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An important part of Aotearoa New Zealand鈥檚 future is Pacific. A youthful and fast-growing group, people of Pacific heritage are set to make up an increasing share of the working-age population. However, statistics show an achievement gap between Pacific students and the general population.

鈥淏ecause education is connected to health, housing, employment and so on, improving educational outcomes for Pacific people is about social justice, equity and fairness, yes, but it would be an economic driver too,鈥� says , a senior lecturer in education at Waipapa Taumata Rau | The University of Auckland.

To help schools better support Pacific learners, the Ministry of Education has introduced the , the product of two decades of research. 

 UniServices-managed , which provides evidence-based professional learning and development (PLD) programmes for the education sector, recently landed the contract to co-provide PLD on Tapas膩 to early childhood centres (ECEs) and schools with high numbers of Pacific learners. The training, which was developed by Tui Tuia鈥檚 Pacific team along with Waipapa Taumata Rau Pacific researchers, is co-delivered with .

鈥淭hough Pacific people have been a so-called priority group for the Ministry of Education since the late 1990s, we haven鈥檛 closed the gaps overall,鈥� says , an experienced teacher educator and doctoral candidate who is Tui Tuia鈥檚 lead Tapas膩 facilitator. 鈥淚n the last ten years, only twice has the percentage of Pacific learners meeting the standards for university entrance exceeded 30 percent. Even if people don鈥檛 choose to go to university, UE gives them more options. We need to do better.鈥�

What is Tapas膩?

鈥淭apas膩鈥� is a Samoan word for a compass or a guide. In this context, it鈥檚 a guide for a teacher鈥檚 journey. 

The framework was introduced in 2018 but the early stages of the rollout in 2019 were introductory in nature. Wider dissemination was disrupted in 2020 due to Covid-19, so it鈥檚 still relatively new to teachers, says Jacoba Matapo, who is Associate Dean Pasifika at the Faculty of Education and Social Work and one of the developers of the training programme.

鈥淭apas膩 is quite unique in that it goes right across from early childhood into secondary school and also from student teacher to school leader. It鈥檚 a very comprehensive framework.鈥�

Bespoke training

Tui Tuia鈥檚 Tapas膩 training is always tailored to the needs of the schools receiving it.

鈥淚f you鈥檙e in Oamaru, which has in recent years seen a significant increase in the Tongan population, you might need to learn more about Tongan culture,鈥� says Samu. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e a teacher in Pukekohe, which has a large Kiribati community, you鈥檇 need to learn about that non-Polynesian culture so you can engage with your specific Pacific learners.鈥�

Things would be different again at a school where Pacific students from a variety of backgrounds make up the majority, or at a school where many students are recent arrivals compared to one where Pacific communities are long-established. The needs and goals of ECEs also differ from those of primary or secondary schools, says Matapo, an early learning expert.

Crucially, the needs, backgrounds and goals of individual school teams and educators shape the training they receive. 

鈥淥ur solution is about co-designing the whole process with our participants,鈥� says Matapo. 鈥淲hen our participants reach the goals they鈥檝e set for themselves, that鈥檚 when we鈥檒l know we鈥檝e succeeded.鈥�

Of course, the other piece of success will be positive changes in Pacific learners鈥� outcomes.

鈥淪ome of our schools鈥� and centres鈥� goals are tied to tangible outcomes in terms of their learners鈥� success as well as the engagement of learners and families,鈥� says Gaugatao. 鈥淲e鈥檝e only just started offering this PLD and change does take time 鈥� but if you can change teacher expectation and practice, we can expect measurable impacts on learners and families.鈥�

What educators learn

Though the Tapas膩 training is bespoke, there are commonalities. One of the starting points is for educators to take a look at themselves.

鈥淭hat means knowing their 鈥榳hy鈥� and also confronting their own assumptions and biases,鈥� says Matapo. 鈥淭his involves looking at their understandings of culture, identity, language and the value of these things in the lives of the students they鈥檙e teaching.鈥�

Teachers also examine their relationships with their students.

鈥淭eachers ask themselves: 鈥楧o my Pacific learners feel valued in the way I interact and engage?鈥� You can have a whole suite of pedagogical strategies, but without that relational connection, they won鈥檛 stick,鈥� says Matapo.

The training emphasises that relationships extend beyond the classroom. 

鈥淭he past 20-plus years of research have really underlined the importance of families,鈥� says Samu. 鈥淭hat may not sound like rocket science but there has been a tendency in the past for schools to set the terms of that relationship. It鈥檚 been about how parents can support schools rather than the other way around. Relationships need to flow both ways.鈥�

Educators must also examine whether Pacific learners feel their cultures, languages and identities are valued at school.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about whether students feel their cultures are respected, but also about harnessing aspects of those cultures for learning across different subjects,鈥� says Samu. 

The framework document gives the example of a secondary school science teacher who invited some of his Pacific students鈥� parents to co-teach a class by talking about how to make umu, the Samoan term for earth ovens. He explained the scientific concepts involved, such as thermodynamics and convection.

A follow-up activity involved actually preparing an umu and cooking food, which helped the teacher understand more about the cultural aspects of umu-making and deepened his relationships with the parents. Students, meanwhile, gained a better understanding of the science behind umu and of the value of traditional knowledge and culture.

Beyond Tapas膩

While Matapo, Gaugatao and Samu do expect their work to have impact in lifting Pacific student success, there are more changes they鈥檇 like to see.

One would be a greater focus on Pacific knowledge and traditions in the national curriculum. Samu is currently contributing her ideas and research to a curriculum review.

Another would be to ensure initiatives focused on Pacific learners are designed and led by Pacific people, as Tui Tuia鈥檚 development of the Tapas膩 PLD was.

More broadly, they say more could be done to examine and address structural racism within education. Tapas膩 makes an important start by focusing in part on school leadership, says Matapo.

鈥淔or most Pacific families, the chance to give their children a better education was a major reason they came to New Zealand, but for many years our education system was not well structured to support Pacific peoples鈥� aspirations,鈥� says Gaugatao.

鈥淭hings are starting to change, though. This project is a chance to work with teachers and leaders to ensure that they鈥檙e not only supportive of the dreams and aspirations of our people, but also that they鈥檙e challenged to lift their game.鈥�