Kaupapa Māori approach helps Maori learners, report finds

Thursday, 19 January 2023

The first part of the Te Ahu o te Reo Māori programme will see educators go through interactive Māori lessons so they can feel more comfortable using phrases.

A kaupapa Māori approach to learning is improving the education outcomes of Māori ākonga (students), new research has found.

Te Pūtea Whakatupu Trust invested $5.5 million into literacy and numeracy programmes for 1600 tamariki Māori over four years.

Ngā Uri Whakatupu, an independent report evaluating the impact of the investment, released its findings on Thursday.

The report concludes a holistic, whānau-centred approach to literacy and numeracy resulted in improved education and wellbeing outcomes for tamariki and whānau.

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'We know that when whānau are engaged in ways that work for them, they thrive,” Te Pūtea Whakatupu Trust kaihautū (director) Te Pūoho Kātene said.

“We are proud to support initiatives such as these to help bridge the literacy and numeracy gap that our ākonga Māori experience in our mainstream education system.”

The report looked at two programmes that Te Pūtea Whakatupu Trust funded.

These were Te Kete Aronui delivered by Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency, and Te Reo Matatini me te Pangarau delivered by Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu.

It follows previous research commissioned by the trust in 2021, which analysed the impact of the North Island literacy and numeracy programme, Te Kete Aronui.

'We have an extensive body of research that demonstrates the significant benefits of delivering a kaupapa Māori approach to learning,” Kātene said.

“But without targeted investment and resourcing, these benefits are limited to those within our programme catchments.'

Kātene said the findings identify that a holistic approach is a key component in fostering Māori education success.

'We now challenge Government to bridge the gap where mainstream education falls short, rather than trying to find a way for our tamariki to fit, use these findings to design a system which fits around them.'