New Zealand Curriculum Online : Community engagement

The community engagement section of the New Zealand Curriculum Online website presents resources on this site support school leaders, teachers and professional learning facilitators as they engage with school communities.

Māori students' learning outcomes are maximised when there are effective practices and programmes that build partnerships between schools, educators, and whānau.

Each school will find its own approach for building a relationship with its Māori community. Approaches include:

• Meeting with iwi and hapū that have mana whenua in your community. Find out their aspirations for their tamariki and brainstorm ways you can work together to support learning and achievement for Māori students.
• Building personal relationships with Māori students in your school. Find out where they are from, their iwi affiliations, and who their whānau are. Talk with students about their aspirations, their experiences at school, and their ideas for improving the school.
• Meeting with Māori parents to discuss their involvement with the school and find out what you can do to improve communication. Find out how they prefer to consult about the curriculum, progress reporting, and Māori student achievement.

Resources on the site include:

• Tools and discussion
• Ideas and approaches
• Stories and examples

Questions / Things to think about

1. What does your school do to engage with families and whānau?
2. Are these engagements focused on teaching and learning?
3. Does your school provide a place for feedback or ideas from families and whānau? Do families and whānau see the actions that result from this feedback?
4. How can you build on your schools relationships with whānau to engage with your local hapū and iwi?