ending catch-up and gap-filling game, which is exhausting for kaiako, and frustrating for ākonga. It really drove home my first belief: the junior school programming must be strong and robust, so that when they are seniors they can confidently stand on their own two feet when engaging in their te reo Māori learning. After observing her classes and perusing over her unit plans, Whaea Bex’s junior programme is absolute fire!!