Airana Ngarewa on Teaching and Writing

Airana Ngarewa on Teaching and Writing

Voices

Airana 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:

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Navigating online teaching in the Time of Coronavirus

Navigating online teaching in the Time of Coronavirus

Voices

Ako 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.

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Our ocean, our planet

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.

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Want to change the world? Try teaching.

Want to change the world? Try teaching.

News items

As 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." *This article originally appeared on https://educationcentral.co.nz/.

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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.

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Social justice in the time of COVID-19

Voices

At 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.

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Introducing our new Board Chair, Dr. Jim Mather!

Introducing our new Board Chair, Dr. Jim Mather!

Voices

Jim 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!

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Meet Tracie!

Meet Tracie!

Voices

Kairapu 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.

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Takaia ki te reo: Wrapped in the language

Takaia ki te reo: Wrapped in the language

Voices

Thirteen 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. 🏓

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“If you’re too big to serve, you’re too small to lead!”

“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.

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From Otara to NASA!

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!✨

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Kairapu Spotlight: Odd Daphne Season 2

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.

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Nyra Marshall on re-Indigenising education

Nyra Marshall on re-Indigenising education

Voices

Barrister 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:

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Kieran Gainsford on Education Research

Kieran Gainsford on Education Research

Voices

Tāmaki-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:

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Breaking in the right way

Breaking in the right way

Voices

Felicity 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.

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Building partnerships to disrupt inequities in NZ education

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.

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Woolf Fisher Kairapu: Taylor Hughson

Woolf Fisher Kairapu: Taylor Hughson

In the media

A 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.

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Te Taitokerau people walking the talk to keep reo Māori alive

Te Taitokerau people walking the talk to keep reo Māori alive

News items

Kia Kaha Te Reo Māori! Our Ako Mātātupu whānau are up to incredible things! Check out this incredible hīkoi to commence te wiki o te reo Māori: to celebrate, to raise awareness, and to normalise Te Reo Māori outside of the classroom or Marae. Over 2000 people stepped out, literally, in hīkoi whakanui to celebrate our nation’s language, te reo o tō tātou whenua, and our shared Aotearoatanga.

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