February 02, 2018
College part of mana motuhake push
The new director of the Waikato-Tainui College for Research and Development says it’s a critical part of the iwi’s vision of mana motuhake.
Cheryl Stephens comes to the role after 15 years at Te Whare Waananga o Awanuiaarangi and a spell leading a consultancy specialising in the professional development of teachers and adult educators.
She has also served as education commissioner for the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO, and held roles with Teach First NZ, the Council for Educational Research, and the Ministry of Education’s Maori Research Advisory Group.
Dr Stephens, from Te Arawa and Taranaki, says she trained at a teacher at Waikato University when the late Sir Robert Mahuta was based at its Centre for Maaori Studies and she saw his vision of how education and the centre could contribute to the iwi.
She sees opportunities for the college to lead the tribe’s action research agenda, develop more leadership programmes, and work with international indigenous communities on mutual learning and development opportunities.
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