Grow Waitaha: Celebrating 10 years on mahi in Canterbury’s schools

Grow Waitaha is in its tenth year of serving the needs of schools in the Greater Christchurch region and Leadership Lab is pleased to be part of the alliance in this amazing mahi. Grow Waitaha was originally set up by the Ministry of Education as a strategic response supporting schools in post-earthquake Christchurch. It was a particularly difficult time, with a number of schools subject to rebuilds, closures, mergers and many others needing major work. Grow Waitaha has worked with over 200 schools across Canterbury and has also contributed to educational innovation conversations nationally and globally. In 2020 we documented this in our Grow Waitaha case study and a second case study is being written at present.

Collaboration is the most distinctive characteristic of Grow Waitaha. The 10 year programme is a partnership with the Ministry of Education and local Ngāi Tahu mana whenua in its design and foundations. It’s also exceptional in being an alliance of three consulting organisations – Leadership Lab, Evaluation Associates and Tātai Aho Rau – Core Education. We work together for the good of the local school network and we are one team for this mahi. Right from the beginning our relationship with mana whenua has been central and their mahi in developing the cultural narratives to support local schools is the envy of many throughout the country.

Co-design is the second key characteristic. We are really careful to listen to, and meet the needs of, the local education sector keeping learners firmly at the centre of change. Grow Waitaha focuses on four impact areas – Futures, Equity and inclusion, Pathways and Wellbeing. Each of these areas have 2-3 impact statements to guide all mahi that is designed and delivered, and the reality is that all areas are interwoven.  Our focus is on sustainable transformation through celebration, consolidation and collaboration.

We are constantly evolving in order to support schools on the journey of transformation. Some of our mahi involves supporting schools through any infrastructure changes but much is focused on the changes that happen within schools, groups of schools and across the network. We have implemented many communities of practice where groups of teachers, school leaders and students work together, learn from each other, share ideas and develop new ways of working. This is a powerful way of learning and working together for all learners.

When needs become evident, we co-create a response. Sometimes this might be workshops, showcases or convening group conversations. At other times we develop resources that can be used by teachers, students, School Boards and the wider community. The website www.growwaitaha.co.nz has a range of rich resources that are used widely as do our social media platforms including our YouTube channel. In September Grow Waitaha published its latest major Impact Report and it is definitely worth a read!

You can find many of the Grow Waitaha alliances key resources at https://www.growwaitaha.co.nz/about-us. The Leadership Lab team that are part of this important mahi also value our partnership with the Ministry of Education, mana whenua and our collaborative partners.

This piece was written by Dr Cheryl Doig and Dr Chris Jansen.

You can read more stories of impact as well as thought-provoking pieces from across our Leadership Lab ecosystem by signing up for this monthly pānui (see bottom of www.leadershiplab.co.nz) or by connecting with us on our Leadership Lab LinkedIn and Facebook . Thanks heaps for your interest.