Celebrating Our First Pasifika@Manaiakalani Conference!

What an incredible day we had on July 1st at the Te Oro Music and Arts Centre in Glen Innes, as we gathered for our inaugural Pasifika@Manaiakalani Conference! It was truly inspiring to welcome a vibrant group of 80 eductors that included community workers, and even some cherished retired teachers. The calibre and passion in the room were truly inspiring.

The day kicked off with a powerful keynote address from Dr. Rae Siilata and Kyla Hansell, alongside their amazing team, Dr Martha Aseta, Grace Ormsby Abazu, and Avikaila Sopotulagi Tilialo. Their insights set a wonderful tone for the day, deeply resonating with everyone present. Dr. Rae Siilata opened with a powerful metaphor: "I walk backwards..." inviting us to reflect on the wisdom of our ancestors and the past to guide our steps forward. This resonated beautifully with the Samoan proverb, "E sui faiga, ae tumau fa'avae" (practices may change, but foundations remain), emphasizing that while our methods evolve, the core values and knowledge from our ancestors, highlighted from our Manaiakalani site, remain our unwavering foundation. Attendees particularly noted the profound knowledge and research shared, appreciating how deeply it aligned with Manaiakalani's kaupapa. Messages were well-supported by research around bilingualism, including the significant work of Jim Cummins. A key question stressed by Va'atele was: "Whose knowledge is being valued? What would our students and their families say we value as teachers and as a school?" This provocative inquiry encouraged deep reflection on our practices. The keynote provided a knowledge-rich experience, delivering important messages that extended beyond education to touch on humanity, leading to significant and valuable learning for all.

Following the keynote, attendees had the opportunity to dive into a rich selection of learning, with 12 diverse workshops offered across three rounds. There were four fantastic options in each round, ensuring something for everyone to explore and engage with.

A true highlight was our lunch experience at the Tātou Cafe, just across the road. We were so privileged to be hosted by the talented young people from Tāmaki College, who not only cooked but also served a delicious Pasifika-styled lunch to our entire group. It was a a beautiful example of learning and community in action, and a real treat for all!

We extend our heartfelt thanks to the Manaiakalani Education Trust and TRC  - Tāmaki Regeneration Company for their invaluable financial support. A special thank you also goes to PBTech and Mena International Ltd for their generous donations of items for spot prizes and draws, which added so much fun and joy for the teachers who attended! 

A huge fa'afetai to all our dedicated workshop presenters who delivered 12 insightful sessions, sharing their expertise and passion with our attendees. Finally, a massive fa'afetai tele lava to all who attended, especially for dedicating what should have been their holiday time to be with us and for adding so much by their very presence and contributions.

Fa'afetai tele lava to everyone who attended and contributed to making this first Pasifika@Manaiakalani Conference such a memorable and impactful event!  We look forward to hosting you again in 2026! 

A Day of Inspiration and Connection: Reflecting on Our Inaugural Conference

 

Tuesday July 1st, the Te Oro Music and Arts Centre buzzed with energy as we gathered for a special day of learning, connection, and shared vision. This was our inaugural conference, a day that showcased the strength of community and the richness of Pacific wisdom in education. The morning kicked off with a compelling keynote address from Dr. Rae Si'ilata and her auva'a (team) Marth, Kyla, Grace and Apikaila from Va'atele Consultants. Dr. Si'ilata's insights are always stirring, challenging us to consider what our children and whānau see us valuing. Her powerful message resonated, prompting us to reflect on our practices and ensure they demonstrate our commitment to valuing every learner's identity, language, and culture. It was an inspiring start that set a clear, authentic tone for the day. Following the keynote, attendees immersed themselves in a dynamic series of 12 diverse workshops. These sessions encouraged active collaboration, offering practical tools and fresh perspectives. The spirit of working together was evident, with ideas and experiences shared freely among participants. It was good to see how everyone naturally contributed, enriching the collective learning. One of the highlights of the day was our Pasifika-styled lunch at Tātou Cafe, just across the road. What made this even more special was that the cafe is student-run, a fantastic initiative by Wayfynders – a community project with Tāmaki College students learning and earning. It was a delicious and authentic experience that embodied the values of community, enterprise, and nurturing talent central to our conference. The students' manaakitanga was wonderful, and it was a proud moment to support their work. The entire day was a testament to the great lineup of presenters and the dedication of everyone who came together to learn, create, and share. We hope that the ideas and truths sparked during the conference will inspire and impact the terms ahead, bringing fresh energy and purpose to your tautua (service). A huge thank you to the Manaiakalani Education Trust and TRC for their financial support, which helped make this event possible. We also extend our gratitude to Mena International Ltd (the Pacific fashion brand) and PBTech for their generous donation of items towards our end-of-conference draw, which was loved by all. Thank you once again to our everyone who attended and contributed to such a memorable event. Your engagement and willingness to collaborate made it a success! Based on the great support and feedback we've received, we look forward to hosting again in 2026! Ia manuia lava toe kuata o le tausaga, fa'amanuia le Atua iā te outou uma! What was your favorite moment or key takeaway from our inaugural conference? Share in the comments below!

Matamatika - the new Maths curriculum

Taimi o le Matamatika!

What a fantastic PD day we had for the new Maths curriculum, led so brilliantly by Donna and Elena from the Manaiakalani team – a huge thank you to them both! I really appreciated being walked through the different parts of the curriculum. While we know as experienced teachers that many pages of any new curriculum might not get a full read by busy classroom teachers due to workload and being time-poor, it was incredibly reassuring to get a clear overview of all the parts, the layout, and the expectations for our classrooms. Indeed, today's PD gave a clear message about our role in knowing the curriculum in detail to influence how we teach. No one can hold all the information in mind, but the act of checking in regularly with the finer print – for example, during termly planning overviews – is incredibly important.

One highlight for me was being coached about the 'Science of Learning'. It was a great visual – left side for the Ministry's approach, right side for our blue Manaiakalani MPI. It really clicked!

I also picked up on the promotion of using lots of oral language in our maths teaching, which is absolutely key. And I love that the growth of good relationships – between teacher and learners, and learner to learner – is acknowledged. This was a big focus of DMIC (Developing Mathematical Inquiry Communities), and it's wonderful to see this important aspect of teaching in maths being highlighted.

Speaking of that, we even had a go at a rich task with three colleagues – the very ones I'd been in a breakout group with that day. Our task was about shading shapes to make fractions. Initially, I started to feel a bit nervous. But, given how comfortable and safe I felt with the group, I decided to declare my barriers or "entry points," which was at the lowest end. This put me at ease and really helped me to relax, listen, and even understand others! I found myself able to apply the imaging of shapes, flipping them, and so on, to make up fractions. I went from feeling comfortable only with halves and quarters to looking at sixteenths – woo hoo! Elena highlighted that the smiles and relaxed feel we had on screen are the exact time and tone we want to keep in maths lessons, as it contributes hugely to maths being understood and enjoyed.

And here's a big one for us as teachers: if you think you're "not good at maths," we need to challenge and change that mindset. Our own beliefs about maths impact our students hugely! This new curriculum has a strong focus on enabling access for all our learners to all levels of maths. It's about acceleration, not remediation. In the past, we often identified where students were, then focused solely on "gap filling." The result, most times, was little to no shift, and learners remained in low achievement cycles. This curriculum aims to break that cycle. Don't hold learners back if they don't know basic facts – they will pick this up in other strands as they progress! This emphasis on accelerative practices within the curriculum truly resonates with Manaiakalani's core goals for learner progress and equity.

A key aspect of this curriculum is its strong push for using materials to build understanding. Think place value disks – materials are strongly advised to help learners grasp concepts concretely. Also, make sure to check out the videos provided on Tāhūrangi! These have been re-recorded to incorporate the new phases and curriculum, and they show some great examples of how to effectively use materials with learners in class. Playing games is also highly encouraged! Learners love this, and there are games suggested to link to specific phases and learning sequences.

When it comes to assessment, the message was clear: we need to continually monitor our students' progress, and this should directly influence our next steps with the resources available. We need to ask ourselves: are the right design scaffolds present? Are there opportunities for learners to apply their learning, revisit concepts, reteach, and consolidate understanding?

Our planning should integrate the interests and current events/activities of our learners, school, and community. Imagine getting our kids to consider the maths in a special cultural event – the cost to run it, statistics around participation and audience, and so on. That's real-world maths!

Currently, we're faced with choices about new resources. The key message from Elena and Donna was clear: be led by the curriculum first, and then the resources. Resources have different strengths – some offer rich tasks, others focus on practice. We need to shift our thinking to: "How does this resource support what the curriculum directs us to do?" Providers are supplementary, not the drivers of what should be taught. The curriculum guides the teacher, and the teacher guides how and when the resources are used. And a big one: if you have resources that have worked well in your classroom, KEEP THEM, USE THEM! Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater, as the saying goes! Remember, 70% of NZ Maths resources are available on Tāhūrangi – definitely check them out!

We also explored the strands, noting some new substrands like Financial Mathematics. It was great to delve into one of these. The curriculum provides a clear progression in the language required in maths, which you can see from Year 0 to Year 8 for each strand and substrand. Planning examples are available on Tāhūrangi, and it was emphasized that these are examples to be adapted and changed to suit your school and classroom – they are not exemplary, just a starting point.  Integrating maths across curriculum areas is another supported practice in this curriculum refresh.

There's much more I'm still processing from today, so take this as a taster! Want to know more? Join our MPI, or contact us at Manaiakalani to assist!