Ms Kay-Lee Jones received her national award for Sustained Excellence in Tertiary Teaching – Kaupapa Māori category in September 2020.
Kay-Lee Jones is a teacher of teachers, committed to “helping grow a heart for te Ao Māori”. The Board Chair of Te Pā o Rākaihautū describes her as “a great role model not only for her whānau but all who meet her.”
What sets Kay-Lee apart is the way she radiates two important qualities. She personifies manaakitanga as she uplifts and empowers her ‘kaiako ō āpōpō’, and deeply embodies whanaungatanga, stating that “you can empower teachers holistically to be strong in a Māori and a Pākehā world by really getting to know them.”
“I made the choice to learn te reo Māori. I love it and will always be a learner. I love teaching the history of our land and seeing a spark in those I teach from connecting with language, culture and identity.”
One ākonga describes how she “builds a strong sense of whanaungatanga through her enactment of the learner/teacher duality of ako. This is undertaken in a way that seeks to akiaki the mana of the individual learner…”
Kay-Lee understands the importance of her work, inspiring her future teachers to also value culturally-relevant spaces, to normalise this in their teaching practices and to embellish this in their children’s futures. This is espoused in the whakataukī that closely relates to her teaching, “poipoiā te kākano kia puāwai ai – nurture the seed and it will blossom”.
