All Articles
History can hurt
In interviews with practitioners Ako asks how kaiako can prepare for difficult conversations in the classroom that might arise when teaching Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories.
Begin with a mountain
A poem by Nina Mingya Powles.
The importance of engaging difficult knowledge in schools
Liana MacDonald discusses how mainstream New Zealand society resists difficult knowledge about the past both at sites of historical colonial violence and through mundane interactions between teachers.
Walking backwards into our future
What has climate change got to do with teaching our past? NZEI Te Riu Roa Communities Organiser Conor Twyford discusses how, in order to navigate well into our collective future, we need to clearly understand our past.
A welcome change
I’m excited to be sharing this histories issue of Ako with you, focussing on the challenges, impact and importance of studying our past.
Autumn 2022: Book reviews
Reviews of eight brilliant new books for kaiako and ākonga.
Kua tuku iho – handing down our past
Until recently, the historical misdeeds towards Māori have been swept under the carpet, with the hope that they would be forgotten. The Aotearoa Histories curriculum is one step towards changing this. What do kura Māori think about this change and the importance of teaching our past?
Te Whare Tapa Whā – the four sides of wellbeing
Education professionals will know the popular hauora model Te Whare Tapa Whā, but what does it mean in practice? Ako finds out.
Let tamariki get stuck in
One of the most powerful forces in tamariki wellbeing is their own voice. Read about how these schools let tamariki lead the way.
Joy, Colour, Wonder, Fun, Life: Wellbeing and the Arts
Making art helps us slow down, process our feelings, and gives us permission to care for ourselves. Ako talks to schools who use art practice to support hauora and bring in joy, colour and wonder.
Unhurried moments of care
Ako talks to early childhood educators about how they use attachment theory to create secure relationships with tamariki, and the barriers they have to overcome.
Is Everyone Okay?: Hauora for educators
High workloads and insufficient resourcing in a rapidly changing society leads to staff burnout. But these education leaders have found authentic ways to support and value staff hauora.
“Not another new bloody model of wellbeing”
At a recent conference I attended, I heard a speaker at a workshop enthused at a number of models of health and wellbeing. She ran through a myriad of some very impressive line ups mostly from America and Europe.
Global citizenship education – He raraunga o te ao: A Māori perspective
Global Citizenship education (GCED) is UNESCO’s response to the impact of poverty, global warming, inequality and human rights violations which threaten peace and sustainability worldwide.
Nurtured minds are our friends!
Sam Hayden of Northcross Intermediate writes about "Add Value", the programme he created to support student hauora.
Winter 2021: Book Reviews
Reviews of nine fantastic books for children and adults that will support your hauora.
Be open-minded about mindfulness
Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally. Try this mindfulness practice!
Hauora is for everyone
It is great to be able to share this issue of Ako with you. Hauora seems to be the catch phrase of the last couple of years.
Conor Twyford talks to Ako about climate activism
Conor Twyford, the new Community Organiser at NZEI Te Riu Roa, talks about the work she’s doing and how she’s supporting members to get active on climate change. “If we’re going to tackle the big issues like climate change,” Twyford says, “we need to do it in community, we need to do it together.”
Making Transitions
As Taranaki makes a “Just Transition” from fossil fuels to a carbon-neutral economy, educators, whānau and tamariki must transition as well.
Gumboots and Gloves: Coming together in the face of climate threat
For many communities in Aotearoa the impacts of climate change are already being felt. Ako talks to educators about floods, droughts and hurricanes, and how they get through.
Planting the seed of environmental citizenship
Early childhood centres are educating and empowering tamariki on how to make their world a better place. The work is changing mindsets and behaviour far beyond centre walls.
Te Maramataka: A way to live and know
As mātauranga Māori is more widely recognised, schools and kura are using Te Maramataka to connect with the environment and themselves.