My research questions at present are:

“Will implementing Google tools and an on time reporting tool increase teacher effectiveness and whanau engagement?”

They have been developed in the past two weeks since I have started a new job in a 1-day school catering for gifted and talented students. As I stated in an earlier post the current administrative organisation is spread over a number of different not compatible digital storage areas. The student reporting systems are paper and pen based, very time consuming and allows no feedback from whanau, students or classroom teachers.

Kaupapa Māori is a philosophy and foundation that:

• is related to ‘being Māori;

• is connected to Māori philosophy and principles;

• takes for granted the validity and legitimacy of Māori, the importance and Māori language and culture;

• is concerned with the struggle for autonomy over our own cultural wellbeing. (Smith, 1990).

While I can relate to and understand the concept of Kaupapa Māori research I am not Māori therefore have no cultural or historic link with the principles.

The key elements of Kaupapa Māori research are as follows:

• Tino Rangatiratanga - The Principle of Self-determination

• Taonga Tuku Iho - The Principle of Cultural Aspiration

• Ako - The Principle of Culturally Preferred Pedagogy

• Kia piki ake i ngā raruraru o te kāinga - The Principle of Socio-Economic Mediation

• Whānau - The Principle of the Family Structure

• Kaupapa - The Principle of Collective Philosophy

• Te Tiriti o Waitangi - The Principle of the Treaty of Waitangi

• Ata - The Principle of Growing Respectful Relationships

In the context of my project I see “Ata” as the most important in terms of building and maintaining relationships with the whanau and students at my “school”. Unfortunately in my present situation I have only been her for two weeks so have no prior connection with any of the students or whanau at the centre. Ata highlights the process of slowly engaging with and respecting other cultural differences and protocols.

 This includes setting boundaries and procedures for engagement, behaviour and goal setting. The present staff have already developed the relationships and I will use their prior knowledge to assist me when setting up a particular on-line collaborative tool for students and parents. Fortunately I have a good relationship with the staff and know that they are looking forward to me developing consistent effective collaborative administrative tools.

Our centre has severed ties with NZCGE effective 20201. In developing our own gifted curriculum, we have found aspects of Ako Maoti and Taonga Tuku and Te Tiriti o Waitangi are missing from any of the reference material we have looked at, this also includes the educational experts we have engaged with. In fact, it almost embarrassing that the area of Maori giftedness has not been explored further by the gifted education community. We have halted development of the curriculum to allow is to engage with local iwi and Maori educationalists in an attempt to add a Maori context to our new programme. While this will have to be in a shorter time frame than Kaupapa Maori research would normally take we look forward to the opportunity we are being provided with and will share any outcomes with our whānau groups and contributing schools. It is interesting that some of the national and international experts we have been working with have little or no knowledge of indigenous communities and the relevance of giftedness in those communities. Our aim is to put a unique New Zealand context into what could be seen as a culturally neutral programme.

 Another relevant part of Kaupapa Maori is the concept of Whanau which includes the unique relationships Mori have to themselves and the world around them. An important part of Kaupapa Maori research involves the researchers acknowledging the responsibility they have to nurture and care for the relationship they have with the communities they interact with. In our situation this is why we have invited two leading Maori educationalists to critique our current processes and advise us on the next steps in developing our curriculum and ongoing programme of work. They will also bring aspects of Kaupapa to the process introducing the collective vision and aspirations of the Maori communities we engage with. In this way an incremental process will be able to be set up to provide rigour and authenticity to the curriculum development process.