UPLIFTING THE MANA

Tāfesilafa’i is a community of care which has created a space for Aoga Amata (Samoan ECEs) to come together, connect, share and grow confidence in weaving Samoan cultural values, practices and beliefs into educational practice. The project was initiated in 2020 and has operated with the support of the Healthy Families Waitākere since its inception. Tāfesilafa’i has been effective in revitalising culturally centric values and practices for faiaoga (teachers) and aiga (families) whilst also aligning with the Action Plan for Pacific Education (APPE) focus areas for change.

Tāfesilafa’i has provided the following outcomes for Aoga Amata:

- Provides a space for faiaoga to create and share culturally centric educational resources, which is critical in enabling these unique learning environments to thrive

- The culturally centred professional learning and development largely contributed to the positive outcomes

- Established and strengthened relationships to enhance the early learning environment for the benefit of faiaoga and aiga

The strength of Tāfesilafa’i comes from its members. We understand it to be the first collective of its kind in Aotearoa and is carving a new path for language nests to be considered on the same level as western frameworks of early learning.

Bays in Action – A Collective focused on youth wellbeing

Nāku te rourou nau te rourou ka ora ai te iwi

With your basket and my basket, we will sustain everyone

This whakataukī acknowledges that shared accountability within communities is important because through working together, we can achieve more than we would alone.

The Bays in Action Think Tank was established as a community-led Collective to explore strength-based solutions to youth violence and bullying.

A partnership project between ANCAD and Heart of the Bays evolved towards fostering a community owned Collective of community members, community agencies, local businesses and local government. What has emerged is a group focussed on promoting greater wellbeing for all, with an intentional focus on youth development.