Last year, myself with the learning languages team worked to make language weeks more meaningful, providing teachers with resources that helped them explore and celebrate different cultures. With the support of one of our amazing speech and language therapists, we created multilingual visuals for every classroom; in English, Te Reo Māori, and New Zealand Sign Language which were rolled out this year.. These visuals might seem small, but in my eyes they had the ability to make a huge difference. They give both teachers and learners an easy way to communicate and connect even if they aren’t confident yet in Te Reo or sign language.
All of this got me thinking about a bigger question: How can we strengthen practices among our staff to build confidence in developing our cultural capabilities?
Because what I’ve noticed is many teachers want to celebrate cultural diversity but the confidence is missing. And for some of our overseas-trained teachers, Te Reo Māori and New Zealand Sign Language are completely new. These are such important parts of who we are, and I want everyone to feel confident bringing them into their classrooms.
To get a sense of where we were starting, I sent out a survey. I asked our teachers how confident they felt using Te Reo Māori in the classroom. The results were really interesting, no one said they were very confident. Most teachers sat around a 6-7, and a few were at the lower end; a 1 or 2 feeling unsure where to begin.
When I asked what they needed support with, most teachers said adapting resources for diverse learners and building culturally inclusive classrooms. That made total sense. Here at Somerville, we have such a wide range of abilities and needs, so supporting cultural diversity and supporting learning diversity really go hand in hand.
From this, I identified three main barriers:
A lack of confidence and knowledge in Te Reo Māori and NZSL. Communication challenges, especially in special education where every learner is different. And a shortage of resources, time, and support materials.
From this I came up with three hunches:
1. If I could support overseas-trained teachers to learn more Te Reo, their confidence would grow.
2. If we could collaborate more in our cultural practices, our learners would engage more.
And 3. If I created clear, ready-to-use plans and resources, teachers would feel more confident using them.
Around this time, I read a book that truly shifted my thinking. “Teaching to the North-East by Russell Bishop.” He talks about moving away from “deficit thinking” , the idea that a student’s language or culture is a barrier and instead, seeing those things as strengths. His concept of relational pedagogy really resonated with me, that strong, caring relationships are not just “nice to have,” they’re the foundation of good teaching. It made me think: our classrooms should feel like whānau, like extended families, where everyone’s voice matters. So I took these ideas and built an intervention, something gradual and sustainable, not just a one-off.
We expanded our Language Week resources, but this time we didn’t stop there. We ensured the multilingual visuals were across the school. We created a school karakia and waiata in collaboration with Ngāti Paoa. We reformed our Kapa Haka group, open to every learner who wanted to join and we ensured our shared drive was full of accessible, easy-to-use resources for teachers.
Being honest, when this was first rolled out, engagement wasn’t quite what I hoped for. Teachers seemed interested, but time was tight, classrooms were busy and there was a lot competing for attention. So instead of pushing harder, I stepped back, and simplified things. With support I made the resources more flexible, things teachers could pick up and use instantly, without extra planning. And this seemed to make a difference. Slowly, engagement grew.
By the end of the year, we saw growth. Teachers’ confidence in using Te Reo Māori and NZSL had risen from around 3 to 7 out of 10. Confidence in culturally responsive teaching also increased from 5 to around 7. At the start of the year, most classes included cultural content once or twice a term. By Term 4 it was reported that nearly every class was weaving it into their daily routines. Simple things such as greetings, waiatas, karakia became regular parts of our school day.
One of the reflections said that “At the start of the year, I focused on learning about each learner’s background. Now, I’m actively celebrating culture every day, it’s become part of who we are as a class.”
That comment really summed up the change for me. This may not yet be the whole school but we are working on moving in the right direction. When collecting data at the end of the year to see progress it was expressed that a highlight of the year was our Cultural Festival, the energy, the pride, the smiles. It was such a celebration of who we are as a school.
But even more exciting was knowing that culture isn’t just something we celebrate once a year anymore, it's something we are striving to live every day.
Looking ahead, we still remain focused on growing confidence in Te Reo Māori and NZSL, embedding them more deeply across our curriculum, and enhancing our partnerships with whānau. This year has shown that change is gradual, driven by consistent effort, collaboration, and reflection. And most of all together, we are creating a Somerville where language, culture, and identity are celebrated every day.
