A Focus on Māori Achievement – Ngāti Kahungunu Cultural Standards

A Focus on Māori Achievement – Ngāti Kahungunu Cultural Standards

Every year Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated goes on a marae hīkoi to speak with our people to identify priorities that inform our work for the Iwi.  Māori achievement and educational success continues to be of high priority to our people.  Ngāti Kahungunu developed a Mātauranga Strategy to begin addressing these concerns and in 2008 entered into a joint education project with the Ministry of Education. 

The Ngāti Kahungunu Cultural Standards project focuses on Māori achievement and realizing the aspirations of whānau and hapū of Ngāti Kahungunu for the achievement of our children in education.  A basic assumption underpinning the project is the belief that knowing the language and culture of Ngāti Kahungunu is essential for the cultural and educational wellbeing of Ngāti Kahungunu children, as well as other children in schools within the rohe.    

A key outcome of this project will be the development of cultural standards for early childhood and schools in the Kahungunu rohe.  These cultural standards will be developed to assist in the teaching and learning of Kahungunu knowledge.  The standards will incorporate views from whānau and hapū consultation and the principals, teacher, and education communities. 

This year, the Ngāti Kahungunu Cultural Standards Framework will be developed in collaboration with whānau, hapū and Iwi knowledge holders, and the education sector.  We will also develop support programmes and resources to assist early childhood centres and schools to use the Cultural Standards to help increase Māori achievement and parent involvement in the education success of our children. 

The revitalization of Ngāti Kahungunu reo and tikanga is important to our identity as Kahungunu.  The Cultural Standards project will assist in revitalizing our reo and tikanga and develop teacher professional development programmes.   The five strands of the Ngāti Kahungunu Māori Language Strategy have been adapted and underpin the Cultural Standards project. 

The strands are:

Whaakaoho: Awakening of our people and educators, critical awareness of what is happening in the education system and in terms of cultural knowledge.

Whakamana: Unique Ngāti Kahungunu knowledge, pedagogy and content that is core to our people and this project.

Whakaako:  New knowledge from the sector and whānau, the design and development of Ngāti Kahungunu knowledge for the sector.

Whakamahi: Trialling and implementation of tools and training for educators and whānau.

Whakawhanaungatanga: Relationships and collaborations that underpin the other whāinga.

To be included on a mailing list to received regular updates about the project, please send your contact details to: ngaire@kahungunu.iwi.nz, or post your information to Kahungunu Cultural Standards Project, PO Box 2406, Hastings, or ring our Office in Hastings, New Zealand on 06 876 2718.

Click here to view more information about the Kahungunu Cultural Standards Project

For more information please contact our iwi office: