Introduction

Another year of change~

 After 3 years of absolutely interrupted learning, 2023 was a year of "reset.

...And it was, even though it began with floods and had some other interesting events like every year does!

2024 brought us curriculum change and property challenges, so it's just as well we had our reset!

As you will hear later on  in this report, our 2024 year of change has been handled really well by staff, tauira and whānau and we've had a happy, stable school that as always, has performed well, irrespective of conditions imposed externally.

We are very pleased to be able to report that our waka has been calm, focused, attentive to the currents and forces around us and has navigated effectively through the tides of change and continued to deliver very pleasing results.

We are grateful again, to have been fully staffed with a very positive staff culture where our members are and have been absolutely dedicated to getting the best results possible for our tauira.

And as always, mihi ki te Atua to tātou kaihanga, ko te Atua to tatou piringa to tatou kaha!

I offer sincere thanks and congratulations to our Board of Trustees; Fatima, Ana, Senio, Boaz, Kaue and Kelsey our Staff Rep. You are a real blessing!

• We will be using the data we get from our own school and from Manaiakalani, for continued advocacy with funders and to inform our own practice improvement. 

• We are delighted with the support we have received from the charitable and commercial sectors this year.

• We are in a stable financial position.

• the Ministry of Education once again, "protected" the staffing of the Manaiakalani Schools again, in view of the TRC Development. Although this resource has diminished, it has been an enormous help in planning for 2025.

• Along with the CoL Teacher Inquiries & Manaiakalani Research Team analysis, our Pt England Teacher Inquiry into Practice has continued to guide us into the focus we must have for 2025 and the journey to ISTE in Denver gave us some great innovations to work. Thank-you to the BOT for allowing and enabling this.

• We have excellent observation and survey results from the Manaiakalani Research Team, and are in a great position, along with our other Manaiakalani colleagues, to set goals and plan for the future.

To the Management Team, Toni, Garth, and Kent, thanks again, for a great partnership that is focused on improving outcomes for our tauira.

To the Office Team, Leigh, Monica, Donna, Roz and Yulieth, well done and thank-you for keeping the waka calm and for being so loving and helpful to all who walk in the fornt door. Thanks for supporting me personally, and the SMT as well as the whole school. Monica and Yulieth, thanks for sorting out the Asset Register, the Accounts and the Audits. 

To the Specialist Staff, once again you've enriched our school and the lives of the tauira and helped make this school a great place to be.

To the Team Leaders, Class Teachers and Support Staff, thank-you for your loving persistence in trying so hard to see that each child gets what they deserve. It's a privilege serving with you.

As we continue to pursue our mission and purpose, we  will reduce disparity,  raise equity, deliver excellence and hold a long view of Wellbeing which must result in capital building citizenship. (This bears repeating!)

This year, I offer the school Staff, Board, Community and especially the Management Team led by Toni Nua, a very special fa'afetai tele lava for performing outstandingly while I underwent spinal surgery and then later in the year was able to take 5 weeks refreshment leave. This was a truly remarkable experience and as I reported to you earlier, the first time in 33 years I had experienced leave where I did not have to work for 50% of the time! Than-you all SO much.

I continue to thank God, our Board, Staff and Community for the opportunity to continue to serve as your principal

 During 2024, as well working to build capacity across the Manaiakalani Network of 120 schools, I've been privileged to discuss our ideas for partnership in capacity building with:

• the NZ Ministry of Education

• Ngāti Paoa

• Charitable Funders

• KPMG

• ANZ

I selected the video below because it is a commentary on our year and is a beautiful example of the  Learn, Create, Share pedagogy in action and symbolic of our focus for 2024

Our Manaiakalani Kahui Ako has had  another positive year with great Teacher Inquiries being carried out, a wonderful shared Teacher Only Day at Panmure Bridge School, a fabulous Summit held in the Cook Islands,  an outstanding Film Festival at Hoyts, Sylvia Park, an excellent Wānanga toward the end of the year and our final "Bursts and Bubbles" presentation of the CoL Teachers' Inquiries.

I do wish to thank Jenny Oxley, Fiona Grant,  the Manaiaklani Research Team and Rebecca Jesson for their continued  contributions to the  growth of our Kahui Ako. It 's lovely being able to share these learnings and what made them possible, with others across these motu.

I offer grateful thanks to the Manaiakalani Programme Team, Dorothy, Fiona, Matt, Georgie and Dave and to the incredible fundraising machine  of Pat, and Jenny.  This great work is available online HERE

Our humble thanks goes to all of you, our friends and supporters, and as ever, to God.

Kia ora and Malo lava!

Russell Burt