IWI LEADERSHIP
to where they come from; and the sorts of conversations they could be having in their own communities.” Ngaa Rauru has been working with the Ministry of Education across a number of projects for many years, including developing an education strategy called HOPE MAAKU (HOPE= Helping our people excel) to support the ongoing development of tribal members. “There are a whole range of reasons for this, when I think about providing opportunities that are centred around what we believe is intrinsic to growing our people to thrive and excel. It’s around partnering, local investment decisions, planning that enables Maaori learners to succeed as Maaori, and to continually realise, attain and celebrate Iwi potential. “We want to provide opportunities for all tamariki mokopuna and rangatahi, not just Iwi learners,” explains Ngareta.
Future thinking Augmented reality projects will be part of Te Kura i Huna, the Iwi school of excellence, which has been outlined in the Te Kura o Rauru Education Framework. Of the 7,549 total learners affiliated with Ngaa Rauru Iwi, only 1.7 per cent (128 learners) attend schools within their rohe. They wish to establish Te Kura i Huna on a digital platform mai i te koopae kii Rangiaatea (from womb to heaven), to enable their uri (descendants) access to an Iwi-led education on a digital platform across the education pathway, no matter where they live. “We have been working alongside JIX to help us develop the next phase of sharing our moohiotanga: Te Kura i Huna. We are wanting to provide access across our Iwi locally, nationally and globally, but it will also be hugely beneficial to Aotearoa learners in general.” Te Kura i Huna will support Iwi participation in education across a variety of platforms including a blended reality platform to realise Maaori potential and provide a pathway that will deliver a better future across Aotearoa and globally. “If we don’t embark on this journey, there is the fear that all of this intrinsic knowledge that has been left behind from our tuupuna, our taonga tuku iho, will be lost. Everything is really critical, for us, like most other Iwi, no doubt,” says Ngareta. “This will provide education resilience and sustainability for our people on so many levels,” says Mike Neho, chair of Te Paepae o Te Kaahui o Rauru. Please note: Ngaa Rauru uses double vowels instead of macrons when writing te reo Māori.
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Education Gazette | 23 November 2020
Sakthi Ranganathan from JIX Ltd leads a discussion with Year 9-10 students of Te Kura o Kokohuia about mixed reality learning.
gazette.education.govt.nz