On 22nd of February the entire staff including Teachers, Senior Leaders, Teacher Aides and Support Staff travelled out to Tuahiwi Marae in North Canterbury for an all-day Professional Development to look at what Måori achieving as Måori means and the strategic plan of our Change Team.

For many staff, this was their first time on a marae and it was daunting to be travelling to the unknown.  All staff were required to learn and perform their mihimihi.  This also added to their fears and some staff admitted they had lost sleep over the thought. However, after our powhiri on to Tuahiwi Marae by Ngai Tuahuriri the mihimihi section of the day began and was not as daunting as some had initially thought.  Staff were split into three groups, those who had never performed a mihi before, those who had one but may not have presented it before and those who had experience with mihimihi but wanted to fine tune their presentation.  Every staff member gave it a go and put great effort into ensuring their pronounciation was correct, Måori place names were used and advice was given and openly taken on board.

Like any hui on a marae, the food is a focal point of hospitality and this was no exception from Ngai Tuahuriri.  For morning tea we were treated to some scrumptious home baking and an array of crackers, fruit and vege sticks with home-made dips.  For lunch a selection of delicious salads and chicken, our hosts also making sure our guest with special dietary requirements were taken care of.  

The afternoon sessions included a history talk on the migration of Tahu Potiki and his descendants to the South Island and the establishment of Ngai Tuahuriri and the local area including Kaiapoi Pa and its siege by Te Rauparaha.  

We shared with staff the results of the teacher survey, the parent survey and the student surveys that were completed last year.  This data sharing was one of the main reasons that the all-day PD session was called for and held at Tuahiwi Marae.

The nature of some of the data was very sensitive and needed to be heard in an open forum where we could hear, digest and discuss the information.  Our next step is for departments to look at ways that they can use this data to improve their subject areas and also improve the learning experience for our Måori students.  The support staff have already jumped on board and are showing great enthusiasm for this kaupapa by using Måori greetings and looking at altering the school letterhead.  Ka Rawe ou Koutou mahi!! It will be exciting to see what other departments are doing and where this journey now takes us.