Advisory Group Meetings

NZSL Video

Kia ora,

The Advisory group met on the 3^rd April, 2024

The main focus of the meeting was the work done to date on the different strategy documents.

• The final Strategic Framework document, including video translation, was shared with the group and can be viewed on our website.
• To help develop both our strategy documents, we sought feedback from parents and whānau of Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) learners, advisory group members, learners and Turi Māori.
• Thank you to everyone who completed a survey or took part in a focus group. We appreciate you sharing your views with us.
• The strategic plan is now available on our website.

Communication updates

• The group also had the opportunity to talk with Andrew Townshend, Director of Communication and Resources, about how the school is currently communicating and what we could be doing better.
• The group suggested some key messages and information that parents and whānau would like to be seeing.
• The group was informed of the withdrawal of Deaf Aotearoa from the Advisory Group.
• The statement from Ko Taku Reo about the Ombudsman's report was tabled.

Principals recruitment

• The commissioner acknowledged that the process has been a frustrating one for all.
• There have been significant delays that were out of our control.
• What we now know:

• The idea of an ‘Educational leader’ is not an option for the school, as it has been confirmed that we must recruit an Executive Principal who meets the principal criteria, which includes holding a current teacher registration.
• The Executive Principal's remuneration is based only on the enrolled school, which is a U5 principal role.
  
• A process for recruitment is being looked at and will be brought to the advisory group for discussion next meeting.

General

• Some members raised concerns in the way the Advisory Group has been operating, including a feeling of divide between the School and the Deaf community.
• It was agreed that the next Advisory Group meeting will address this issue and how changes need to be made to ensure that the Group is operating as expected.

NZSL Video

Kia Ora,

The Advisory group met on the 11th of December, 2023

The main focus of the meeting was to remind the group of their role as Advisory Group members and receive an update on the strategic plan consultation. The group also looked at plans for 2024

A reminder of the role of the Advisory Group

The group were reminded that

• We are a group, not a board
• The group advises but doesn’t make decisions; the Commissioner does
• The Commissioner chose to have a group; it was not a requirement for him to do so
• The Commissioner requested representatives to be sent from various groups - the Commissioner did not ‘hand pick the group’ – they were sent on behalf of the organisation they represent
• The code of conduct for the group can be found on the school website

Strategic planning update

Thank you to Michaela for all the hard work that has gone into this work so far

• The first round of initial consultation has happened
• Feedback is being consolidated and considered
• Consultation will continue in 2024

Planning for the start of 2024

During the first two terms of 2024, we will be:

• Commence wider strategic plan consultation
• Set up the process of recruiting the Executive Principal
• Work with Ministry of Education (MOE) on a process to move to Board elections

Thank you to the Advisory group for the work they have done this year

We wish everyone a happy holidays and look forward to continuing the work we have started.

NZSL Video

The Advisory Group members met in Auckland on the 20th of September, and the focus was strategy.

The group looked at what strategic planning looks like in our unique context and spent time unpacking this.

They also looked at the Ministry of Education (MoE) requirements for planning and reporting and their timeframes.

One of the main things the group focused on was a proposed high-level strategic plan. The group agreed that the next step would be to approach the MoE and suggest using the draft strategic plan as a guide for 2024. The idea now is to take all this feedback on board, edit the plan accordingly and then look at how we roll this out for broader feedback from staff, whānau and the community.

The group then discussed what an appropriate process for consultation might look like and the next steps for this. The group agreed that the MoE timing for consultation in our context would not give the process the justice it deserves. The group decided that the next step would be to approach the MoE and suggest that we use the strategic plan as a guide for 2024 while using the year for full and appropriate consultation to complete this for the start of 2025.

The group will meet again in Term 4.

NZSL Video
We would like to provide an update on the recent activities of our Advisory group. On March 9, our group accomplished significant milestones. Firstly, we finalised our Code of Conduct. Additionally, we had productive discussions regarding the group's Terms of Reference, ensuring a clear and practical roadmap for our future work.

During our most recent meeting, we focused on our school's Teaching and Learning area, particularly the aspects that directly impact our Deaf and Hard of Hearing students. To understand this area comprehensively, we invited staff members from various departments across the Teaching and Learning area to present their insights.

We witnessed informative presentations from the Early Years, Outreach school, Residential and Immersion, Tū Kōkiri, Enrolled School, and NZSL@schools departments. The level of commitment and dedication displayed by each department was impressive, and their presentations provided valuable insights into the complexity and extensive scope of the work undertaken by Ko Taku Reo.

We appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with such dedicated professionals and look forward to continuing our efforts to create an inclusive and enriching educational environment for all our students.

NZSL Video

Kia Ora,

The Advisory group met on the 20 June

The group has finalised their Terms of Reference, this and the group's Code of Conduct will be translated into NZSL and then put on the Ko Taku Reo website.

The main focus of the last meeting was unpacking the areas of the school that support the teaching and learning for our Deaf and Hard of Hearing students

Two of the Ko Taku Reo Senior leaders came to present to us, we had the following presentations

1. Deaf strategic Lead – Amanda Everitt
2. Māori Strategic Lead – Kathie Rifle

It was fantastic to see the presentations that each of these areas had prepared for us; it helped to understand the complexity and spread of the work being done by Ko Taku Reo.

Looking forward to term 3, the group have now been given an in-depth insight into every are of the school and with this knowledge and understanding will now start to look at ‘where to next’ for us as a school.

The Advisory group plan to meet face-to-face in Term 3.
​​​​​​​Thank you

NZSL Video

We want to provide an update regarding the recent activities of our Advisory Group, which took place on the 19th of May.

During the meeting, the group engaged in discussions regarding the Terms of Reference to ensure fair and reasonable representation within the group.

The primary focus of this session was to delve into the various aspects of the school that support the teaching and learning of our Deaf and Hard of Hearing students.

We were fortunate to have two Ko Taku Reo Executive team members who presented to us. The presentations covered the following areas:

• Corporate Services
• Communication and Resources

The presentations provided valuable insights into the intricate and diverse work being carried out by Ko Taku Reo, and we greatly appreciated the effort put into preparing them.

Looking ahead to our next meeting, we eagerly anticipate hearing from our Deaf Strategic lead and our Māori Strategic lead.

NZSL Video
Advisory Group Notes