Mā ngā huruhuru ka rere te manu: Understanding leadership for critical educational reform in Aotearoa New Zealand

Abstract

The research project presented in this thesis explores the leadership journeys of four first-time principals engaging in Kia Eke Panuku, a professional development initiative in English-medium secondary schools in Aotearoa New Zealand. It seeks to understand the role these first-time principals play in insitutionalising to depth, educational reform to enable Māori students to pursue their potential as Māori under the Ka Hikitia imperative. This thesis investigates the type of leadership required to achieve educational reform for Māori learners in Aotearoa, embedded in the inherent promise of the Treaty of Waitangi.

This thesis contends these principals contribute to educational reform by bringing criticality to their leadership and embracing an ongoing and iterative process of conscientisation and resistance, leading to transformative praxis. These principals recognised their role as educators leading pedagogical change in their schools, as well as leading others within their sphere of influence to ultimately change the fabric of society in Aotearoa. They both learned and led alongside each other, displaying an openness to embracing multiple worldviews with a deeply held moral imperative to eradicate oppression of Māori students. Such a stance actively creates bicultural spaces within schools, where both Treaty partners can benefit from the principles of the Treaty promises.