IntroductionLarge-scale implementation of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) to enhance children's early literacy success is critically important to address global literacy challenges. This paper describes one such initiative, the Better Start Literacy Approach (BSLA), which was specifically designed for large-scale implementation in New Zealand.MethodsBetween February 2020 and May 2023 over 3,000 teachers in 819 schools across New Zealand implemented BSLA, with baseline data available for 29,795 5-year-old children. Teachers implemented novel online assessments to monitor children's early literacy growth.ResultsIn comparison to an internal control group, accelerated progress in children's phonic, and phoneme awareness skills was evident after 10 weeks of BSLA Tier 1 (universal) teaching. After 30 weeks, there were significant gains in word reading, spelling, listening comprehension and oral narrative abilities; growth did not differ based on gender, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. Children with greater learning needs who received BSLA Tier 2 (small group targeted teaching) caught up to their peers in word reading and spelling skills.ConclusionsWith appropriate resourcing, planning and engagement with communities, successful large-scale implementation of evidenced-based early literacy approaches is possible within a relatively short time. Culturally responsive implementation within MTSS frameworks holds much promise for raising literacy achievement for all children.

Embedding the use of technology for authentic social interactions with L2 teaching and learning needs to be supported by effective pedagogical practices. This article explores how technology can support the learning of te reo Māori in New Zealand. Thirteen kaiako (teachers) from a variety of teaching and learning backgrounds and experiences, and five ākonga (students) representing a range of ages were individually interviewed. The ākonga reported that synchronous online classes were very helpful for their language development and enjoyed the whanaungatanga created by being a part of the online community. They felt less, isolated and felt that they got to know some members of the class better. The kaiako reported, that connecting with the heart enhanced engagement in te reo Māori, which increased the confidence of ākonga, which advanced the level of proficiency in te reo Māori.

The Better Start Literacy Approach (BSLA) is a strengths-based approach to supporting children’s literacy learning in their first year of school. Previous research has shown the approach is effective at accelerating foundational literacy knowledge in children with lower levels of oral language. This study examined the impact of the BSLA for children with varied language profiles and across schools from diverse socioeconomic communities. Additionally, a controlled analysis of the impact of Tier 2 teaching within a response to teaching framework was undertaken. Participants included 402 five-year-old children from 14 schools in New Zealand. A randomised delayed treatment design was utilised to establish the effect of Tier 1 teaching. Analyses showed a significant Tier 1 intervention effect for phoneme awareness, letter-sound knowledge, non-word reading and non-word spelling. There was no difference in intervention effects across socioeconomic groupings. Children were identified for Tier 2 teaching after 10 weeks of Tier 1 implementation. The progress of 98 children in response to Tier 2 teaching was compared to 26 children who met Tier 2 criteria but received only Tier 1 teaching within this study. Children in the Tier 2 group scored significantly higher on phonological awareness, non-word reading, and spelling than the control group at the post-Tier 2 assessment point, after controlling for pre-Tier 2 scores. The results suggest that a proactive strengths-based approach to supporting foundational literacy learning in children’s first year of school benefits all learners. The findings have important implications for early provision of literacy learning support in order to reduce current inequities in literacy outcomes.

Effective Indigenous leaders articulate the skills and abilities needed to navigate the uncertainties of the 21st century. They are adept in the skills of how to identify, pursue and achieve goals, and in doing so, are able to inspire others along the education leadership journey. This chapter explores a broad set of characteristics of leaders, both nationally and internationally, and expands on qualities that are displayed by Indigenous leaders in Māori society in historical and contemporary times. A selection of Indigenous leadership traits is offered so as to illustrate how iconography and metaphor can be manifested in real-world contexts. A framework referring to two streams of knowledge is espoused. This framework is the channel through which Indigenous and non-Indigenous leadership qualities can complement each other to yield, potentially, better outcomes than either paradigm can yield on its own. A set of four compelling messages are offered as 'food for thought'.

The growing recognition of virtual field trips (VFTs) to support classrooms has led to increasing use of these tools in science classrooms. In Aotearoa New Zealand, the Ministry of Education has underscored the need for educational experiences that are inclusive of Indigenous Maori worldviews. Here, we present the potential of the LEARNZ(1) natural hazards "Our Supervolcano" VFT to support bicultural(2) learning spaces. The resource was filmed in 2019 to promote learning about natural hazards specifically volcanoes around Lake Taupe) in Aotearoa. Drawing understandings from Matauranga Maori(3) and Western science, this resource can support a bicultural approach to classroom science learning. The VFT videos are powerful storytelling tools where students can identify potential career pathways around science and its link with culture in the context of the landscape. We describe the main features of the VFT designed for use concurrently with the filming. We additionally highlight its potential as an archived (historical) resource that maybe re-used at any time to support primary and secondary classrooms that want to emphasize cross-cultural aspects of science or learn about volcanic hazards using geology and cultural narratives.

Abstract Bicultural research is important for disaster education in Aotearoa NZ. Historically, deficit-based perspectives of Western Science underrepresent Māori knowledge. However, culturally grounded research partnerships have potential to revitalize engagement with Māori by braiding Indigenous Science and Western Science narratives to improve our collective understanding of the volcanic processes. We share insights from participant interviews on the co-creation of an educational virtual field trip (VFT) resource that weaves understandings from Mātaurānga Māori and Geology to teach about caldera volcanoes in Aotearoa NZ. This study highlights some key considerations for collaboration between Indigenous Māori and non-Māori partners. To conduct the research in a culturally appropriate way, a formal kawa (protocol) was established between the lead researcher and the Māori partners and culturally acceptable ethics in accordance with the Māori partners were implemented. The He Awa Whiria (braided river) methodology was followed through the multiple stages of engagement and the two-staged interview study design. Emergent codes from the interview indicate that relations and values are crucial for authentic partnerships and create space for sharing where challenges and emerging understandings can be repositioned. This study demonstrates that Māori academics, local Māori facilitators and researchers are crucial in the engagement process with local iwi (tribes) to define shared goals and understand expected project outcomes. We suggest that the development of bicultural educational resources must be grounded in an understanding of obligations to uphold the intergenerational intellectual property of the local iwi. This process requires significant resourcing of time, knowledge and energy and should be budgeted-in prior to the start of project-partnerships.

Online teaching and learning programmes allow ākonga who live in isolated areas, or who have differing learning requirements, to study by distance. Maintaining student engagement in the online environment is an important aspect. This article explores how kaiako (teachers) can engage their ākonga (students) better in online environments. The article has a particular emphasis on supporting Māori learners, who represent 25% of the New Zealand school population. Five kaiako were interviewed about their experience of teaching New Zealand secondary school students online. The study found that the kaiako had some awareness of bicultural values and practices, but lacked confidence in embedding it in their online teaching, which was limited to synchronous timetabled sessions with some communication by text and email. The time provided for online students was considerably less than for the secondary students in traditional classrooms.

This paper reports on findings from a doctoral study that explored the efficacy of a home-based literacy intervention in advancing preschool children’s foundational literacy skills. Two key cognitive skills critical for early literacy success were examined in particular, those being phonological awareness, and elements of oral language, including vocabulary knowledge, which is the specific skill discussed in this paper. The intervention consisted of two main areas of focus – one, named Rich Reading and Reminiscing (RRR), concentrated on stimulating children’s oral language skills, and the other, called Stimulating Sound Sensitivity (SSS), aimed to generate shifts in children’s phonological awareness abilities. Data sets were gathered with eight children and their families over a twelve-week period, which corresponded with the duration of the intervention. A final set of data was collected six months after the intervention ceased. The study employed a crossover design, where four children and their families participated in the RRR component of the intervention, which ran for six weeks, followed by the SSS portion of the intervention. The remaining four children participated in the same parts of the intervention but in reverse order of delivery. The crossover approach established a control in the study, and allowed the effects of each part of the intervention on the children’s early literacy skills to be more clearly revealed. This paper reports on two children – one from each cohort – whose results are evidence of the efficacy of the intervention in advancing key aspects of children’s foundational literacy skills. Key Findings The children who participated in the RRR component of the intervention first showed improvements in vocabulary knowledge mid-intervention. Conversely, the children who participated in the SSS component first made gains in their phonological awareness skills before the other cohort of children did. These findings have implications for early childhood educators and families concerning the strategies adopted by these stakeholders which aim to foster strong cognitive skills critical for literacy success.

Aotearoa New Zealand is characterised by dynamic landscapes. Major landscape-altering events, such as earthquakes, floods, landslides and tsunami, have deeply influenced the relationships that many Maori, the Indigenous peoples of Aotearoa New Zealand, have with their ancestral landscapes. This work documents perspectives of landscape change from five Maori individuals from various iwi (tribes) and hapu (kin groups) around Aotearoa New Zealand, who have strong ties with their turangawaewae (place of connection). In exercising the Maori principle of whanaungatanga, we conducted semi-structured interviews following a general inductive approach over a series of meetings. This research indicates that no matter the cause of a landscape-altering event, connections, sustainability, reciprocity and adaptability are core values to uphold. These values can be used to guide human activity and involvement pertaining to responding to the event days, months and years after. This work also indicates that altered landscapes have a natural way of healing themselves through time, and that people play an important role in defining landscape change and recovery following landscape-altering events.

Imagining possible worlds with young children, families, and teachers: sustaining indigenous languages and family pedagogies Janet S. Gaffney , Jenny Ritchie , Mere Skerrett (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Māhuta, Ngāti Unu, Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Pūkeko) , Graham Hingangaroa Smith (Ngāti Apa, Ngāti Kahungunu, Te Aitanga a Hauiti, Kāti Māmoe) , Diane Mara (Tahitian/English), Angus Hikairo Macfarlane (Ngāti Rangiwewehi, Ngāti Whakaue) e* and Christine Sleeter f* Te Kura Akoranga me Te Tauwhiro Tangata | Faculty of Education and Social Work, Waipapa Taumata Rau | University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand; Te Puna Akopai | School of Education, Te Herenga Waka | Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand; Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa | Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand; Pacific Education Consultant; University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand; California State University, Monterey Bay, CA, USA

This editorial introduction outlines the political and intellectual territory for a Special Issue on Tikanga rua: bicultural spatial governance in Aotearoa New Zealand. The term 'spatial governance' refers to deliberative systems with an impact onsocial and spatial outcomes, including environmental management, town planning, urban design and city-making. Authentic tikanga rua bicultural spatial governance delivers processes and outcomes aligned with the perspectives, values and knowledge of both tangata whenua (people of the land) and tangata Tiriti (people of the Treaty). The research discussed in the Special Issue traverses multiple geographies and contexts and demonstrates the manifold possibilities for biculturalism in contemporary spatial governance. This introduction summarises the contents of each of the substantive papers and provides a Maori-English glossary to assist readers with the key terms used within the issue.

This article responds to the paucity of literature on Māori success and presents data from follow-up interviews with eight Māori young adults (pakeke), 6 years after they participated as secondary students (rangatahi) in an initial study titled Ka Awatea: An Iwi Case Study of Māori Students’ Success in 2014. Emerging outcomes reveal the central role of Māori culture and identity in their transition to adulthood. Secondary schooling nurtured their inner confidence and capacity to achieve, but did not play a significant role in development of positive Māori identity and cultural efficacy. However, as school-leavers approaching adulthood, they drew on their cultural efficacy and cultural assets, predominantly acquired from whānau, to navigate dominant culture environments. In doing so, they demonstrate that traditional Māori developmental paths have contemporary relevance, and that their roles—as cultural bearers, passing on the gifts of their ancestors—are fundamental to their aspirations and achievements.

This article shares lessons for spatial governance in Aotearoa New Zealand in the context of the Treaty of Waitangi. It reports on research into co-creation pathways that supported bicultural spatial governance inclusive of whanau and local communities in the Waimakariri and Rotorua Districts. In alignment with three Treaty principles, local tikanga, unique to the two places, informed the methodological framework for bicultural spatial governance. Despite some commonalities, the two case studies reveal distinctive perspectives that resonate differently across Aotearoa New Zealand, underscoring the importance of co-creation for biculturalism. We consider the implications for biculturalism across a range of spatial contexts and for debates about decolonising governance.

Este artigo trata sobre a presença e a significância das ideias de Paulo Freire na Aotearoa/Nova Zelândia. Partimos do contexto da viagem de Freire ao país em 1974 e relacionamos sua visita com o processo histórico mais amplo de reconhecimento do racismo como um dos legados da colonização do país. Em seguida, mapeamos a presença dos livros de Freire em universidades e bibliotecas públicas, discutindo o impacto da Pedagogia do Oprimido assim como a repercussão das ideias de Paulo Freire na experiência de alguns de seus leitores locais. Por fim, focamos no relacionamento entre o trabalho de Paulo Freire e a educação Māori, discutindo o conceito indígena de Ako e a importância do desenvolvimento de pedagogias culturalmente relevantes.

In 2019, the Earthquake Commission (EQC) New Zealand with a stake to raise awareness of natural disasters and their impacts, commissioned the LEARNZ1 Our Supervolcanoes virtual field trip (VFT) to teach about volcanoes around Lake Taupō in Aotearoa New Zealand. The involvement of kaupapa Māori researchers in the project facilitated an authentic opportunity to develop bicultural educational resources. We share insights from this collaboration that can inform the engagement process with local iwi. The key findings from this study can support teachers, researchers, and scientists willing to collaborate in culturally appropriate ways when engaging with local iwi leaders for the development of bicultural educational resources through an authentic partnership approach. These findings can serve as good practices when engaging with the local iwi for development of bicultural educational resources.

Purpose The research in the field of Indigenous peoples and the espousal of their cultural values in the work environment is recognised as being important as a means of overcoming workplace inequities. The purpose of this paper is to examine research about Maori, the Indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand that may inform future enterprises for the long-term prosperity of marginalised Indigenous peoples. Design/methodology/approach This study reviews the literature on unique cultural dynamics of whanau Maori (New Zealand Maori family/community) study practices and the importance of work/home/life balance. Furthermore, it considers strengths-based community enterprises that can lead to sustainable prosperity for Maori. Findings The review yielded three theoretical principles that explain mana (sociocultural and psychological well-being), which can be generalised across multiple contexts, with the workplace being one of these contexts. These principles of mana create a contextual match with whanau external realities; an experiential match of a mana empowerment framework that transfers to the study context and an interpersonal understanding of being understood and empowered within the study context. Research limitations/implications The literature review has been limited to research from 2005 onwards and to research that investigates Maori, the Indigenous peoples of Aotearoa New Zealand. Although the review of the literature has these limitations, the review may be of interest to other studies of Indigenous peoples worldwide. Practical implications The key factors are interwoven, and their importance is considered in relation to the development of positive and supportive environments, which link to job retention, satisfaction and productivity in the workplace for Maori. This, in turn, can have beneficial knock-on effects for not only the New Zealand economy but also more importantly for enhancing sustainable livelihoods for upcoming generations. Social implications Tied together, these factors are paramount for cultural, social and ecological benefits for nga rangatahi (young Maori adults) and the wider community in the workplace. Originality/value The literature review’s value and originality derive from a dearth of recent research on supporting nga rangatahi (young Maori adults) for sustainable prosperity.

This chapter examines recurring themes that emerged from research related to the improvement of Indigenous students’ learning outcomes in three countries: New Zealand, Canada, and the USA. It begins by describing a New Zealand research project, which outlined key messages for Māori parents and schools emerging from research summarized by Manning et al. (Aust J Indig Stud 40: 92–101, 2011). It then describes two components of similar Canadian research conducted by Steeves (2014) in conjunction with the Seeking Their Voices project (Berryman, et al., Seeking their voices: improving indigenous student learning outcomes. Regina. Saskatchewan Instructional Development and Research Unit, University of Regina, Canada, 2014). This included a literature review and 18 interviews. These interviews involved internationally respected academics, as well as key Indigenous/non-Indigenous policy leaders and school system administrators from New Zealand, Canada, and the USA. Finally, it draws upon the selected works to provide a detailed discussion of the recurring themes that emerged from them.

Abstract. Mixed-method bicultural research in Aotearoa New Zealand, including the weaving of Indigenous and other knowledges, is experiencing a resurgence within many academic disciplines. However, mātauranga Māori – the knowledge, culture, value and worldview of the Indigenous peoples of Aotearoa New Zealand – and Te Ao Māori, the Māori world, is poorly represented within geomorphological investigations. Here, we review existing efforts to include Indigenous knowledge in geologic and geomorphic studies from the international research community and provide an overview of the current state of mātauranga Māori within research endeavours in Aotearoa New Zealand. We review three theoretical frameworks for including mātauranga Māori in research projects and three models for including Māori values within research. We identify direct benefits to geomorphology and discuss how these frameworks and models can be adapted for use with Indigenous knowledge systems outside of Aotearoa New Zealand. The aim of this review is to encourage geomorphologists around the world to engage with local Indigenous peoples to develop new approaches to geomorphic research. In Aotearoa New Zealand, we hope to inspire geomorphologists to embark on research journeys that engender genuine partnership with Māori and that promote toitū te mātauranga, the enduring protection, promotion and respect of mātauranga Māori.