NZPPA Study Tour to the Cook Islands

Photo: NZPPA and TolM Study Tour to the Cook Islands 2022 – Vaianas 29/09/22

On Monday 26 September 2022 members of the NZ Pasifika Principals Association (NZPPA) and School Principals involved in Tautai O Le Moana Principals (TolM) travelled to Rarotonga as part of a planned Study Tour. This is the second time NZPPA has led a study tour to the pacific, with their first being in 2019 to Niue. As an organisation, NZPPA has continued to build our Pacific networks especially between Aotearoa and the realm countries. These networks must benefit all; our Leaders, our teachers, our students and our families. The study tour is our way of strengthening our own Pacific lens to ensure culture, language and identity, place based learning and shared knowledge and practice is practised. The main goals of our study tour was:

To build and strengthen our relationship between the Ministry of Educations in the Cook Islands and NZPPA
To build and strengthen the leadership capability of Cook Island Principals, Teachers and leaders in education through professional development targeted towards areas identified by the Cook Islands
To build our collective knowledge and understanding of the Cook Island People and Culture to enhance our own practice and better support Cook Island and Pacific learners in our schools.
To build and further strengthen our Pacific networks
To build a better understanding of Culturally Responsive Practice and Pedagogy
To build relationships and connections not only with the Pacific but also amongst each other

This is all aligned to our strategic Documents found on our website www.nzppa.com

Photo: NZPPA and TolM Study Tour to the Cook Islands 2022 – Auckland Airport 26/09/22

Our Study Tour comprised of Principals, Senior Leaders, Teachers and Family members and was open to all our NZPPA Members, Pasifika Principals and Principals who have participated in TolM. Our group was:

Helen Varney – Director of TolM
Geoff Siave – TolM Facilitator
Sose Annandale – TolM Facilitator
Karl Vasau – Principal Rowandale School/ TolM Facilitator
Jason Ataera – Principal Tairangi School
Jenny Bernard – Principal Otahuhu Primary School
Allison Hamilton – Principal Ruapotaka School
Bevan Verryt – Principal Birkenhead School
Jacqui Tutavake – Principal Richmond Rd School
Melissa Bland – Principal Te Uho o te Nikau School
Sepora Mauigoa – Principal Glendene School
Paeariki Johnson – Principal Rongomai School
Sarah Faifua – AP Rongomai School
Christina Patea – Principal Homai School
Ravi Naidoo – Principal Robertson Rd School
Jacqualene Maindonald – Principal Mangere Central School
Ash Maindonald – Principal Western Heights School
Maria Lyne – Principal St Josephs School
Shirley Hardcastle – Principal Viscount School
Natasha Teinakore – Principal Birkdale School
Mary Takatainga – Principal Manurewa East School
Bernice Matautia – Principal Mangere Bridge School
Lee Nanai – Principal Catholic Cathedral College
Graeme Norman – Principal Rowley School
Mike Talaepa – Teacher Otahuhu College
Dr Rae Siilata – Director of Vaatele Consultancy
Jason Swann – ERO Te Tai Raki Director
Milo, Sharon, Shia, Milan, Tom, Gail, Jan, Neuton, Kyoto, Phil, Sepora – Family Members

Day One: Sunday 25 September 2022 (Departed Auckland 26/09/22)

As a group we left Auckland on Monday 26 September but landed in Rarotonga on Sunday 25 September. We were greeted at the Airport by Ministry of Education Officials led by their Secretary of Education – Danielle Cochrane and family members. Principals were moved by the welcome and love shown from the moment we arrived

We then made our way to our accomodation for the duration of the Study Tour, The Edgewater Hotel. Members checked in and settled into our home away from home before heading to the Muri Markets for some yummy dinner and early shopping lol. Our day starts early tomorrow and so an early night for all was definitely on the cards.

Day Two: Monday 26 September 2022

Photo: NZPPA Conference – Rarotonga 2022

Because of last minute changes to our programme due to the Cook Islands having a Public Holiday in respect of the passing Queen Elizabeth II our conference day was moved to the Monday. We were joined by the Principals of Schools in Rarotonga, Cook Islands Ministry of Education Officials and family members in our tour group. We believe that the calibre of presenters and the content was high quality and fitted well with the theme and focus which was “Leadership from a Pasifika Perspective”.

Photo: Danielle Cochrane – Secretary of Education for the Cook Islands – Welcome

Photo: Mama June – Principal Papaaroa Adventist School – Prayer and Devotion

Photo: Dr Rae Siilata – Director, Vaʻatele Education Consulting / Senior Lecturer Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi – Valuing and utilising our heritage languages – the strengths of being bilingual

Photo: Melissa Bland – Principal Te Uho o te Nikau School – Empowering First Languages: Learning programmes that are of benefit to Pasifika & Maori learners, Reo-a-Waha [oral language] initiative and language acquisition

Photo: Mary Takatainga – Principal Manurewa East School – Empowering First Languages: Learning programmes that are of benefit to Pasifika & Maori learners, Reo-a-Waha [oral language] initiative and language acquisition

Photo: Natasha Teinakore – Principal Birkdale School – A journey to Principalship

Photo: Paeariki Johnson – Principal Rongomai School – Don’t teach me my culture, but use my culture to teach me. What does success look like for Kuki as Kuki?

Photo: Ash Maindonald – Principal Western Heights School – Shifting the Paradigm – Achieving a Thriving People and a Thriving Planet Through a focus on Hope and Appreciative Inquiry Within a Bush Classroom Context

Photo: Jason Ataera – Principal Tairangi School – Shifting the Paradigm – Regionally and internationally, the world is waking up to the knowledge of pacific peoples. Together we will identify areas of knowledge we hold that could benefit our people and the world. How do we ensure our knowledge is used to benefit our own communities and safeguard our intellectual property? Together we will identify key relationships to best use and protect our cultural knowledge.

Photo: Helen Varney – Director of TolM – Educational Leadership through a Pacific Lens. Why? How? Leading the way through the Wayfinder Framework into strengthening leadership capabilities to improve outcomes for Pacific Learners.

The engagement, talanoa and connections were amazing and as part of her presentation, Helen Varney linked all the content of the day to the “Wayfinder Way”. It is always helpful to make and build strong connections while enjoying a meal and the catering was amazing.

A great way to finish our conference day was to experience some amazing history, stories, culture, dance and local cuisine. We booked in for an experience at Highland Paradise and we were not disappointed. The experience was a fitting way to end our second day in Rarotonga and to further build and strengthen the connections with our Rarotonga Colleagues and now friends.

Photo: Highland Paradise – Our NZPPA “Rangatira” – Chief Graeme Norton

Photo: Highland Paradise – Our NZPPA Members and Cook Island Principals

Photo: Highland Paradise – Our NZPPA Members and Cook Island Principals

Photo: Highland Paradise – Me and some of the amazing Performers

Day Three: Tuesday 27 September 2022

Photo: NZPPA Study Tour School Visits

For Day Three the Ministry of Education in the Cook Islands organised school visits for our group. We were divided into 3 groups and travelled to the different schools for an experience of what its like for staff and students in Rarotonga Schools. Each of our groups had an assigned leader who presented to each of the schools we visited with a koha from NZPPA and then all the Principals in the different groups presented gifts and resources to the staff and students. Our koha and gifts were a small token of our appreciation and thanks. We were all blown away by our experiences and we all shared and also took away heaps of learning for our own contexts.

Photo: NZPPA Group visiting Apii Nikao School

Apii Nikao School

Government Primary school located in the village of Nikao (end of airport runway)
Delivering learning from ECE to Year 8
Cook Islands equivalent of open learning
School population 338 students