Being announced as the tumuaki of Mairangi Bay School (MBS) in May 2022 was a great pleasure.
As the Principal, it is a privilege to be the professional leader of a creative team and community that provides the best learning opportunities for our tamariki. We are passionate about building learning-focused relationships, embracing the potential of all tamariki and cultivating a culture where ākonga, whānau and kaimahi work together through kotahitanga – a sense of unity.
Read the latest print edition of School News HERE
As leader of Mairangi Bay School, I embrace several roles to enhance the teaching, learning and opportunities for all. Through our school values of atawhai, whakaute and manawanui — kindness, respect and resilience — we can identify our tamariki, kaimahi and community needs and aspirations, as connections help us to build healthy partnerships in a culturally safe learning environment.
Embracing the power of our community – Our Why
At MBS, we strive to collaborate, communicate, and cooperate through our actions and words. We believe equity, coherence and alignment drives our mahi, as we share our experiences and strengths to learn from each other. We care for one another and share the workload, ensuring equity for all children and reducing disparities. Our clear, cumulative pathway encourages continuous learning and growth, embracing successes and failures. Inclusiveness and a shared language of learning bring clarity to our unified community.
Giving effect to Te Tiriti ō Waitangi – A School in Aotearoa, New Zealand
We understand that schools are complex. The demands on kaimahi to continually navigate and adapt skills, knowledge, and attitudes by developing culture, pedagogy, systems, partnerships, and networks can often be scrutinised and challenged. By understanding our school’s diversity and perspective, we can adopt a culturally aligned leadership approach to embrace beliefs, goals, priorities and values. In turn, this guides coherent expectations, practices and commitment to Te Tiriti ō Waitangi.
The co-construction of a set of norms for professional learning and leading can build trust and respect. Creating a shared understanding and commitment to our school’s culture among kaimahi ensures that all actions and behaviours are consistent and inclusive. Everyone can feel valued and heard by providing space and time for questions, contributions and feedback from all participants within our community, including tamariki, kaimahi and whānau.
Culturally aligned communities often demonstrate honesty, integrity, guardianship and awareness of the organisation’s values and align daily interactions as a way of being. Our school values can be shared, implicit, collective, and coherent at every level of our organisation. Together, we can develop a positive and supportive work environment that fosters collaboration and teamwork, rewarding others for exhibiting behaviours that align with our learning culture rather than a set of objectives or mission statements that could lack flexibility and adaptability.
“Relationship-based classrooms are whānau oriented and involve whānau. They are place-based, personalised, and encourage role models and mentorship – tuakana-teina” (Macfarlane et al., 2007)
On Wednesday, May 24, 2023, the Mairangi Bay School Board of Trustees and Mana Whenua Te Kawerau ā Maki, signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the Mana Kura Kaupapa. This authentic partnership respectfully acknowledges Te Kawerau ā Maki as Mana Whenua of this area. During the past 12 months, Te Kawerau ā Maki, ERO and Mairangi Bay School have been working closely together to capture and implement the aspirations of ākonga, whānau, kaiako, kaimahi and leadership.
Collectively, we have developed a shared understanding of what it means to embrace a strengths-based approach to ensure effective, coherent learning pathways for all ākonga. With our Iwi support, we are authentically co-constructing the most effective and sustainable conditions to foster a culture of learning, ensuring effective, culturally responsive teaching and learning practices that promote equitable and excellent learning outcomes for all ākonga.
Together, we are excited to be supporting our ākonga and their whānau to demonstrate a strong sense of identity, culture and language and connection to Mairangi Bay School. We are excited to continue our journey together as we deepen our understanding of our Turangawaewae here at Mairangi Bay School through the Mātauranga shared by Te Kawerau ā Maki.
The How -The MB Way
Distributive leadership at MBS is all about unity and inclusive planning. We use multiple sources to develop collaboration, a learning culture, and teamwork through regular meetings and reflective discussions to improve.
Social media helps us communicate across our community consistently, guided by our values. Everyone can contribute (our kaupapa), fostering an accepting environment. We believe in reciprocal learning (Ako) and involve whānau to build strong bonds.
Collaboration is key at MBS as we co-lead, plan, teach, and learn together to thrive as a community. This is our wairua (spirit). It embraces the MBWay through kaitiakitanga (guardianship) and kotahitanga (unity) to guide our graduate profile and way of being. There is an expectation that these guiding values are tacitly interwoven into our daily practices, thoughts and actions to improve outcomes for all.
He waka eke noa – We are all in this together.
School planning and reporting: Te Whakangārahu Ngātahi | Planning Together for Ākonga Success
On January 1 2023, the new framework for school planning and reporting called Te Whakangārahu Ngātahi | Planning Together for Ākonga Success: Our School, Our Community, came into effect. The requirements are in the Education and Training Act 2020 and the Education (School Planning and Reporting) Regulations 2023.
At Mairangi Bay School, effective planning and reporting underpins all our work. The Ministry of Education state schools need to plan and evaluate their performance to: intentionally give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and support Māori-Crown relationships; meet legislated board primary objectives and show how the school or kura has had particular regard for the National Education and Learning Priorities (NELP); ensure the needs of all ākonga are met; ensure the voices of all ākonga and whānau are heard; implement teaching and learning programmes that give effect to the New Zealand Curriculum or Te Marautanga o Aotearoa to improve outcomes for all ākonga.
ERO, School and Iwi Partnership – A Proud Experience
In 2023, our ERO advisor, Te Kawerau ā Maki and the Mairangi Bay School Senior Leadership Team worked together to identify our strengths and next steps as a kura. ERO identified how well we support the school in its goal to evaluate how MBS captures and implements the aspirations of ākonga, whānau, Iwi, kaiako, kaimahi and leadership to inform all school-wide decisions. Mairangi Bay School were congratulated for:
- Providing ongoing school-wide commitment ensuring genuine, authentic relationships with mana whenua Te Kawerau ā Maki is continued.
- Providing ākonga with experiences in a caring, safe, and inclusive environment where they are encouraged to take risks in their learning and to be the best they can be.
- Ensuring kaiako and kaimahi collaboratively focus on improving equitable and excellent outcomes for all ākonga.
- Supporting leadership to collaboratively promote relational trust and enact the school vision and values.
- Empowering whānau through meaningful, interpersonal conversations that shape educational outcomes for their ākonga.
Where to next?
Moving forward, Mairangi Bay School will continue to prioritise professional development supported by leadership and external personnel to enact culturally responsive pedagogy by:
- Developing a shared understanding with kaiako and kaimahi to use effective, culturally responsive teaching and learning practices that promote equitable and excellent learning outcomes for all ākonga.
- Continuing to explore ways to listen and respond to the aspirations of the school community.
- Authentically co-constructing at all levels of the school the most effective and sustainable conditions that foster a culture of learning with all ākonga and the wider community.
- ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to enhance outcomes for all learners, and will support the school in reporting its progress to the community.
Strategies to engage our community
As we develop our Community Consultation 3YA Plan, we are reminded to engage with our tamariki, kaimahi, and community to reflect on our progress and seek ongoing school-wide improvement. Whānau input and insights are invaluable as we shape the future of Mairangi Bay School to ensure equity and excellence across our decision-making and strategic plan.
As we embark on this exciting journey together, we want to ensure that every member of our diverse community feels heard, valued, and empowered.
To support our community consultation strategy, our principles ensure we:
- Provide suitable space and adequate time.
- Provide comfortable locations beyond the school gate.
- Ask better and more relevant questions.
- Provide language support.
- Give alternative opportunities to connect.
- Provide face-to-face conversations.
- Respect our school history.
- Reflective workshops – Principal Cafes.
- Give back to our community.
- Listen, respond and adapt along the way.
- Use multiple sources of media to communicate.
- Avoid overuse of jargon.
There is a quote from Trudi Brocas, Special Education Principals’ Association of New Zealand (SEPANZ), that I am fond of that reads:
“DIVERSITY is having a seat at the table.
INCLUSION is having a voice.
BELONGING is having that voice be heard.
ACCEPTANCE is having your voice heard, even when you are not in the room.”
As we continue to gather perspective, make collective decisions, learn and grow together, I wish to thank our Mairangi Bay School Board of Trustees, our Iwi – Te Kawerau ā Maki, our whānau and community, kaimahi and ākonga for their patience and understanding. After all…
He nui ake tō mātou mana i te kura anahe – We are more than just a school.
