He Whakaaraara launches

He Whakaaraara is Aotearoa New Zealand's first national report highlighting the inequities and barriers faced by our most vulnerable learners.

Our commitment to improving inequity in our education system, via collaborative multi-sector partnerships, is why we support He Whakaaraara and see its concept as a ‘living annual report’ as a critical means of ensuring currency and relevancy. We believe this new resource will be of benefit to policy and decision-makers, government agencies, funders, researchers, media, and any organisation supporting those working with our young learners.

Supported by video storytelling, the report brings together narratives and research data to show the barriers that many learners face, and how this impacts their ability to thrive in our education system. By connecting the actual lived experiences of learners with data sets from their communities, He Whakaaraara is a rallying call to government organisations, agencies and funding groups to help find and fund community-led solutions.

In this first year, data and stories have been collected from five communities. Each section of the report focuses on one community and intersectionality between these groups is recognised and discussed.

This inaugural release represents the beginning of the journey. It is not a final product. He Whakaaraara will evolve as more stories and insights are gathered.

Key features include

• Community voices and learners at the centre: Māori, Pacific, rainbow, migrant/former refugee, and learners with disabilities.
• Intersectional approach: Recognising compounded impacts of multiple identities.
• Innovative presentation: Combining video storytelling, personal narratives, and research data.
• Ongoing development: builds year on year towards a comprehensive view with annual updates, additional stories and data via a dedicated website.
• Call to action: Connecting lived experiences with data to advocate for community-led solutions.

Learn more here and download the report: He Whakaaraara (epit.org.nz)