The children, young people and families participating in the study are drawn from these five organisations, who took part in Foundation North’s Māori and Pacific Education Initiative.
Rise UP Academy began in 2007 as a Saturday home school in Sita Selupe’s garage and in 2014 became a junior school in Otahuhu, South Auckland, for over 70 mainly Pacific students. See here for Rise Up’s story.
Te Kāpehu Whetu (the Māori Star Compass) provides Kaupapa Māori education from early childhood to high school, in Whangarei. The kaupapa of Te Kāpehu Whetu is to empower its students to: ‘Be Māori, be rangatira (leaders) and be educated, so that they can navigate their futures in a globalised society, standing confidently on the marae and in the world’.
Sylvia Park School in Mt Wellington, developed the Mutukaroa Programme which builds a home-school partnership, to engage families in their child’s learning. This programme was rolled out to 100 schools by the Ministry of Education and still operates in a range of schools.
The Manaiakalani Education Trust uses digital learning to improve children’s educational outcomes. Manaiakalani (the ‘hook from heaven’), involves a cluster of 13 schools in Tāmaki (east Auckland) and has a pedagogy of ‘learn, create, share’, which puts young people at the centre of their learning.
Oceania Careers Academy in Mangere, South Auckland is New Zealand’s first Pacific owned and led Private Training Establishment (PTE) for Trades. OCA aims to support more Pacific young people into higher paid employment. It teaches students in years 11-13 trade skills and connects them with employment and further education and training opportunities.