Local teachers were surprised and disappointed to hear about the closure of the Kāhui Ako (communities of learning) programme via the media.

In Central there are two Kāhui Ako; the Dunstan Kāhui Ako made up of nine early childhood education centres (ECEs), eight primary schools and Dunstan High School, and Te Kāhui Ako O Ngā Awanui (Cromwell) that connects seven ECEs, two primary schools and Cromwell College.

Radio New Zealand (RNZ) published an article based on leaked documents on Tuesday (May 6), stating that the $118M programme would be disestablished, effective from the 2025 Budget.

Cromwell Kāhui Ako lead and Cromwell Primary School principal Matthew McCormick said if the Kāhui Ako is to be disestablished, there will be a real gap in the Cromwell education space.

“I’m disappointed by the lack of consultation or communication around these changes. This news is disheartening, but our work within the Kāhui Ako has demonstrated the strength of our collective efforts. 

“We are committed to continuing the connections, professional growth, and community events that the Kāhui Ako has made possible into the future.

Te Kāhui Ako O Ngā Awanui (Cromwell) lead Matthew McCormick. PHOTO: File 

“There is speculation that the equivalent funding may be reallocated to support students with additional learning needs. If that proves to be the case, I would support it in principle."

Matthew said the devil would be in the details, and he looked forward to clarity on how that support will be delivered and sustained in schools.

Dunstan Kāhui Ako lead Tracy Richmond said she was surprised by the leaked document and article.

“We have had no information or consultation around the future of Kāhui from the Minister [of Education]... Apparently a decision will be made on May 25 in the 2025 Budget announcements.

“It would be nice to think we might be provided with an update prior to this given teachers' leadership roles in the Kāhui may be removed.

"This will have an impact on school's staffing levels moving forward for those schools who employ across school and within school leads.

Dunstan Kāhui Ako lead Tracy Richmond. PHOTO: Dunstan Kāhui Ako

Tracy said teachers had a number of questions for the Minister.

“How will the disestablishment of Kāhui Ako happen, over what time frame and if Kāhui goes, what will replace it? How will the Minister develop leadership pathways for teachers moving forward?...

“How will funding that currently supports professional development (PD) via Kāhui Ako be shared to individual schools as there is currently no regional or nationally funded model for PD delivery? Or will this funding only be redirected to learning support?

“Why is the Minister not sharing the answers to these and other questions with the education sector now? The cat seems to be out of the bag in regards to the future of Kāhui Ako, so surely it is time for the Minister to be transparent with the sector.”

Last year Dunstan Kāhui Ako held a speech competition for Dunstan school pupils, organised a combined Kapa Haka group that performed at Blossom Festival, ran professional learning groups for teachers, provided professional development for teachers in both mathematics and assessment for learning practices and supported teachers and students through the transition from primary to high school.

Tracy said it is likely these events will not happen without the Kāhui Ako programme.

“At present the across school leads and I have two days per week to organise events [and] coordinate activities.

"With no Kāhui Ako staff, teachers and principals would need to take these tasks on as additional to their current workload for no extra money.

“Teachers are already incredibly busy people; I don't think many would be able to find extra time in the day to add new tasks to their workload.”

Read RNZ article: Leaked documents say Kāhui Ako school programme 'set to be disestablished'

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