During the Covid-19 lockdown, Māori communities exercised their tino rangatiratanga and mana motuhake. This is clearly expressed by one respondent who stated:
We do not wait for someone else to help us –
we do it ourselves, with what we have.
Many Māori-medium kura, kōhanga or puna provided a space where Māori whānau saw opportunities to practice the idea of ‘for Māori, by Māori, as Māori’.
A recurring theme articulated by many of the whānau interviewed was that the high level of collaboration and communication was key to adequately supporting those who were most vulnerable. This was vital in addressing anxieties and uncertainties among Māori-medium communities. Ministry of Education bulletin encouraged staff of kura and services to “just continue being a solid constant in the lives of whānau and tamariki.”
There were numerous accounts of whānau pooling resources for educational benefits, as well as to mitigate the growing social pressures many whānau were facing. Many Māori-medium education providers and the wider whānau were instrumental in providing clear and up-to-date information to their respective communities, hosting wānanga to discuss tikanga and policy processes for online learning, self-funding the compilation of resource packs, establishing ways to maintain whanaungatanga and connection, putting together and distributing kai and hygiene packs, and maintaining a level of calmness and unity.
Whilst Covid-19 created a range of educational, social, health and wellbeing pressures, it was also observed that there was a heightened level of whānau engagement in children's learning.
Māori-medium education providers saw increased engagement by whānau in the learning process of their tamariki.
Whānau voice:
We found time to sit with our tamariki and learn together.
Tamariki voice:
I asked for help from my Nana when I needed it but most of the time, I was able to work by myself. I had Zoom meetings and when I did classwork my teachers helped with anything I needed.
This is particularly noticeable around mātauranga Māori, te reo Māori and Māori beliefs. The higher levels of engagement with whānau at home enhanced the learning journey of young Māori.
Whānau voice:
We focused on what was most important – arā te manawa me te wairua o te mokopuna...mēnā kei te ora kare e kore ka tipu mātoro ā hinengaro ā tinana. Getting the basics right – focusing on our Kaupapa – te reo me ōna tikanga.
Ihonui: Wellbeing
Ihonui – wellbeing and wellness – in te ao Māori includes the physical element and actively integrates spiritual, cognitive and familial connections.
Many of the Māori-medium education leaders acknowledged that whilst their staff continued in their professional capacities, many of them also felt the pressures of the global pandemic and were simultaneously carrying responsibilities for their own whānau.
Wellbeing of staff:
Approaches such as modifications to teaching programmes and timetables helped kaiako better manage workload. This included class Zoom sessions, independent learning activities and one- on-one tutorials that educational leaders and staff implemented with the support of the wider Māori-medium whānau, including their peak bodies. This was done to manage the obvious increase in workload placed upon kaiako and to mitigate the potential of ‘teacher burnout’.
The following is an example of a leader’s concerns:
Kaiako have worked tirelessly without breaks throughout lockdown and the emotional toll was significant.
Many staff were asked, at extremely short notice, to plan and facilitate learning experiences that were foreign to many of them. Leaders, in collaboration with the various peak bodies, sought relevant and accessible support. For the most part this came in the form of professional development and training around the understanding, navigation and application within the digital technologies space.
Kaiako were not feeling they were adding enough value as they were below par to deliver digitally.
Although adapting to the use of technology presented some challenges, leaders acknowledged the rapid adaptation and innovation of most Māori-medium staff. They now feel they are much better prepared as a teaching cohort to provide quality and engaging learning opportunities if another lockdown occurs.
Wellbeing of Learners:
The wellbeing of learners was a priority across the Māori-medium sector with a clear focus on staying connected. This strengthened connections between learner and kaiako; learner and taiao; learner and reo; learner and tikanga; and ultimately, learner and mātauranga. With this understanding, educational leaders and kaiako explored multiple opportunities to keep learners connected.
Tamariki voice:
Our kaiako were awesome. They supported us in every way.
Access to digital devices and the internet remained a factor for Māori-medium education during lockdown and prompted creative approaches from leaders and kaiako to maintain regular contact with learners and whānau.
It is important to note that while a number of Ministry of Education ‘hard packs’ were assembled for learners across Aotearoa, these were not always appropriate for the learners’ needs and often didn’t align with the richness of culture and language that Māori-medium aspire to provide.
For those families challenged by their ability to communicate with kura or service providers, kaiako embraced different ways to keep in touch, using phone calls, texts and social media to bridge the digital divide. What was shown throughout the Māori-medium sector was an overwhelming resilience to these challenges, with Māori students continuing to thrive.
Key to that story of resilience and success is whānau deeply engaged in students’ learning and kaiako committed to staying connected and responding to the individual needs of each family.
Whānau voice:
We kept in touch, we had Facebook and felt like the whānau was everywhere at the right time.
Whānau voice:
We loved the TV learning opportunity for our kids.
Staying connected proved to be invaluable when New Zealand moved down Alert Levels. Learners were positive about returning to their respective educational providers and did not feel disconnected. Research found there was a general sense of relief and joy expressed by the learners upon return to their respective kura or service.
Wellbeing of Whānau:
Leaders clearly took on a lot of additional responsibility in the form of communication with whānau, as well as networking and collaborating with various community and government services that could provide support to whānau.
Whānau voice:
We are and will be well prepared if lockdown is to happen again with a better understanding.
Whānau benefitted from Māori-medium leaders working to collaborate, communicate and coordinate with entities such as KidsCan, Breakfast Club, Fruit in Schools, Whānau Ora, Ministry of Health and other localised community initiatives. Furthermore, they also worked closely with local marae, hapū and iwi to ensure the most vulnerable whānau had access to support.
In the short term, the focus was on some of the basic needs such as food, hygiene supplies, blankets and warm clothing. This provided a strong sense of whanaungatanga.
Leader voice:
The contributions of these initiatives and that of whānau, hapū and iwi to these packs was invaluable.
Te Pūāhuru: Professional Support
Te Pūāhuru is the idea of ‘new concepts that reinforces or builds on and enhances one’s understanding and promotes a feeling of warmth, confidence and satisfaction. The support whether it is personal or professional should’ evoke a ‘fire in your belly’ and the need to know more.’
The peak bodies provided guidance and advocacy for the various Māori-medium providers. This was critical in ensuring that kura, services and leaders were well informed and supported. These actions helped reduce the workload of the leaders in that space, which allowed them to focus on supporting uri, kaiako, whānau and their communities.
Whānau voice:
We are ready to go. Our whānau are ready. Big ups to [governing body] they sent through all the guidance.
Those within Māori-medium education expressed appreciation to their leaders for the creation of national guidelines and sharing best practices in response to Covid-19. They also acknowledged support from the Ministry of Education and Māori Advisors as critical to enabling the peak bodies, leaders and Māori-medium to provide information and support to their communities.
Leader voice:
Those Covid-19 updates were my guiding light. I was able to get a good sense of where to take the kura. The updates were clear and direct.
Māori-medium education providers quickly realised they had several vulnerabilities in relation to distance or remote learning. Not all staff were confident in the use, navigation, and application of various digital technologies and platforms. The peak bodies and leaders sought opportunities for staff to build or enhance their understanding of the capabilities and applications of digital technologies and platforms. This was done in collaboration with teachers to ensure the professional development was both fit for purpose and catered directly to the practical and immediate needs of its users.
This included broadening the application of existing platforms used by various Māori-medium education providers, such as Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams, Class Dojo, SeeSaw and Zoom. PLD (professional learning and development) for existing platforms was often facilitated internally by more confident and competent staff members. It also included working with PLD providers such as Core Education, Evaluation Associates, PB4L and MindLab. PLD was also provided for wellbeing programmes, giving staff more opportunities to integrate wellbeing into their distance learning programme.
Māori-medium education staff invested large amounts of time and energy into developing themselves as distance learning practitioners under tight time frames. There was a good level of innovation and creativity happening across the various sectors in a collaborative manner.
Kaiako explored the opportunities that digital technology could provide for the advancement of revitalising te reo Māori. There was a sense of a newfound ‘fire in the belly’ with a workforce that looked to launch Māori-medium education into the future.
Te Māpura: Learning and Innovation
Te Māpura is described as ‘small sparks that often come out of nowhere from the heart of the fire, but create a chain reaction, much like how one idea can create a chain reaction of innovation and creativity.’
Learning and innovation in relation to the use and application of digital technology was essential and Māori-medium providers had little choice but to be innovative. Providers recognised the energy and effort that was invested leading up to, during and even post the major lockdown period.
As a result of the integration of more digital learning platforms and experiences, there was a noticeable increase in engagement by both whānau and learners not affected by the digital divide. Many whānau members became active learners with their tamariki, especially those that didn’t speak te reo Māori. They found that they could revisit recorded lessons and access activities and online learning platforms from the safety of their own home.
Leader voice:
This is a positive for whānau engagement because non-Māori speaking whānau recorded themselves speaking Māori with their tamariki and posted videos on Facebook.
Familiarity with the digital technologies increased opportunities for whānau engagement. The lockdown and distance learning experience proved to be a catalyst which sparked a new and innovative way of thinking about engagement.
Tamariki voice:
I loved being on Facebook for karakia.
The increased levels of learner engagement with the integration of more digital technologies was clear across the Māori-medium sector. There were a number of factors that contributed to this, including: the younger generation having greater familiarity with digital learning; a greater variety of tools and strategies available for learners; and teachers becoming more creative with their lessons and activities. There might also be a link between the increased engagement of whānau in their children's learning and the increased engagement of the children themselves.
Tamariki voice:
I was able to plan my own learning programme and my kaiako supported me to be adventurous.
With the recognition of this increased level of engagement, many Māori-medium providers have sought to continue with the digital style learning platforms and resources post-lockdown.
There are numerous ways in which these practices have continued, such as recording karakia and waiata and posting on online platforms, sharing children's learning live through social media channels, and disseminating tutorials and activities through online platforms. There has also been an increase in the use of communicative tools such as Zoom to allow more whānau to engage in whānau hui.
