Kia Mau (Māori medium multimedia bilingual resource re Māori Battalion)

Project dates: 
Aug-2008 to Feb-2011
Description of the project: 

This project involved the development of a multimedia resource focussing on 2 waiata and 2 haka associated with the Māori Battalion. The resource is designed for senior wharekura (secondary) students and teachers of Tikanga ā-Iwi (Social Studies), at levels 6-8 of the marau (curriculum).

The resource was a finalist in the TUANZ awards.

There are 3 components in the resource:

i) teachers’ notes (in Māori  and English);

ii) a DVD of video clips that cross-reference to content in the teachers’ notes; and

iii) a website http://kiamau.tki.org.nz.

My involvement: 

I drew up the concept for the project (as a result of doing a gap analysis). I then wrote a comprehensive proposal to the Ministry (on behalf of CWA, to whom I was contracted at the time). Once the project was accepted, I wrote:

  • a very detailed  resource plan for the Ministry
  • the project plan
  • a draft unit plan for teachers (as a model for the writer of the teachers’ notes)
  • several of the student tasks/activities
  • promotion articles for the Education Gazette and Ministry of Education intranet
  • the main content for milestone reports to the Ministry
  • the design brief
  • the schools’ trialling plan
  • abstracts for the DVD clips and images.

I also:

  • researched possible lines of inquiry (as themes), which resulted in the research questions  
  • built up an annotated data base of potential interviewees
  • facilitated cross government consultation eg Te Puni Kokiri,  Ministry of Education, and Ministry of Culture and Heritage
  • organised, and facilitated,  an advisory group
  • wrote and disseminated comprehensive minutes from each advisory group hui
  • sourced, and managed, the writer of the resource and the Māori translator
  • contract managed the:
    • resource writer
    • Māori translator
    • History specialist
    • Social Studies expert
    • interviewer
  • assisted the resource writer with additional content
  • proof read and edited the English content
  • designed the assessment schedule for teachers
  • worked closely with the web developers eg providing feedback on the wireframes
  • liaised with the film director and producer
  • provided input into the branding of the resource eg the ‘kia mau’ stance common to warriors and kapa haka exponents, linked to the chevron pattern in Māori (kaokao)
  • liaised with the Māori translator
  • edited the film scripts
  • facilitated the QA process (re suitability of content and quality of te reo Māori)
  • liaised with the print and web design team
  • recruited, and managed, models for the photo shoot
  • organised the trialling of the resource in Māori medium kura (schools)
  • edited the final content (English and Māori) prior to printing
  • made formal presentations to TUANZ, Te Puni Kokiri and the Ministry of Education
Key skills used: 
  • Relationship management eg cross-government officials, resource writer, advisory group, Māori translator, QA specialists, trialling schools, web developers, designers, film team, photo shoot models, schools, subject matter experts
  • Research and documentary analysis (in scoping phase)
  • Writing, proofreading and editing eg content and milestone reports to the Ministry
  • Information management
  • Competence in  Māori language and tikanga
  • Hui facilitation
  • Presentation to a range of audiences
  • Knowledge of curriculum and NCEA standards
  • Contract management.
Outcomes: 

Such was the success of the resource that, after only three months of it being in Māori medium schools, there was a request from the Ministry of Education to create an online adjunct for English medium teachers of Social Studies. This can be found online at http://eng.kiamau.tki.org.nz/

The Kia Mau resource:

  • enables Māori students to gain a better understanding of the Māori world, the wider world, and their place in both;
  • helps Māori students to develop a sense of their own identity;
  • provides a platform for Māori students to explore waiata /haka from their own iwi;
  • highlights Māori values, imbued in the waiata/haka;
  • demonstrates cross-curricular integration;
  • provides teachers with an ‘easy to use’, flexible and well thought-out resource that is aligned to the curriculum and NCEA standards.
Project URL: 
http://kiamau.tki.org.nz/