‘It is all about feeling the aroha’: successful Māori and Pasifika providers

Abstract

It‟s all about feeling the aroha”: Successful Māori and Pasifika providers reports on 15 key informant interviews with Māori and Pacific post school training providers. These key informant interviews were designed to provide insight as to why the current education employment system is operating as it is in Māori and Pasifika communities. Positioned as a kaupapa Māori research project the focus was on highlighting successful education and training initiatives arising out of Māori and Pasifika communities. Historical and contemporary cultural, social and policy contexts impact on these organisations ability to fulfil the aspirations and visions they have for their young people and their whānau, and the communities within which they operate. The PTEs embedded cultural knowledge, values and practices in to their programmes and services to provide holistic support to fulfil the learning, training and cultural needs of their young people. The organisations that participated in this research spent considerable time talking about the increasing challenges they faced in delivering their services and consequently their ability to make sustainable changes to the lived realities of their young people. Despite the moving ground of the policy environment, diminishing funding opportunities and rising social alienation of young people and their communities, the organisations continue to deliver creative and innovative community programmes so that their young people can flourish. In doing so they talk back to government agencies and the standard story of Māori underachievement and talk forward to reflect and uphold the visions of their young people and communities.