Maori and Aboriginal educators meet in Northland to collaborate

Myles Ferris, principal of Te Kura o Otangarei and president of Te Akatea Maori Principals Association, says collaborating with other indigenous educators is a chance to unite.

Indigenous educators from around the country and across the ditch are meeting in Northland to collaborate and learn from each other.

Te Akatea Maori Principals Association and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Principals Association (NATSIPA) have joined together for a conference which kicks off todayin Waitangi.

Myles Ferris, Te Kura o Otangarei principal and president of Te Akatea, said the collaboration allowed both groups to learn from one another.

"We gain a lot of knowledge, that shared knowledge concept is really important to us. We don't know everything about indigenous education and we look at what they're doing and see a lot of things we can bring into our schools.

"That shared understanding, that collective voice and just being able to get together really does strengthen you as a person and as a principal."

Mr Ferris said the relationship between the two groups goes back to 2012 when NATSIPA contacted Te Akatea to learn about what it was doing in education.

Two years ago the association held its first transtasman conference in Brisbane. Mr Ferris said while representatives from NATSIPA had spoken at Te Akatea conferences before this was the first time the association would be visiting as a group.

The conference was also a chance to unite as indigenous peoples.

"Hearing our stories and listening to the struggles we have as a people, and sharing that with others and they sharing their stories with us, it gives us a lot of strength to know there are other people around the world going through similar situations," he said.

The conference, which runs until Friday, includes a range of speakers from New Zealand and Australia. There will also be workshops and cultural activities. Mr Ferris said indigenous educators knew indigenous children best.