Abstract:
This research project examines how, as a Pākehā deputy principal in an English medium state secondary school, I have taken on the role of supporting "Māori students succeeding as Māori". An autoethnographic narrative inquiry has allowed me to critique my 'stories' in order to answer my research questions. I explore the implications of Ka Hikitia 2008-2017, (Ministry of Education, 2008, 2013) and the 'gaze of government' as I enact government policy that pushes me to the limits of what I know, and what I can do cross-culturally. There are no passive bystanders when it comes to creating socially just futures for Māori students. Through examination of my narratives I affirm the need for relationships with Māori that allow for difference and for school leaders to be open to critiquing and learning from their lived experiences. The work I do cannot be reduced to a checklist of what is right and what does not work, but allows for varied cross-cultural relationships to evolve through honest encounters where breakthroughs and failures are reflected on pragmatically. My account of my work as a school leader examines the ordinary and extraordinary, and is open to a range of experiences that allow for change to occur. By making their practice public, school leaders support other teachers/leaders to learn about cross-cultural relationships. Paying attention to the past as well as the present allows school leaders, particularly Pākehā, to learn about themselves and accept that there is more work to be done, that the work is inevitably always unfinished as we seek to support Māori students. I have learned that disruptions to my practice enable me to develop as a school leader.
