September 12, 2023
Learning plan has matauranga Māori under the hood
A leading education expert says drawing on Māori values has helped her create an internationally successful company.
Seattle-based Jo McEachan from Ngai Tahu, Waitaha and Kāti Māmoe was last week given a World Class New Zealand Award by Kea, a network that supports and highlights the activities of New Zealanders abroad.
McEachen is the founder of The Learner First, which works with schools to identify what’s best for their students, and she’s also set up the Kia Kotahi Ako Charitable Trust in Aotearoa.
She says a lot of her work is matauranga Maori in another guise.
“I call it contributive learning, because I believe that when we remember who we are, we actually all do contribute – and, that’s a gift that we have and gift we can give to the world, and its nice just to stop and remember sometimes that we can celebrate that,” she says.
Jo Eachan says identity, language and culture are the first teachers.