Statement of evidence of Dr Daryn Douglas Bean - Rotorua ...

Page created by Bob Avila
 
CONTINUE READING
In the matter   of the Resource Management Act 1991
And
In the matter   A notice of requirement to designate land for education purposes at
                116 State Highway 30, Tikitere, Rotorua by the Minister of Education

Statement of evidence of Dr Daryn Douglas
Bean

22 June 2021

                                            Solicitors:
                                            J Beresford
                                            PO Box 90750, Victoria Street West, Auckland 1142
                                            DX CP24063
                                            T: +64 9 336 7500
                                            Joanna.beresford@mc.co.nz
Statement of evidence of Dr Daryn Douglas
Bean

1     Introduction
1.1   My full name is Dr Daryn Douglas Bean. I am from Te Arawa. I am from
      Tūhourangi, Ngāti Whakaue, Tapuika-Ngāti Moko and Ngāti Umutahi.

1.2   I am a Doctor of Government with my doctorate focussed on Māori leadership
      practice in public administration from Victoria University. I hold an Executive
      Master’s degree in Public Administration and a Bachelor of Business Studies
      degree from Massey University. I am a member of the NZ Institute of Directors.

1.3   Previously I worked at the New Zealand Qualifications Authority for 10 years
      including roles as Deputy Chief Executive Strategic & Corporate and Deputy
      Chief Executive Māori. I have extensive public sector experience at the interface
      of Māori development and high level relationship management skills, strategy
      and leadership development capabilities in the areas of education, international
      business and community development.

1.4   My role is Deputy Secretary Māori Education (Kaiwhakarite Matamuri mo te
      Matauranga Maori) at the Ministry of Education (Ministry). I started this role in
      December 2019. I am responsible for providing leadership and oversight for the
      implementation of Ka Hikitia and Tau Mai Te Reo, relationships and mātauranga
      Māori and build cultural capability.

1.5   I am authorised to give this evidence on behalf of the Minister of Education
      (Minister) and the Ministry.

2     Role in the project and scope of evidence
2.1   I have been involved in this project since 29 January 2020 (a month after I joined
      the Ministry). My role in this project has been to:

      (a)     to assist in an advisory capacity in relation to the Minister’s objectives
              for Māori Medium Education (MME) and Te Reo Māori and the role of
              the Kura in helping to meet those objectives; and

      (b)     assist with consultation and relationship building between the Ministry,
              Ngāti Rangiteaorere and Ngāti Rongomai in relation to the project.

2.2   My evidence addresses paragraph 2.1(a) above. I understand that Dr Ken
      Kennedy (a representative of Ngāti Rangiteaorere) has requested that the NoR
      process to be put on hold but that currently there is no submission under the
      RMA that the Minister could respond to via evidence.

2.3   I am not involved in the operational matters pertaining to the existing Kura or
      the process of acquiring the site or seeking a designation for the site under the
      RMA. These matters will be addressed in the evidence of Mr Clive Huggins.
3        Māori medium education
3.1      New Zealand has an education system that has produced levels of student
         achievement that rate in the top four OECD nations. New Zealand’s efforts to
         address the disparity that exists between our high and low achievers are well
         known internationally.

3.2      Māori students are over-represented amongst New Zealand’s low education
         achievement statistics. Successive governments have been committed to
         reversing this trend in part by supporting the growth of Māori language
         education. A significant body of research exists which demonstrates that
         identity, language and culture matter for Māori learners. In response to this
         evidence and research, the Ministry is committed to Māori medium provision
         and strengthening the Māori medium pathway.

3.3      This is of course consistent with Māoridom’s aspiration to revitalise and sustain
         Te Reo as a living language and as an everyday medium of communication. Te
         Wharekura o Rongomai (Kura) is strongly committed to this goal and passionate
         about encouraging and supporting its learners and whānau to learn, speak and
         use Māori language.

3.4      The Kura will conduct all of its instruction in Te Reo Māori. As a state school, its
         curriculum is consistent with the objectives and priorities of the Statement of
         National Education and Learning Priorities.1

3.5      Māori language immersion schools are an important part of the revitalisation of
         Te Reo. They offer an opportunity for children not just to learn Te Reo but to
         learn in Te Reo – that is, to develop Te Reo as an integral part of their education.

3.6      The Ministry’s two key strategy documents for MME are Ka Hikitia Ka Hapaitia
         (The Māori Education Strategy) 2 and Tau Mai Te Reo (The Māori language in
         Education Strategy).3

3.7      Ka Hikitia Ka Hapaitia sets out the Ministry’s broader vision of Māori enjoying
         and achieving education success as Māori.

3.8      Tau Mai Te Reo is the government strategy to support whānau, hapū and iwi
         aspirations for genuine education pathway choices for their tamariki and
         mokopuna in Te Reo. Learners and whānau can expect education services to
         provide the following outcomes-based pathways:

         (a)     Mihi Mai – valuing Te Reo, tikanga and mātauranga Māori;

         (b)     Kōrero Mai – learning Te Reo, tikanga and mātauranga Māori; and

         (c)     Tau Mai – learning through Te Reo, tikanga and mātauranga Māori.

3.9      Ākonga at the Kura will mostly be learning through Te Reo Māori (Tau Mai) and
         develop high levels of Te Reo Māori proficiency and use. This will contribute to

1
      https://www.education.govt.nz/assets/Documents/NELP-TES-documents/FULL-NELP-
      2020.pdf.
2
      https://www.education.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/Ka-Hikitia-Ka-Hapaitia-FINAL.pdf.
3
      https://www.education.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/Tau-Mai-Te-Reo-FINAL.pdf.

                                                                                                2
the goal that by 2040, 150,000 Māori aged 15 years and over will use the Māori
       language at least as much as English.

3.10   The establishment of the Kura on this site supports Government goals to foster
       increased participation and success for Māori students. Specifically, it will
       provide a genuine education option for whānau and their tamariki to achieve
       success as Māori and as an uri of Te Arawa. It aligns with the Ka Hikitia Ka
       Hapaitia vision of Māori enjoying and achieving education success as Māori and
       Tau Mai Te Reo. This supports the goal to strengthen the Māori medium
       pathway.

3.11   Currently, Tau Mai provision is compromised by being thinly spread and lacking
       quality pathways. The investment in the Kura is critical to ensure the
       sustainability of the Te Reo Māori and education pathway for its ākonga and
       whānau, and the revitalisation of Te Reo me ōna tikanga of Te Arawa.

4      Te Wharekura o Ngāti Rongomai
4.1    The evidence of Ms Curtis describes the journey taken by the Kura and the
       constraints of the Kura’s current leased premises. However, I thought it may
       assist the Commissioners to provide some background information on how the
       Kura was established, the prior engagement with the community and the
       educational success of the Kura to date.

       (a)    Kura are established through a process of application to the Minister
              and community consultation. In the case of the Kura, Te Wharekura o
              Ngāti Rongomai was originally opened in 2008 as a satellite unit of Te
              Wharekura o Te Kaokaoroa o Pātetere located in Putāruru. This is not
              an unusual first step for kura.

       (b)    Establishment for years 0-13 as a kura-ā-iwi designated character school
              was granted in 2018. Kura-ā-iwi are schools whose philosophy and
              teaching practice is based on the traditions and culture of specific iwi.
              They are supported by the organisation Ngā Kura ā Iwi o Aotearoa, the
              national governing body for the collective of kura.

       (c)    The provisions of the Education and Training Act 2020 require
              consultation prior to the approval of any school establishment. The local
              school community were consulted in 2010, 2013 and 2018 about the
              establishment of new schools in Rotorua.

       (d)    Engagement undertaken by the Kura included letters, a community
              consultation open night and a kaumatua consultation day. The Ministry
              consulted with the Boards of Trustees of 30 local schools and no
              concerns were raised.

       (e)    When the Kura establishment was approved, letters were sent to local
              MPs, and a gazette notice and media release were also issued.

4.2    The Kura is already an established part of the Rotorua community and is an
       educational success story compared to other schools in the region in terms of its

                                                                                        3
attendance and NCEA results. The most recent data is set out in Tables 1 – 3
          below. 4

Table 1: Enrolment based cumulative results by ethnicity (percent)
                                                        Year 11    Year 12     Year 13     Year 13
                                          Academic
                                                         NCEA       NCEA        NCEA        NCEA
                                            Year
                                                        Level 1    Level 2     Level 3       UE
    Te Wharekura o Ngāti
                                               2020         91.7      100.0        66.7        66.7
    Rongomai
    National Māori                             2020         60.8       71.9        60.7        34.1
    Decile 1-3 Māori                           2020         56.6       67.3        59.3        25.2

Table 2: Provisional 2020 school leaver qualifications (percent)
           Qualification              2019         2020
 NCEA Level 1 or above                  100.0       100.0
 NCEA Level 2 or above                  100.0       100.0
 NCEA Level 3 or above                   33.3        50.0
 University Entrance award                0.0        50.0

Table 3: Attendance rate for Māori students (percent)
                              Unjustified     Justified     Present Māori Regular
                               absence      absence half- half-days - Attendance
 School                       half-days -   days - Māori Māori 2020 Rate 2020
   ID       School name       Māori 2020        2020
          Te Wharekura o
 878      Ngāti Rongomai               1.2              9.6      89.2           60
          Total NZ Māori               9.1              7.9      83.1         47.5
          Total Bay of
          Plenty – Waiariki
          Māori                        9.1              8.3      82.7         45.3

5         Conclusion
5.1       The Minister considers that it is important that the Kura be provided with a
          permanent purpose built home to continue its educational journey and positive
          contribution that the Kura is making to the Minister’s MME objectives.

Dr Daryn Douglas Bean

22 June 2021

4
       Prior to 2019, NCEA results were included in the results of Te Wharekura o Te Kaokaoroa o
       Pātetere in Putāruru. The March 2021 roll of the school was 104 students (March 2019 =
       110; March 2020 = 111). The 2020 school leaver data is still provisional, but the enrolment
       based results have been finalised. The numbers of school leavers are very small (only 4
       school leavers in 2020) so there can be quite big fluctuations from year to year.

                                                                                                     4
You can also read