Strong support for Ngā Whanaketanga Rumaki Māori

Education Minister Anne Tolley and Associate Education Minister Dr Pita Sharples say the response to consultation over Ngā Whanaketanga Rumaki Māori (Māori-medium National Standards) has been positive and constructive.

Many parents, whānau, teachers and principals welcome the introduction of Ngā Whanaketanga Rumaki Māori according to consultation reports released today.

"Raising the educational success of Māori students is a Government priority, and the implementation of Ngā Whanaketanga next year is a big step towards improving oral language, reading, writing and maths skills in Māori-medium schools and settings," says Mrs Tolley.

"During consultation it was widely agreed that Ngā Whanaketanga will support learning among Māori-medium students, and the development of Māori-medium education."

Less research and data is available for Maori education than in mainstream schooling, so consultation and information-gathering have helped to ensure the final version of Ngā Whanaketanga are set at the right levels, and align to Te Marautanga o Aotearoa (Māori-medium curriculum).

"Kura and whānau are keen for their children to succeed, and they were pleased to be consulted about Ngā Whanaketanga Rumaki Māori," says Dr Sharples.

"Questions and concerns were mainly in relation to implementation, such as the support for leaders, teachers, and whānau. Feedback from schools, whānau, and communities will ensure the final version of Ngā Whanaketanga work well in practice," he says.

"The government is providing $12.6 million over four years to develop support for teachers including assessment tools and a monitoring programme," says Dr Sharples.

"There is a real need to develop assessment tools in oral language, reading and writing for Te Reo and Pāngarau, and to align them to Te Marautanga o Aotearoa."

Between March and August this year, 852 people participated in regional workshops, and 79 groups and individuals sent in written submissions. Around 400 teachers provided feedback on the draft standards, and 43 schools have been involved in information gathering.

Ngā Whanaketanga and the teacher guidelines are being refined and amended, before being launched in the next few weeks and implemented in 2011.

The consultation reports are available at: www.minedu.govt.nz/NgaWhanaketanga