Te Tiriti o Waitangi
Te Tiriti o Waitangi is the founding document of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Article 1: Kāwanatanga | Honourable governance
- Equitable partnerships and genuine collaboration; undertaking governance, leadership, and decision making that is equitable and collective.
Article 2: Rangatiratanga | Māori self-determination
- Tino rangatiratanga and mana motuhake; honouring the tikanga and kawa of mana whenua and ensuring their active participation in decisions that impact Māori in their takiwā (area).
Article 3: Ōritetanga | Equity
- Pursuing equity; seeking out and removing barriers and bias from systems, structures, and processes, giving status and mana to all aspects of te ao Māori, actively revitalising te reo Māori, and appropriately observing tikanga Māori.
Te Ritenga | Spiritual and religious freedom
- Free expression of spiritual and religious beliefs; honouring Māori spirituality and mātauranga Māori.
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St Joseph's School acknowledges that a purpose of the Education and Training Act 2020 (s 4) is to establish and regulate an education system that honours Te Tiriti o Waitangi and supports Māori-Crown relationships.
Board responsibilities
As part of meeting their paramount objective of ensuring that every student can attain their highest possible standard of education achievement, section 127 (2) (e) requires boards to:
- seek to achieve equitable outcomes for Māori students
- take all reasonable steps to provide for students to be taught, and to learn, in te reo Māori on request of their parents or immediate caregivers
- take reasonable steps to ensure that the policies and practices for the school reflect New Zealand's cultural diversity.
School boards are also required to operate an employment policy that complies with the principles of being a good employer (Education and Training Act, s 597). This includes the responsibility to recognise:
- the aims and aspirations of Māori
- the employment requirements of Māori
- the need for greater involvement of Māori in the education service.
Our school is committed to honouring Te Tiriti and we are guided by the articles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in doing this.
As a Catholic school and an extension of the Church's mission, we honour our commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. We acknowledge Wairuatanga me ngā Ritenga Māori, as set out by Bishop Pompallier, which provides for the protection of spiritual and religious freedom, including Christian denominations and Māori spiritual beliefs. We affirm people's rights to express their faith within their own cultural heritage, and recognise the importance of tikanga Māori and wairuatanga to tangata whenua.
As required by the Education (School Planning and Reporting) Regulations 2023, the strategic plan of our school board includes:
- strategic goals, as developed in consultation with the
school community (including the Māori community associated with the school), for meeting board objectives, including those set out in s 127 (2) (e) aboveThe Education and Training Act 2020 (s 10) defines the school community as:
- the parents, families, and whānau of the school's students
- the Māori community associated with the school
- any other person, or group of persons, who the board or a sponsor considers is part of the school community for the purposes of the relevant provision.
- information about the links between our strategic goals and any relevant national education strategies or plans, including Ka Hikitia – Ka Hāpaitia | The Māori Education Strategy
- strategies for achieving or making progress towards our strategic goals based on the identities, needs, and aspirations of our school community, including, without limitation, strategies for identifying and catering to students whose needs have not yet been well met.
The Education (School Planning and Reporting) Regulations 2023 define students whose needs have not yet been well met as including, without limitation, the following students:
(a) Māori students:
(b) Pacific students:
(c) disabled students:
(d) students with learning support needs, including gifted and talented students:
(e) students who are, or are at risk of, not progressing towards or achieving against curriculum expectations:
(f) students in respect of whom a care or protection order has been made under the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989:
(g) students in the youth justice system.
School boards must address the needs of students whose needs have not yet been well met in their strategic plans, annual implementation plans, and annual reports.
Our strategic planning allows us to work towards and evaluate how we are achieving our objectives and fulfilling our responsibilities. We regularly review our progress towards achieving the goals set out in our strategic plan.
Engagement and consultation
We seek to empower our Māori students to achieve educational success as Māori in ways that include, but are not limited to, academic achievement.
When developing our strategic goals and planning how we will achieve them, we:
- ensure we recognise and respond to the identities, needs, and aspirations of the Māori community associated with our school
- consult with our Māori community on how we will meet the board objectives to:
- achieve equitable outcomes for Māori students
- ensure we take all reasonable steps to provide for students to be taught and to learn in te reo Māori when requested by their parents or immediate caregivers
- take reasonable steps to ensure the policies and practices of the school reflect New Zealand's cultural diversity.
We also engage regularly with our Māori community by:
- creating opportunities for whānau Māori to meet together with school representatives
- having appropriate and accessible ways that whānau Māori can communicate with the school.
School policies, practices, and programmes
Our school policies, practices, and programmes are underpinned by our strategic plan, which outlines how we will meet board objectives. In addition, our school programmes are guided by the vision and principles of the New Zealand Curriculum, including:
- working towards a vision of young people who will work to create an Aotearoa New Zealand in which Māori and Pākehā recognise each other as full Tiriti partners, and in which all cultures are valued for the contributions they bring
- acknowledging the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and the bicultural foundations of Aotearoa New Zealand
- providing all students with the opportunity to acquire knowledge of te reo Māori me ōna tikanga
- reflecting Aotearoa New Zealand’s cultural diversity and valuing the histories and traditions of all its people.
Related policies
Legislation
- Education and Training Act 2020
- Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975 (Schedule 1)
Resources
Hei mihi | Acknowledgement
SchoolsDocs wishes to acknowledge Janelle Riki-Waaka (Tainui Awhiro, Ngāti Hauiti), Kaihautū of Riki Consultancy Ltd, who supported the SchoolDocs team with expert advice in developing an earlier version of this policy. The policy has since been updated to align with legislative changes.
He mihi ka tika ki a Janelle mō tōna mahi āwhina ki a mātou.
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: Term 4 2025, Term 3 2024, Term 4 2022, Term 4 2020
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