June 2022: Celebrating and Reflecting
Published on July 11, 2022 by Sarah Grant
Take a look at our June 2022 newsletter update below. Get in touch to learn more: [email protected].
Kia ora e te whānau,
As we approach Matariki (Māori New Year), it is a chance for us to individually and collectively whakanuia (celebrate) what we have achieved and māharatia (reflect) on what has happened and what is coming up.We have lots to celebrate from the past six months and are feeling incredibly grateful for the wonderful people who have come together as champions, advisors and funders to spark students’ solutions for a better world.
1. Whakahari - The Good
2. Wero - The Bad and Ugly
3. Tautoko - The Asks
4. Toha- The Personal
Kia ora e te whānau,
As we approach Matariki (Māori New Year), it is a chance for us to individually and collectively whakanuia (celebrate) what we have achieved and māharatia (reflect) on what has happened and what is coming up.We have lots to celebrate from the past six months and are feeling incredibly grateful for the wonderful people who have come together as champions, advisors and funders to spark students’ solutions for a better world.
1. Whakahari - The Good
2. Wero - The Bad and Ugly
3. Tautoko - The Asks
4. Toha- The Personal
1. The Good
- We Share Solar: our pilot at Homai primary school in South Auckland is now up and running! Peter, the kaiako (teacher), said it is a great programme for re-engaging students with school and has been a privilege to teach. Our funders, Curious Minds, went to visit and shared glowing feedback for Peter including: “It’s fantastic that you’re thinking ahead already to how you can mentor other teachers at school and the wider kāhui ako [school cluster] to run similar projects, and empowering the students to turn their new knowledge into actions like advocating for the EV vans. Very exciting stuff!"
- AimHi Earth: with Auckland University we ran a successful “Climate & Sustainability Leadership Training: A Taster for Aotearoa.” We had great interest and positive feedback with 30 people attending and nearly 40 watching the recording. You’re welcome to take a look at the recording and we’d love your help sharing with your networks (see The Ask below).
- Sharing our Strategic Plan: We have reflected on our vision, beliefs and values and refined our three key strategic outcomes for 2022-2024. We are delighted to share our plan here and are interested in your feedback.
- Policy: some great traction is happening with influencing education policy and more details will follow over the coming months. Also, we are thrilled to also see education actions now included in the Emission Reduction Plan, after coordinated submissions to the draft plan.
- Fundraising: Thank you to everyone who has supported us in our first year - we're excited to build on this great first step, and we've got ambitious plans for both the rest of 2022 and beyond! Special thanks to our funders who make all of this happen, including, Edmund Hillary Fellows, our corporate partners (Orion and Helios) and Foundations (Toi Foundation, COMET and Namaste).
2. The Bad and Ugly
- Running pilots during Covid: as for most of you, there have been the inevitable changes and pauses due to COVID disruptions. We are working with amazing schools, kura and kaiako (teachers) and want to acknowledge and thank them for all they are doing. We especially appreciate the energy and dedication they find to kick off pilot programmes, amidst juggling the day to day challenges.
3. The Asks
- Help AimHi Earth kickstart impact-focussed climate training in Aotearoa- could you forward their Climate and Leadership course to your networks, especially business and policy leaders? Link below or get in touch for more information ([email protected]). Link to forward here.
- Become a supporter-It's been a highly successful year to date for Kia Kotahi Ako - as you can see, we've been busy! If you, or someone you know, is interested in supporting our mahi (work), we'd love to connect. We also welcome financial support-you can contribute as a one-off, monthly or yearly donation via Open Collective or contact Sarah directly to discuss how we might work together.
4. The Personal
- Sarah is feeling especially grateful for the wonderful time she recently spent in the UK, re-connecting with whānau and friends. It was a great reminder of how we embody Kia Kotahi Ako’s values by taking care of ourselves and giving space for time to connect.
- How are you going to celebrate Matariki this year? There are some good ideas here and lots of useful resources to deepen your own learning from Te Wānanaga o Aotearoa here.
Mānawatia a Matariki (Happy Māori New Year),
Sarah, Huia and Jojo on behalf of all the wonderful Kia Kotahi Ako whānau.