Whaia te iti Kahurangi: NZCER evaluation: 2004

Whaia te iti Kahurangi stems from the first iwi-Ministry of Education partnership, with Te Rünanga o Ngāti Porou. Whaia te iti Kahurangi began in 1998 with the contracting of Gardiner Parata Ltd to provide a framework for change management, to address the issues raised by ERO in its 1997 report on the quality of education received by Ngāti Porou East Coast students. They organised community consultations about the future of education in Ngāti Porou and East Coast communities, and its role in the future of Ngāti Porou. These consultations led to a strategic plan at the end of 1998. In 1999, the initiatives began, with the main focus on governance and management frameworks and systems. Professional development became a major focus in 2000 and the introduction of ICT equipment and training in 2001.

NZCER was contracted by the partners in Whaia te iti Kahurangi to undertake formative evaluation of the progress and impact of the initiatives, which was to inform their ongoing development. The initiatives are not seen by the partners as a finite programme, but as a living framework for change.

This is the final of five reports made since 2001. It provides a summary of the first four reports, and the 2003 report on student achievement.

It then describes school practices and school staff, trustee, and student perspectives as they were in term 2, 2003, since the main focus of the first five years of Whaia te iti Kahurangi has been on the improvement of the Ngāti Porou East Coast schools. It also provides information about the role of Whaia te iti Kahurangi, with information and perspectives from Education Team members and the two partners. It identifies the progress made to date, and the current challenges for Whaia te iti Kahurangi as those involved decide its course over the next five years.