09 Oct Ako Panuku Hui ā Tau 2018: Tūhauora, Tūhauako

From left to right: Wikitoria Pirihi, Malia Eyles and Beaudine Tahau participating in a workshop run by Riria McDonald and Wikitoria Pirihi on mahi raranga in a Pūtaiao context. Photo credit Ako Panuku

Ako Panuku hosts an annual Hui ā Tau and this year the Toi Tangata team was invited to present at the Ako Panuku Hui ā Tau 2018. 

Members of the three Ako Panuku communities, Te Pōkai Kākākura, Te Kāhui Kaiako Reo Māori and Te Kāhui Kaiako Pūtaiao gathered at the Hui ā Tau. They took part in the professional forum to collaborate, network and and share over two days of workshops and plenaries on issues affecting leadership, te reo Māori and the teaching of pūtaiao.

This year’s hui had a focus on wellbeing in life, teaching and learning, encompassed by the theme ‘Tūhauora, Tūhauako- be well, teach well, learn well’. More than 100 Māori educators from English-medium, Māori-medium schools and wharekura (teachers, principals, academics, facilitators) from around Aotearoa met in Rotorua on 23-24 August, invited to contribute to the discussion of ākonga, kaiako, tumuaki and kura wellbeing.

Toi Tangata Kaiārahi Darrio Penetito-Hemara held a workshop titled He Pī Ka Rere: Taonga, tips and tools for delivering hauora promoting activities and events. The workshop was well received and garnered a lot of interest. It was a great introductory workshop on mātauranga Māori approaches to tautoko hauora and wellbeing. Darrio took participants on a journey of discovery and regeneration in the use of mātauranga Māori approaches to kori (movement), kai (nutrition) and wai (water).

The Hui ā Tau was a great platform to see what is going on in the education sector and offered the opportunity to hear from the many tohunga from a range of fields who came and shared their mātauranga to an enthusiastic and driven workforce of kaiako Māori. This is such an important kaupapa and a workforce who plays a vital role in upskilling our tamariki and rangatahi.

“Me rangatira te ako mō te oranga tonutanga o te reo.”

Ako Panuku

Ako Panuku is a Ministry of Education-sponsored initiative responding to a Ministerial Review which found that Māori secondary teachers often take on responsibilities (beyond their teaching roles) that lead to additional workload stress.  The initiative aims to reduce the impact of this workload stress by providing culturally-relevant support, designed to acknowledge the critical contribution Māori teachers make to education and the achievement of Māori students.

For more on Ako Panuku click here

Learn more about He Pī Ka Rere here