“It takes a village to raise a child”: Pastoral Care for Māori and Pasifika secondary school students

Abstract

There is a paucity of research on pastoral care in New Zealand schools, yet the extant literature endorses the value of pastoral care for secondary students. For Māori and Pasifika students, pastoral care may enable the blending of Māori/Pasifika models of health/wellbeing with socio-ecological models such as that of Bronfenbrenner (1979), in the school context. Improved student wellbeing could foster better school retention and participation. Pastoral care, therefore, holds potential to be the nexus of health and educational needs in the school setting for the increasingly diverse secondary student population. The purpose of this study was to explore and interpret what pastoral care is in the New Zealand context, how it is understood, as well as how it is represented and co-ordinated both within and beyond the school environment. A case study design was used to research this phenomenon utilizing interviews, observations and document analysis. The study found that the commonalities, as well as the notable differences both inter- and intra- ethnically within Māori and Pasifika populations necessitate additional professional development in cultural responsiveness for all school staff, and other adults contributing to the school context. Culturally responsive pastoral care for students encompassing the whole child, and their families, looks likely to be the essence of a more nurturing school environment. In relation, Māori and Pasifika student voice indicated that they require improved processes in order to increase participation, engagement and retention at school. Students in lower decile schools will need increased funding in order to compensate for the layers of disadvantage that are predominantly anchored in historical inequities, but persist through the perpetuation of discriminatory structural inadequacies. The findings argue that these disparities need addressing with a fresh approach in order to benefit Māori and Pasifika students, but also New Zealand society at large.