Teaching in ways responsive to the cultures of our students is vital towards enhancing equity of access to mathematics achievement and putting educational policy into practice. New Zealand has the largest group of Pasifika people in the Western world, a multi-ethnic group of indigenous people from Pacific Island nations who have differing cultural…

Service is a fundamental value for the teaching of Pacific-heritage learners. This article describes educators' perspectives of the value of service, one of the values foundational to Tapasa. Findings from interviews, talanoa, and teaching observations show that service is demonstrated and nurtured differently by Pacific and non-Pacific educators,…

This research utilised a Maori-centred framework called "Te Ao o Pakirehua" (the world of inquiry) to inquire into teaching practices and involved two indigenous and two non-indigenous Initial Teacher Education (ITE) educators from Aotearoa New Zealand. This approach was founded on a "Te Tiriti" (Treaty) partnership and…

As a non-indigenous science educator, I have embraced the idea of critical reflexive practice in order to be more responsive to the cultures and values of my Pasifika students and to become more inclusive of their indigenous knowledges. In this article I share three ways I have negotiated the incorporation of Pasifika values and knowledge into my…

Pasifika students' cultural knowledge and practices have long had low value in New Zealand schools. It has been argued that culturally responsive teaching practice is a priority for improving the achievement of Pasifika students. Teachers who are culturally responsive in their practice know how to capitalise on the key learnings of Pasifika…

Many Pasifika students start their schooling fluent in their own language and with a rich background of knowledge and experiences. However, very quickly they join high numbers of Pasifika students failing within the education system. The reasons are diverse but many link directly to the structural inequities they encounter which cause a disconnect…