In 1973 Dr Richard Benton began a sociolinguistic survey of te reo Māori that led to turning point in the fate of the language. The survey was the first project undertaken by NZCER’s newly-established Māori Research Unit, Te Wāhanga Kaupapa Māori. 

The Survey of Language Use in Māori Households and Communities (Te Tirohanga i te Kōrerotanga o te Reo Rangatira i Roto i ngā Kainga Maori me ngā Rohe) became known as the Benton report, and continues to be a reference point for sociolinguistic researchers.

This research project has been digitised and made available to the public courtesy of the NZCER Library. 

Who can speak Māori?

Under Dr Benton’s leadership, the new research unit focused on te reo Māori. He wanted to know the place of te reo Māori in schools and communities, and how the education system could ensure that it flourished.  The survey was designed to answer two questions: who can speak Māori, and who does speak Māori?

Over 30,000 people from nearly 6,500 whānau were surveyed

The survey gathered information from 33,338 individuals in 6,470 whānau throughout the North Island. The interviews were done kanohi-ki-te-kanohi (face-to-face) and with no dedicated funding, it was a lean operation. Over the six years of data gathering, more than 10 public and private sector organisations gave grants that enabled it to continue region by region. No funding was ever secured for the overview report, but the team honoured its commitment to report back to the communities and produced the 143 booklets that are now available online.

The Waitangi Tribunal 1986 report on te reo Māori cited the survey

The Waitangi Tribunal used the survey’s findings to inform its report on the health of the language. The report stated ‘The extent of the threat to language survival was graphically illustrated by Dr Benton’s description of language loss in nearly all the traditional villages. It is now apparent that the expectation that the language would survive because of those villages is not realistic.’

The Waitangi Tribunal report led to the Māori Language Act 1987, and the establishment of Te Taura Whiri I te Reo Māori.

Te Wāhanga continues to focus on te reo Māori

In 2016 Te Taura Whiri I te Reo Māori commissioned Te Wāhanga to do research that would identify progress, barriers, and opportunities that bring about the regeneration of te reo Māori. That project revisited some of the communities that Dr Benton’s team had surveyed some 40 years before. Their reports, gathered as Te Ahu o te Reo, paint a more positive picture of the language.

Reports to the participants

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In 2023 Auckland Council’s Sustainable Schools Team (SST) piloted a programme called Mana Ora: Students Decarbonising schools. The programme involved working with eighteen Auckland schools and kura to support student-led climate and sustainability action projects. The aim of the programme was that students (with guidance and support from teachers and SST) would identify, plan, and apply for funding for, action projects to be implemented within their schools and communities during the 2023 school year. 

Mana Ora was supported by Auckland Council, Westpac NZ Government Innovation Fund, and Ministry for the Environment. A pool of funding for students’ action projects was included in the programme.

The name of the programme is explained below:

“Mana Ora speaks to the mana (prestige/power) we have as ira tangata (people) to do right by our taiao/tupuna (environment/ancestor) by enhancing the mauri (life force) and ora (health) of our taiao (environment)".

Ka ora te taiao, ka ora te tangata (a healthy land is a healthy people)

NZCER provided an evaluation for Auckland Council focussing on how the programme is implemented in English-medium settings, and the extent to which the programme meets its intended outcomes for students, teachers,  schools, and the facilitators and partners that support schools. A separate workstream explored the programme impacts and outcomes in Māori-medium settings. 

The Mana Ora programme and evaluation built on what was learned in a 2021 Schools' Carbon Footprint Pilot project with Auckland Council.

Me aro ki te hā o Hine-ahu-one. 

Pay heed to the dignity and power of women. 

In 2023, Te Wāhanga - NZCER conducted research to support Māori women who are, or who aspire to be leaders in Wharekura and Kura ā-rohe, and English-medium secondary and area schools. This research was commissioned by the PPTA to find out how they can support all wāhine Māori to achieve their leadership aspirations.  

Our research aimed to answer the overarching research question,  

How can wāhine Māori in Wharekura, Kura ā-rohe, and English-medium secondary and area schools be supported in their leadership aspirations? 

The three sub-research questions were:  

1. How many wāhine Māori are in leadership positions and where in Aotearoa are they located?  
2. How is leadership defined by wāhine Māori? 
3. What conditions support wāhine in their leadership aspirations? 

We collected data in the following ways: 

• A short survey for all wāhine Māori in Māori and English medium secondary and area schools  
• Interviews with up to 30 wāhine Māori who are leaders or who aspire to be leaders. 

If you have any questions about the research please contact Keita Durie (Project Co-Leader) at keita.durie@nzcer.org.nz 

The Refreshed New Zealand Curriculum was a significant project underway at the Ministry of Education. Rangahau Mātauranga o Aotearoa (New Zealand Council for Educational Research) was contracted to provide supporting research for this mahi, alongside Te Whare Wananga o Waitaha / University of Canterbury, Te Wānanga Toi Tangata / Division of Education at Te Whare Wananga o Waikato / University of Waikato, and Ahu Whakamua Ltd. 

The below reports, many in collaboration with kairangahau from the above organisations, form our research-based support and policy advice for this refresh. Full details of the refresh can be found at the Ministry of Education's website.

Why are we doing this study?

In 2023, Te Takanga o Te Wā and Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories was introduced as part of all kura and schools’ marau ā-kura and local curriculum. The final content was released by the Ministry of Education in March 2022. Our project aimed to follow a group of schools, initially in English-medium contexts, as they navigate their way through this curriculum change. A separate engagement and planning process will be used if we are to work with Māori-medium kura that are working with Te Takanga o te Wā. This pathway is still being explored.

What are our research questions?

We have shaped high-level overarching questions for working with English-medium schools that are implementing Aotearoa New Zealand's histories in The New Zealand Curriculum. 

1. What aspirations do schools and communities (staff, ākonga, whānau, hapū, Iwi) have for Aotearoa New Zealand's histories in localised curriculum?
2. How do schools construct their Aotearoa New Zealand's histories curriculum, and what does it look like in a range of local settings?
3. How do schools develop, navigate, and sustain relationships to support the Aotearoa New Zealand's histories curriculum? (e.g., with: parents and whānau; marae, hapū, and iwi; other local community groups; other schools in their Kāhui Ako, PLD providers)
4. How is localised (Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories) curriculum shaping how diverse students and teachers see themselves (their identity) in relation to the whenua and to other people?
5. How is the Aotearoa New Zealand histories curriculum changing teacher practice?
6. What supports are effective for teachers and school leaders at different stages of their school’s journey to implement the Aotearoa New Zealand's histories curriculum?

An important additional question is the impact on hapū and iwi of the Aotearoa New Zealand's  histories curriculum and how schools localise their curriculum. This question may potentially be explored under the umbrella of this project or through an additional project. 

Want to hear from us or possibly contribute to the research? 

Subscribe to receive occasional email updates about this project. If your school might be interested in contributing to this research, you can let us know when you subscribe. 

We partnered with Associate Professor Melinda Webber (University of Auckland) to collaborate with her on the analysis of data already collected. Melinda’s research “Kia tū rangatira ai ngā iwi Māori: Living, succeeding, and thriving as iwi Māori” focuses on cultural identity, and how people learn and strive in educational settings from the perspectives of ākonga, kaiako, and whānau. 

COMPASS is a series of reports that explores explores notions of success, support networks, and aspirations for ākonga Māori and Pacific students, as reported by ākonga, whānau, and kaiako.

Aotearoa New Zealand's histories: Localising the curriculum

In 2022 we began a new NZCER Te Pae Tawhiti project to explore how schools are localising the Aotearoa New Zealand's histories curriculum. Please visit the project page to learn more about this project.

Our previous contract research projects 

In June 2021, NZCER completed two contracted research projects for the Ministry of Education relating to the draft curriculum content for Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories (in The New Zealand Curriculum) and Te Takanga o te Wā (in Te Marautanga o Aotearoa).

Aotearoa New Zealand’s Histories: Findings from the public engagement on the draft curriculum content

Project leaders: Nicola Bright and Jo MacDonald

This contract project involved analysis and synthesis of data from the Ministry’s public consultation on the draft content.  The Ministry of Education ran a public engagement campaign from 3 February through to 31 May 2021. Feedback was gathered through online surveys, written submissions, and over 90 workshops, fono, and hui. People responded to three questions:

• Do people think the draft content reflects us as a nation?
• What is most important to people?
• What do people see as the challenges in implementing this curriculum change?

The full report and a summary are available on the Ministry's website: Process for creating Te Takanga o Te Wā and Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories content – Education in New Zealand

Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories and Te Takanga o te Wā: Classroom and Akomanga trialling of draft content

Project leaders: Nicola Bright and Rachel Bolstad

In this contract project, NZCER worked with CORE Education to support trialling of the draft content with schools and kura, and gathering teacher and kaiako feedback. During the first 5 weeks of Term 2, 2021, the draft content for Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories was trialled in approximately 60 English-medium schools and the draft content for Te Takanga o Te Wā was trialled in approximately 20 Māori-medium kura. More than 100 teachers and kaiako participated, with many schools and kura involving several teachers from different year levels. 

CORE Education facilitated the trialling, and NZCER provided data gathering, analysis, and reporting. 

Shifting Thinking was an experimental project and process set up by a team within NZCER in 2009. Shifting Thinking included a blog that operated until 2015, and two NZCER conferences, in 2009 and 2012.

The project aimed aim to explore the shift to 21st century thinking and learning by connecting theory with educational practice from the perspectives of people involved in the educational profession around the world. The intention was to help educators build a bridge between 20th century theories and practices, and 21st century theories and practices. This shifting thinking website was a space for theory and practice to interact, for theory to inform practice, and practice to inform theory.

The Shifting Thinking website and blog are not currently available online.

Auckland Council’s Sustainable Schools Team ran a small pilot programme in 2021, to explore how ten schools use a School Carbon Footprint calculator to understand their school’s carbon emissions, build knowledge about climate change mitigation, and take steps to reduce their school’s carbon footprint. NZCER is the research partner for the pilot project. The research investigated:

• The interest/appetite and drivers of schools for using a school’s carbon calculator to get a carbon footprint and to develop and implement a carbon reduction plan.
• How is the tool is used in pilot schools, and by whom.
• The benefits of using a carbon calculator for learning, and carbon reduction.
• The nature of resources and support required to enable the use of a school’s carbon calculator to support schools and students to take climate action.
• Enablers and barriers to schools using a carbon calculator.

A research report from the pilot was completed in December 2021.