Pacific wayfinding educational leadership through Tautai o le Moana

Abstract

‘Tautai o le Moana’/Wayfinders of the Ocean (TolM) is a partnership between the New Zealand Ministry of Education and the New Zealand Pasifika Principals Association. TolM provides a professional learning and development pathway ‘by Pasifika principals, for principals of Pasifika’ focused on changing education outcomes for Pasifika students who historically have been underserved in the education system. In this article, we highlight school leadership through the metaphor of Pacific wayfinding to demonstrate the importance of Pacific specific leadership for schools serving Pacific learners and families. Tautai data were collected through group talanoa/co-constructed dialogue sessions and individual talanoa sessions. Surfacing themes were connected metaphorically with traditional Pacific wayfinding skills and were enacted through Pacific leadership capabilities that included: adjusting school structures to utilise Pasifika learners’ strengths; surfacing and changing tautai and teacher beliefs to grow learning opportunities for Pasifika learners; valuing and validating Pasifika learner knowledges to support Pasifika success; and developing reciprocal partnerships with Pasifika families.