Te Tūī Bicultural Practice
Ko te manu e kai i te miro, nōna te ngahere.
Ko te manu e kai i te mātauranga, nōna te ao katoa.
The bird that consumes the miro, will only go as far as the forest. The bird that consumes the knowledge, the opportunity to go further is endless..
Tūī Early Learners bicultural practices story and journey began with a provocation:
‘How could we authentically demonstrate our unpacking of Te Tiriti o Waitangi partnership?’
and encompassed ‘Why are we committed to this journey?’
The answer was easy.
Through a journey of engaging in korero and problem solving; seeking guidance and support from our kaitautoko, we set out to authentically demonstrate our commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi partnership.
We share our story for all ākonga within Tūī
Tamariki and their whānau, Kaiako and our Management and Education rōpū
Tūī Philosophy
As our bicultural practice story has unfolded, we have realised that our Tūī Early Learners philosophy provides a framework for us in also recognising the tikanga practices that are and can be woven throughout the Philosophy.
This weaving does not stand still and from here on in, our Philosophy remains as a ‘mahi in progress’ and a ‘living breathing bicultural document for us all’
What matters to Tūī
A further insight for our bicultural practice was when our Management Structure began to investigate ‘What Matters to Tūī?’
Once again we considered what this could and would look like. We designed so that each of these messages of ‘What matters to Tūī’ continued to reflect our journey of Te Tiriti o Waitangi partnerships.
Vision
To provide the best quality care and education for tamariki.
Mission Statement
We inspire teachers and empower learners creating positive outcomes to grow future generations.
Values
Whanaungatanga (The glue that holds people together)
Fostering a sense of belonging through inclusive whānau relationships and partnerships
Ngākau Mahaki (Positive and humble attitude - hunger to drive for something)
Bringing a positive mindset, being present and ready to engage, empower and inspire.
Manaakitanga (Uplifting people’s mana)
Nurturing a culture of mutual respect, kindness and empathy, supporting holistic well being.
Ako (The 4Rs:Respectful, Reciprocal, Responsive, Relationships)
Demonstrating a culture of respectful, reciprocal, responsive relationships in every interaction within our Tūī Early Learners whānau and community
Te Whāriki & Priorities for Learners
As our story continues, each of the messages and the four values from ‘What matters to Tūī’ evolved into tikanga practices. They each represent ‘what really matters to us’ as kaiako within the Tūī community and therefore reflect our Priorities for Learners. Also, across every Tūī centre, Priorities for Learners have been identified in relation to the tamariki, their whānau and the teaching teams also connecting to our early childhood curriculum ‘Te Whāriki’, reflecting ‘what really matters’ for tamariki learning.
Tīkanga Principles
We then recognised that we had tikanga practices from our Philosophy, from our ‘What Matters at Tūī’, through to an additional lens of hearing from our community as to what further tikanga practices were paramount for us all. These additional tikanga practices have been drawn from kōrero with kaiako where we engaged in wananga and working out for ourselves which tikanga practices are intrinsic to our mahi alongside the tamariki, parents and whānau, teaching teams, our management and leadership rōpū and our wider community.
Kotahitanga: is about unity and togetherness. We work as a collective to support the growth and partnership of tamariki, kaiako and whānau
Wānanga: Where kōrero are shared between tamariki, kaiako and whānau in collaboration and allowing values and beliefs to be heard and shared.
Tikanga: customs and traditional values, especially in a Maori context.
Tangata Whenuatanga: All learning and interaction with all occurs within a cultural context.
Ukaipotanga: Care moments with tamariki that are calm, caring, reciprocal & responsive reflecting a sense of belonging
Tuakiri: Our identity is the window to our ancestors, and whānau. As kaiako we support and nurture the identities of all tamariki as treasures of the world
Whakapapa: Is the core connection to our genealogy, it tells the story of where we come from and the cultural traditions each tamariki, whānau and kaiako come with.
Taonga: All within Tūī are taonga and it is kaiako responsibility to be alongside and with every pēpe, toddler, young child, parent & whānau
Mōhiotanga: What a child already knows and what they bring with them highlights new beginnings, new knowledge, new discoveries.
Mātauranga:This is a time of growth for the child. It represents a time of increasing potential, negotiation, challenge, and apprehension when dealing with new ideas.
Māramatanga:This is when a child comes to understand new knowledge: a phase of enlightenment, realisation, and clarification.
Tuakana/Teina: Older sibling teaching younger, more knowledgeable teaching the other
Taiao: Connection to the natural environment that contains and surrounds us. It encompasses all of the environment and its offspring.
Mana & Wairua: recognising each individual comes with a gift, that gift being is their mana. Their mana is connected to their wairu
Rangatiratanga: Tamariki being empowered to guide their own learning