Abstracts – Session Two

12:20 – 1:20 – 6EN – 551

Chair:  Orlando Chaves

Carol Mulcahy: Beyond Polyfest: I-Kiribati perspectives of ‘success’ within the New Zealand education system

The existing literature on the school experiences of Pasifika students in New Zealand focuses almost entirely on students of Samoan, Tonga, Cook Island, Niuean, and Fijian heritage. Literature about the experiences and perceptions of schooling of I-Kiribati people in is minimal. The main focus of this study (a work in progress) is I-Kiribati perspectives of success in the New Zealand secondary sector education. This presentation addresses these questions:
* Where and how are Kiribati learners located in New Zealand education policy?
* How do I-Kiribati students and their caregivers/parents define ‘success’ in school?
* According the I-Kiribati students and parents/caregivers, what role does culture and language have on I-Kiribati student success at school?
Overall question that this study addresses:
* What can NZ secondary schools do better to support Kiribati students towards greater success?
The presentation will briefly describe the main findings from a discourse analysis of national Pasifika education policy. It will then endeavour to share key aspects of findings about parent and students perspectives, drawn from focus group discussion, utilising the uniquely Kiribati approach of te tao tabon inaai.

Emma Quigan: Poipoia te kakano kia puawai – nurture the seed, and it will blossom. Yet we still feel whakama?

Māori values including manakitanga, whanaungatanga, aroha, tikanga and awhi are becoming more widely accepted in Pakeha workplaces as a normal and important part of mahi. These values are included in the statements of intent of the Ministries of Health, Education and Social Development. While this is heartening to see, enacting these values such as going ‘above and beyond’ to connect with whānau (e.g. visiting outside of business hours), use of koha and including tikanga outside of ceremonial events can be seen as crossing professional boundaries. This presentation will demonstrate ways in which we can challenge these manifestations of dominant discourses in education in the context of an Aotearoa designed and implemented parenting programme. I will examine whether transformation can occur within settings where colonial structures of power and epistemologies dominate through sharing the journey of six women and myself as we develop a community led programme to support whānau to create rich language environments for their children.