Blog
“Why I Teach”: A kōrero with two wonderful wāhine of Onehunga High School
VoicesSarah Dillaman (C14 and past teacher at Onehunga High School) popped in to visit Phinia Evans and Janel Tolentino (both members of Ururoa, C20) in their classrooms at Onehunga High School, to see where the magic happens, and ask them why they joined the Teach First NZ programme, and what they love about teaching.
Read more
Airana Ngarewa on Teaching and Writing
VoicesAirana Ngarewa (Ngāti Ruanui) is trained and accomplished in multiple sporting codes, from wrestling to jiu jitsu to marathon. With six national championships in four different sports under his belt, Airana lives and breathes physical and mental discipline. He is also is published writer. Having previously taught in a martial arts setting and served as administrator in a local school, Airana is part of our Ururoa 2020 cohort of change-making teachers. Learn more from our conversation:
Read more
Navigating online teaching in the Time of Coronavirus
VoicesAko Mātātupu's Sarah Dillaman (Kairapu of Cohort 2014) had a chat with John Haggie (Kairapu of Cohort 2017) just as he and other teachers around Aotearoa were coming out of several weeks of teaching under lockdown, and finding their energies challenged in different ways on return to the classroom.
Read more
Our ocean, our planet
In the media"Our project is about sustaining water: sustaining our ocean, as well as our planet" - Harneet Singh, Otahuhu College. Cohort 2018 Programme Participant Sarah Wilson ran an investigation with her students into the local natural environment, comparing pollution levels in Otahuhu and the Waitakere Ranges.
Read more
Want to change the world? Try teaching.
News itemsAs we address the shortcomings of our education system, Teach First NZ: Ako Mātātupu Chief Executive Jay Allnutt reminds us not to forget the important role that teachers play in transforming our society. "Teachers can lead the way in transforming our society into a fairer and more equitable one."
Read more
Six Impactful Questions with Dr Jim Mather
In the media"Always put people first." An interview with Professional Director, CEO and Māori Development Specialist (and our new Board Chair!), Dr. Jim Mather.
Read more
Social justice in the time of COVID-19
VoicesAt Ako Mātātupu, like the rest of the country, we have been figuring out how best to navigate the current crisis caused by the global COVID-19 Pandemic. CEO Jay Allnutt discusses the implications for the organisation, and the communities we look to serve.
Read more
Introducing our new Board Chair, Dr. Jim Mather!
VoicesJim reflects on his own education in South Auckland, his motivations for joining the Ako Mātātupu waka and takes a moment to acknowledge and thank both past and present members of the Ako Mātātupu Board. Welcome to the whānau, Matua Jim!
Read more
Meet Tracie!
VoicesKairapu storyteller and te reo kaiako Tracie Pile joined the Ako Mātātupu movement as a part of the 2015 Cohort, teaching Te Reo Māori at James Cook High School for four years. She is now teaching English at her son's Kura in Otaki.
Read more
Takaia ki te reo: Wrapped in the language
VoicesThirteen year old Takaimaania Ngata-Henare is a national table tennis champion, who has travelled around the world playing competitively. To fundraise for this, Takaimaania is giving the gift of te reo Māori by founding Mau Designz. Repping the marae is just like repping the country. 🏓
Read more
“If you’re too big to serve, you’re too small to lead!”
Voices“If you’re too big to serve, you’re too small to lead!” Introducing the newest member of the recruitment whānau, Agnes Pele.
Read more
From Otara to NASA!
In the media🚀 TO INFINITY AND BEYOND! 🚀Our young change-makers - Heta Fa'asisila, Navneet La'akulu, Rykien Rowe and Sivihiva Kivalu - from our Otara partner school, Tangaroa College, will be at the NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration Space Camp in July 2020!✨
Read more
Kairapu Spotlight: Odd Daphne Season 2
News items"As Pasifika people we're storytellers, and so the way we connect to our own is through stories. The hope behind this production is that more Pasifika families really start to talk about mental wellness in their homes [...] so that we can hopefully help those going through similar experiences." - Joshua Iosefo.
Read more
Nyra Marshall on re-Indigenising education
VoicesBarrister and solicitor turned teacher turned Teach First NZ Programme Kaihāpai Teacher Educator, Nyra Marshall (Kairapu alumni of Cohort 2015) shares some of her thinking as she enters a new role:
Read more
Kieran Gainsford on Education Research
VoicesTāmaki-ki-te-Tonga (South Auckland) PPTA Coordinator, compelling chemistry teacher and education scholar, Kieran Gainsford started out his Ako Mātātupu journey in Cohort 2017. In this interview Kieran shares with us what's on his mind and where he's putting his efforts when it comes to educational inequality:
Read more
Breaking in the right way
VoicesFelicity Powell is in her first year of the Teach First NZ Programme. Her day job is a Computer Science teacher, and she’s also a Google Innovator, IP Law specialist, certified yoga teacher, wine educator, Shaolin Kung Fu kid, founder of a publishing company, an ex-Glacier Guide and penguin enthusiast. This wahine toa shares her journey with Ako Mātātupu; how falling apart allows the right pieces to fall together with purpose, and what educational neuroscience has to do with it.
Read more
Building partnerships to disrupt inequities in NZ education
Partner stories
“Ehara taku toa I te toa takitahi. Engari, te toa takitini.” My strength is not the strength of one; it is the strength of many.
Forming partnerships to have wider impact and create sustainable change is an important part of Ako Mātātupu's strategy. In this edition of NEXT Outlook, our CEO Jay Allnutt explains how those partnerships work, why they are needed and what role philanthropy plays.
Read more
Woolf Fisher Kairapu: Taylor Hughson
In the mediaA huge congratulations to Kairapu (alumnus of Cohort 2016), Taylor Hughson, who has received a Woolf Fisher scholarship to continue his research in education. Described by one of his referees as “someone who has shown immense commitment to serving his community”, Taylor will head to the University of Cambridge to complete his PhD in Education, investigating the current state of teacher policy in New Zealand.
Read more
Take our eligibility quiz
Are you eligible to join our flagship programme? Our quiz will help you understand whether you meet our eligibility criteria as well as what subjects you may be able to teach.
Take the eligibility quiz!
Request an info pack
If you would like to find out more about our programme, how it works and who we are looking for, we have created an information pack just for you!