Rename and reboot for Te Kotahitanga as lessons learned

The Government is restarting a scheme to improve Māori achievement in schools.

Te Kotahitanga was developed by a team at the University of Waikato led by Russell Bishop and Mere Berryman, but was scrapped by the previous government for cost reasons and replaced with a watered-down substitute.

Associate Education Minister Kelvin Davis says as part of the coalition agreement officials sat down with Dr Berryman and other tohunga mātauranga to look at reviving the programme, which involved bringing extra support into the classroom as well as professional development for teachers.

Now the Wellbeing Budget will invest $42 million over three years in the initiative, rebranded Te Hurihanganui, which will take a whole community approach rather than just schools.

"I think one of the big things will be sitting down with the whānau, hapū, with iwi where appropriate, designing what they want in their education community, and addressing all those issues around racism and deficit thinking and the low expectations of some teachers," Mr Davis says.

Te Hurihanganui will initially be rolled out in six communities involving about 4000 pupils.

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