Celebrating Three Years of Kia Kotahi Ako
Since 2021, Kia Kotahi Ako has been led by the vision of “Indigenous knowledge transforming education and environmental systems for Aotearoa New Zealand”. We continue to raise awareness of the ever-increasing importance of creating meaningful change in ways that, led by a kaupapa Māori approach, can create equitable outcomes in our schools and communities.
Here, we celebrate three years of activating education initiatives to support rangatahi (children) and Papatūānuku (Mother Earth). Through our core values, we reflect on the partnerships and kaupapa (programmes) that have brought us this far, and the impact we look forward to contributing to over the years ahead.
Ako - Learning in the Spirit of Reciprocity
The word Ako means both learning and teaching.
For us, it means asking how we can all contribute, benefit and learn.
Through the delivery of the flagship We Share Solar Programme, we have had the privilege of working alongside three schools in Ōtautahi Christchurch and Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland and one kura kaupapa (Māori immersion school) in Taranaki, with 115 tauira (students) having completed the programme to date. Through hands-on learning and real-life application of knowledge, we have inspired half of those students to consider careers in climate change or renewable energy and a majority to express a strong desire for more hands-on learning experiences.
“Call me when you need a new worker!!”
Teachers enjoyed the support and lesson plans provided by Kia Kotahi Ako and 100% of those involved said they would strongly recommend this programme to others. Since completing the programme, one school, Ao Tawhiti, now utilises solar power and is continuing their learning through their Climate Action Campus in Ōtautahi. We Share Solar has garnered support from a number of potential partners in energy, climate resilience and disaster preparedness including Orion, Ara Ake, Nga Iwi o Taranaki, Toi Foundation, Lululemon, Helios, Canon Oceania Grants, and Edmund Hillary Fellowship Fellows.
“I have been teaching for 20 years and I don’t think I have ever seen such a high level of student engagement. There are just so many benefits in terms of practical knowledge, climate change awareness, teaching them for careers, and giving them literacy support.”
In 2023, we adapted the We Share Solar programme into Te Reo Māori in collaboration with partner kura Te Pi'ipi'inga Kakano Mai I Rangiatea (TPKMIR) in Taranaki, allowing students to learn about solar energy within their cultural context. We brought TPKMIR students together with We Share Solar Founder, Hal Aronson, and Board member Barry Neal in a workshop to re-design their solar suitcase so that it is more fit for purpose for Aotearoa. This involved developing and sharing a design narrative based on Te Ao Māori concepts and resulted in a tailored programme that utilises a tuakana-teina (intergenerational learning) approach, involving former students in programme design and delivery. It was led by Te Waiora Wanoa-Sundgren, Kia Kotahi Ako Kaituitui (Project Co-ordinator) and former pupil of Te Pi'ipi'inga Kakano Mai I Rangiatea with guidance from Huia Lambie (Ngāti Mutunga, Te Atiawa) our strategic advisor .
“Ko te wawata mō tēnei kaupapa te whakatō ai mai te kōhanga reo, ki te wharekura ki te whare wānanga, ā tōna wā ka whai oranga i roto i tēnei momo mahi hei kaitiaki mō te taiao. Kaore he wahi tū atu i kōnei mo tēnei akoranga. E tino hikaka au ki tēnei kaupapa.
My aspirations for this kaupapa is to embed these learnings from kōhanga reo to high school, to university and create a career pathway for our tamariki in this sector. There’s no better place than kura kaupapa to implement this programme. I am very excited for our tamariki and whānau.”
Students at TPKMIR testing their solar energy systems
Kaitiakitanga - Guardianship and protection
This value reflects the intentional care in the way we work.
For ourselves, others and the planet.
Using all of the skills and tools in our kete (basket), Kia Kotahi Ako has supported and continues to support kaupapa that aligns with our values. We gifted $5,000 to Te Rau o Rongo to further their mahi to revitalise whenua and whānau through healing and cultivating Hua Parakore kai (Māori indigenous systems for growing food) in Taranaki. We have also profiled them in a recent story to share their work with the Edmund Hillary Fellowship network.
We have proudly supported Wayfinding for Life and Flying Geese Founder, Faumuina Felolini Maria Tafuna’i, with her latest wayfinding programme, WERO, which runs entrepreneurship programmes for rangatahi Māori and Pasifika. While Faumuina was waiting for the new WERO charity bank account registration, we were able to support her by acting as an umbrella for this values-aligned initiative and clearing a pathway for them to activate donations from both Aotearoa and the USA.
Kia Kotahi Ako Founder, Joanne McEachen, played a crucial role in securing Ministry of Education (MoE) support for the new site of 21st-century Māori learning village Te Pā Wānanga (Te Pā). As a teacher, principal and whole system leader at the MoE, she experienced first-hand the inequities in education and well-being for Māori students. She has leveraged that knowledge to build relationships with funders, champions and partners. This mahi has recently culminated in an agreement by Christchurch City Council to sell eight hectares of land in Diamond Harbour to Te Hapū o Ngāti Wheke (the local sub-tribe of Ngāi Tahu), paving the way for the establishment of a new and permanent home for Te Pā o Rākaihautū. This significant milestone paves the way for Te Pā to create a state-of-the-art learning village tailored to the aspirations of Māori communities. The new location will integrate mātauranga Māori-centred education, wellness facilities, substantial vegetable gardens, fruit and rongoā (traditional healing) orchards, and staff housing. Project Lead and EHF Fellow Rangimarie Parata Takurua says that Te Pā recognises the interdependence between people and Papatūānuku, and the initiative aims to improve the health and well-being of both.
Students at Te Pā o Rākaihautū
Whakawhanaungatanga - Making and maintaining relationships
Through time and care, we build thoughtful connections with others.
Kia Kotahi Ako has been built upon a commitment to creating trusted relationships. We walk alongside our collaborators and partners to learn from them and provide what is needed. We are informed by a ‘Scaling Deep’ approach that drives us to strengthen connections and embrace culturally transformational work that is necessary for enduring and meaningful systems change.
In particular, we have strengthened our partnerships throughout the EHF network. In July 2024, we worked closely with Fellows Lily Stender (Founder, Tolaga Bay Innovation) and Thabiso Mashaba (CEO, These Hands GSSE) in collaboration with Eastern Institute of Technology to adapt and deliver our solar suitcase programme to adults in the Te Tairāwhiti (East Cape) community.
Kia Kotahi Ako CEO, Sarah Grant, is co-leading the Climate and Nature Action Group for Fellows and ran two of the Fellows Hui. She also facilitated a partnership with the Fellow-led AimHi Earth education initiative to deliver environmental workshops and online courses to Ōtautahi businesses. This collaboration was part of a wider strategy to connect with all parts of the system, test new ideas, and innovate; as a charity, this is made possible only by unrestricted funding.
“It is a joy…to see how Kia Kotahi Ako is thriving as such a beautiful demonstration of what can happen when Fellows come together. So much potential!! ”
The Secret Sauce
Our commitment to seeing and seizing new possibilities
As Kia Kotahi Ako looks to the months and years ahead, we are excited to continue our mahi to accelerate system-changing initiatives that scale deeply within communities. We will continue to advocate for Māori communities, provide funding and meaningful partnerships, and champion opportunities to realise their aspirations.
We plan to expand our We Share Solar programme in Taranaki with three additional kura kaupapa, and to build upon the recent Solar Suitcase adult workshops in Te Tairāwhiti to support this economically and environmentally vulnerable region of Aotearoa to become a more resilient, self-sustaining and thriving community. We are exploring ways to support communities to leverage this programme into career opportunities and community energy schemes (Mana Motuhake), as well as ways we can tailor the programme to suit different regions and share indigenous knowledge and possibilities globally.
We will continue to walk alongside Te Pā, provide support and resources, and link in partners as they work to establish a Foundation and raise funding. We will share the stories of Te Pā, Te Rau o Rongo, and our EHF collaborators as champions and ecosystem connectors of their values-aligned mahi. As we build our own capabilities, we will seek to expand our team, our knowledge, and our kete to support our ongoing journey of transforming education and environmental systems through indigenous knowledge.
As our Chair, Joanne shares, a key ‘secret sauce’ ingredient in our success in the community is having the flexibility of unrestricted funding. We've been incredibly fortunate to work with funders who have the vision and courage to explore a new model—one that trusts in the recipients and understands that meaningful, deep impact takes time. This approach allows us to truly scale our efforts in a way that leads to long-term, transformative outcomes.
We invite anyone interested in innovative operating models to join us on this journey.
Contact: sarah@kiakotahi.org to have a kōrero (discussion) about supporting our work.