Kōkirihia - The plan for removing streaming from our schools

Robyn Scott, Executive Director of J R McKenzie Trust, recently attended the launch of Kōkirihia – The plan for removing streaming from our schools. The development of this Call to Action has been led by Tokona te Raki Māori Futures Collective, a member of the Peter McKenzie Project rōpū.

L-R: Dr Eruera Tarena, Robyn Scott, Ashley Summerville, and Matau Flanagan

Dr Eruera Tarena, Kaiwhakatere, Tokona te Raki, explains the evolution of this mahi.

“Kōkirihia is a powerful local example of what iwi-led system change looks like in Aotearoa. The Kaupapa first started with a simple project using data to track Māori pathways through education, which identified streaming as a significant barrier for Māori and Pasifika, but it was our follow-up engagements with rangatahi that built a clearer picture of the toxic and damaging impacts the practice has on rangatahi Māori, whose confidence and prospects are severely limited by being put into the ‘dumb class’. 

Over time we built a network of brave kura leaders and teachers that have transitioned away from streaming towards better practices like mixed ability grouping and culturally responsive practices so we could show that change is possible and what a better alternative looked like. Kōkirihia marks the end of a collaborative process, led over 18 months, which included representation from rangatahi, iwi, and all key educations sector groups, to develop a shared and systemic plan of action to remove streaming in Aotearoa. It shows that change is possible and that identifying racist practices is the first step towards making them solvable. 

We have also seen first-hand, how powerful a group of committed champions can be in providing the leadership and building the movement for change. The hard mahi comes next as we begin to implement the action plan, but we have full confidence that change is possible and knowledge that this is a change that will make the greatest difference for our whānau and the future of Aotearoa.”

You can read more about the journey to Kōkirihia here. You can also read a previous He Pito Mata story entitled Tokona te Raki – Unleashing the Unlimited Potential of Rangatahi here.