A new research report launched today by Te Pūtea Whakatupu Trust has found that targeted investment into kaupapa Māori literacy and numeracy programmes has accelerated the learning of ākonga Māori.
Ngā Uri Whakatupu is an independent summative evaluation that has evaluated the impact of Te Pūtea Whakatupu Trust’s $5.5 million investment into literacy and numeracy programmes delivered to 1,600 tamariki Māori across a four-year period.
The evaluation looked at two programmes funded by Te Pūtea Whakatupu Trust, Te Kete Aronui delivered by Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency, and Te Reo Matatini me te Pangarau delivered by Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu.
The report found that found that a holistic, whānau centred approach to literacy and numeracy has resulted in positive education and wellbeing outcomes for tamariki and their whānau.
“We know that when whānau are engaged in ways that work for them, they thrive, and we are proud to support initiatives such as these to help bridge the literacy and numeracy gap that our ākonga Māori experience in our mainstream education system,” says Te Pūoho Kātene, Kaihautū of Te Pūtea Whakatupu Trust.
The report follows previous research commissioned by the Trust in 2021, where a social return on investment analysis was undertaken to measure the impact of North Island literacy and numeracy programme, Te Kete Aronui, and echoes the Government’s recent Kura Huanui report, identifying a holistic approach as a key component in fostering Māori education success.
“We have an extensive body of research that demonstrates the significant benefits of delivering a kaupapa Māori approach to learning, but without targeted investment and resourcing, these benefits are limited to those within our programme catchments.
“We now challenge Government to bridge the gap where mainstream education falls short, rather than trying to find a way for our tamariki to fit, use these findings to design a system which fits around them.”
