Nurturing Kaiako mana, mauri and wairua in challenging times

Education in Aotearoa New Zealand is once again experiencing turbulent times, and while teaching has always required resilience, sustaining Kaiako wellbeing is essential to navigating challenging times. This workshop supports kaiako to strengthen mana, nurture mauri, and care for wairua. Attendees will gain practical, reflective strategies to reconnect with purpose, wellbeing, and relational practice for sustainable teaching and leadership.

This event is aimed at Teachers and Teachers-in-training (ECE or Primary)

Why would I want to attend this PLD?

Education is being navigated through increasingly turbulent and demanding times. Kaiako and leaders are being asked to support others while often feeling depleted themselves. This PLD offers a grounded, culturally responsive space to pause, reflect, re-ground and re-centre.

Nurturing mana, mauri and wairua during challenging times supports kaiako to strengthen their own hauora so they can continue to lead and teach sustainably. This workshop reconnects participants with purpose, relational practice, and wellbeing as foundational to effective teaching and leadership.

What am I going to learn and be able to apply in my centre/school? Participants will gain practical, immediately applicable strategies that can be embedded into everyday practice, including:

• A deeper understanding of mana, mauri and wairua as lived concepts and how they influence kaiako wellbeing, relationships, and teaching practice

• Reflective tools to recognise signs of depletion, disconnection, or imbalance—both in themselves and within their teams

• Practical strategies to restore and protect hauora during challenging times.

• Approaches to strengthening relational practice and connection within teaching teams

• Ways to intentionally create spaces and routines that sustain kaiako wellbeing.

Stacey and Lisa are Te Rito Maioha Kaiako with backgrounds in ECE and Primary teaching. They are life-long learners, currently engaged in master’s and doctoral studies, respectively. They share their work through publications and conference presentations with both national and international audiences. They are passionate researchers and teachers whose determination to uphold human rights, advocate for equity and desire to see Te Tiriti o Waitangi realised in truth, deed and action underpins their philosophy and practice.

Presenter Lisa grew up in Te Whanganui-a-Tara and completed Primary School Teacher training in 1995. She taught in primary schools in Aotearoa New Zealand as well as the United Kingdom, and has been in Early Childhood Education since 2010. She has worked in Adult Education with Spark and NZEI – Te Riu Roa and been involved in Tertiary Education since joining Te Rito Maioha in 2018.

Presenter Stacey Bird, Bachelor of Education (Teaching) Early Childhood. Pouako, Te Rito Maioha ECNZ

Ko Tāwhiuau te Maunga Ko Rangitaiki te Awa Ko Tangiharuru te Tangata Ko Rangipo te Wehenga o te Tuna Ko Rangitahi te Marae Ko Ngāti Hui te Hapu Ko Ngāti Manawa te Iwi No Murupara ahau Ko Stacey Bird toku ingoa

Born into a whānau of teachers it was only natural to follow the same path, however unlike the rest of my teaching whānau I decided on the most important stage of a child’s journey, their early childhood. I have been teaching within the Early Childhood sector for over 20 years.