GDipTchLn, PGDipEd, MEd
Strategic Advisor Māori at Ministry of Education of New Zealand
Jania is passionate about supporting communities to innovate, strengthen, and reshape a system that supports all to feel a sense of belonging and be seen for their strengths, uniqueness and potential, by working together.
After completing your Graduate Diploma of Teaching and Learning, what brought you back to study your Postgrad Diploma and your Masters?
The potential to explore wider career opportunities through restudying and building on my skills and knowledge of te reo Māori and mātauraka Māori. After several years teaching in South Korea and a few years as a stay-at-home mum, I felt compelled to reignite my career by engaging in post-graduate studies.
What would you consider your highlights to be from your time spent at UC? Were you involved with any groups or collectives?
The biggest highlight was the whanaungatanga I experienced with our Hōaka Pounamu whānau during my Postgrad Diploma programme.
Can you tell us a bit about your role with the Ministry of Education?
The role of Strategic Adviser Māori is to support the Director of Education to lead engagements with iwi and Māori stakeholders. It is to ensure an integrated focus on Māori achievement is delivered across the Canterbury and Chatham’s region, in support of the Ministry's priority to accelerate Māori educational achievement, seeking equitable outcomes for Māori within the local contexts.
Although nothing is ever linear, has your career journey gone as you ‘expected’? When do you know it’s time to move on to the next project?
I have been blessed with an interesting and diverse career journey that has evolved from taking up opportunities to be challenged and grow, so no, not expected. I decide to move on to the next opportunity once I am confident that I have achieved what I set out to and feel a desire to challenge myself in new ways.
What do you hope you achieve through your work?
My tamariki and future mokopuna, drive me to ensure that they, as Māori, that all tamariki, will have equitable learning opportunities and will be empowered to activate their potential as their unique selves; 'Aroha ki te tangata, ahakoa ko wai, ahakoa nō hea - Loving all people no matter who they are or where they come from. I hope that whatever I achieve through my work will contribute greatly to that.
