No abstract

An indigenous, specifically Māori worldview is used as the foundation for a case study that describes the people and their relationships and interactions in one New Zealand primary school (ages 5-11). We contextualize this school and its people, within the education and schooling system since the introduction of a new leadership team in 2011. We consider how leaders, teachers, and whānau (family and extended family) have promoted contexts for learning to ensure Māori students can enjoy and achieve education success as Māori (Ministry of Education 2013). Leaders' and teachers' beliefs, and their principles for practice, are detailed alongside the changes in Māori students' experiences. Finally, we consider these principles for practice in terms of their relevance for other indigenous and nonindigenous students. The case concludes in 2017 when, for the second successive year, the school became a finalist in the New Zealand, Prime Minister's Excellence Awards in Education for teaching and learning.

The paper is a leadership talanoa by a primary school principal of Samoan and Palagi heritages. The context of my talanoa is a descriptive account of my intentional practices, stories of my lived experiences, and contextual learnings aimed to shift school practices and structures so that Pasifika students succeed as Pasifika, a point clearly noted in the Tapasā policy. To prioritise the success of diverse ākonga in South Auckland, knowing and learning to work outside of the confines of school systems and governance processes within Aotearoa New Zealand schooling supported my work as a school principal and critical change agent. I write this paper using talanoa, the cultural practice of storying by (re)telling my leadership reflections and ako views as a Pasifika school leader. Talanoa and vā have been useful in my intentional practices.