Te Kauhua literature review (2007) summary

This report by Dr Ruth Gorinski provides a summary of Benita Tahuri’s (2007) literature review on the effective engagement of families, whānau, and communities in mainstream education and the building of partnerships. The literature examined included reports, Ministry of Education publications, journals, texts, and conference papers sourced from a range of data bases.

Six key conceptual themes were identified in the literature. These provide a framework for developing and nurturing effective home-school partnerships with Māori families, whānau, and communities. They are:

• mana whenua – the unique and rightful place of Māori as equal partners
• tikanga – validation of Māori language, culture, and knowledge
• whakawhanaungatanga – nurturing sustainable relationships
• mahi tika – getting it right
• ma te katoa te mahi - shared responsibility
• ma te mahi tahi ka ea – collaboration leading to realised potential.

The summary provides a brief overview of each of these themes and the ways in which they influence effective home-school partnerships.

Questions / Things to think about

1. How is your school addressing the six themes identified in the report as important to create a framework for developing effective home-school partnerships?
2. What is your community telling you?
3. What are your priorities to strengthen your school’s approach to these six concepts?
4. How will you ensure that that the school and community are working together to build effective home-school partnerships?