Our story
Everyone has a whakapapa - a genealogy, a story of how and when they arrived here.
Whether you and your family were born and raised as Tangata Whenua or journeyed across oceans with your whānau to make Aotearoa home, you become part of the living story of this land.
To live here is to belong. And in doing so, we each weave our own thread into the rich and evolving tapestry of Aotearoa.
At Matatū Aotearoa, the Teaching Council, the journey to understand and express its cultural identity has been ongoing. Central to this is honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi - not just in principle, but in practice.
Just as teachers are expected to work with every child, or young person regardless of background, it’s only natural to expect the professional body that represents teachers to be on a learning journey too.
Five years ago, we began our journey to enhance cultural capability across the organisation. This work was inspired by the richness of the teaching profession itself, where tens of thousands of Māori, Pasifika, and culturally diverse teachers were already shaping the lives of tamariki and rangatahi across the motu.
Yet the teaching profession itself was rich in diversity, with tens of thousands of Māori, Pasifika, and culturally diverse educators shaping the lives of tamariki across the motu.
One of the first steps in this journey was finding someone who could lead and guide the organisation in this space.
Tamahau Te Rau joined Matatū Aotearoa as Pou Kaiāwhā, Deputy Chief Executive, bringing deep cultural insight and leadership to help shape the Council’s evolving identity.
Tamahau introduced a powerful concept - Matatū Aotearoa could be seen as a whare - a house of and for the teaching profession - Te Whare o Matatū.
A place with foundations, walls, and a roof. A structure that holds people, values, and purpose. This metaphor became a way to unpack the organisation’s cultural identity.
A house is usually built from the ground up, starting with the foundations.
At the Teaching Council, we chose a different path, we began with the walls.
We started there because we needed something to bring us together - something to unite our people around a shared story, told through the lens of Aotearoa.
This idea is drawn from the experience of being on a marae. The walls of a wharenui are not just structural - they hold memory, meaning, and whakapapa. They remind us of what matters most to the people and the place they represent.
Tamahau links this idea to a moment at home, looking up at the walls in his marae, and seeing the faces of his grandmother and his wife’s grandmother. They had woven the tukutuku panels, and their stories and memory could be seen through the intricate patterns of their weaving.
These panels held hours of labour, generations of tradition, and the weight of narrative. This work didn’t end with the hands that made it. There was always someone younger, learning the stitches, ready to carry the legacy forward.
Everyone had a place. Everyone belonged. This is how the walls of identity were created, four panels that those working for Matatū Aotearoa could see themselves in.
Panel one: Tangata Whenua
This panel honours Tangata Whenua, the original people of this land. It acknowledges the sharing of reo, mātauranga, and whakapapa with all who now call Aotearoa home. It reminds us that the foundation of our teaching profession must be rooted in the wisdom of te ao Māori.
The poutama pattern speaks to the pursuit of knowledge. Depending on iwi traditions, it represents the ascent to the heavens to retrieve the kete mātauranga - the baskets of knowledge - and bring them back to share.
Panel two: Tangata Tiriti
This panel represents those who have been here for generations, whose families have contributed to the story of Aotearoa and come under the Te Tiriti O Waitangi. It honours the Crown’s obligations and the agreement made in 1840.
This is the lens through which we view all teachers entering the profession: that they are of value, that they have a place, and that their role is acknowledged through ritual, history, and responsibility.
Panel three: Tangata Tiriti Tagata o le Moana
The Tagata o le Moana panel honours the deep, ongoing vā tapu’ia (sacred relational space) between Pacific peoples and Aotearoa. It acknowledges a shared whakapapa with tangata whenua, waves of migration across generations and the significant role Pacific communities continue to play in shaping this nation. As citizens of Aotearoa, Pacific teachers and learners sit within the mantle of Tangata Tiriti, bringing distinct voices, histories and ways of knowing that enrich our education landscape.
This panel reflects the artistry of Pacific barkcloth traditions - tapa, kapa, hiapo, siapo, or masi - found across many Pacific islands. The variation in dye, pattern, and technique symbolises the cultural diversity, creativity and depth of knowledge that Pacific peoples bring to the teaching profession and to our ākonga.
Panel four: Tangata Tiriti Tagata Aramoana
The final panel represents those who are still Tangata Tiriti, but whose journeys are more recent. These are the waves of migration that continue today.
This panel was designed specifically to reflect the diversity of migration into Aotearoa. It includes overseas-trained teachers arriving at our shores, seeking to contribute to our classrooms and communities.
These walls make up an integral part of the house of the profession – Te Whare o te Matatū.
At the Teaching Council, the design features adorning the walls of our office are more than aesthetic - they are a visual representation of Te Whare o Matatū.
As you enter, the pou symbolising our legislative functions, stand firmly at the front. These pou ground us in our responsibilities, anchoring the Council in its statutory purpose and reminding us of the weight of our role in serving the teaching profession.
Moving further inside, the Rauhuia feather artwork speaks to the mantle of leadership that each teacher carries and each staff member at the Teaching Council understands its importance. It is a powerful reminder that leadership is not confined to position, it is a shared responsibility woven through every role within the whare.
Front facing of the whare stands the Pou Kaiāwhā, the central pillar with the carved figure at the top of house is the Tumu Whakarae, Lesley Hoskin, symbolising leadership and vision.
Below, the carved figures of Deputy Chief Executives Clive and Tamahau stand strong, providing stability and resilience weathering the storms on behalf of our teachers our staff and holding the whare steady.
Within the whare, three central pou whakahaere represent the managers of the organisation. Above them sits the tāhuhu, the main ridgepole the backbone of the whare symbolising the Governing Council. It is this structure that upholds and connects all parts of the whare, ensuring alignment and strength.
This whare does not belong to any one person - it belongs to the teaching profession. It is built to serve, to uplift, and to honour those who dedicate themselves to the education of our tamariki and rangatahi.
Adjacent to this, our values pono, whanaungatanga, whakamana, and manaakitanga are prominently displayed. These are not just words; they are guiding principles that shape how we enact our functions and interact with each other and the profession we serve.
The walls of identity stand proudly, affirming that everyone who works for the profession has a place, they belong. These walls reflect the diversity, strength, and unity of our people.
This framework is how we, at Matatū Aotearoa, make sense of who we are and how we work.
While we do not work directly with mokopuna, tamariki and rangatahi in their learning spaces, we stand alongside the teaching profession. Together, we help ensure that they are not only safe, but that they flourish in environments where they can learn, grow, and discover their potential. Through teaching, they gain knowledge, confidence, creativity, resilience, and the belief that they can shape their own futures.
Our hope is that Matatū Aotearoa becomes an example for other organisations and shows that it is possible to honour Te Tiriti in this country. To speak the language. To walk the talk.
We don’t pretend to have all the answers. We’ve made mistakes, picked ourselves up, and kept going. This isn’t a one-time initiative. It’s a long-term commitment to being a good Te Tiriti partner.
We will continue this journey – as you should expect us to.
Because this is Aotearoa. This is the place we live, the place we teach, the place we raise our tamariki. And what an incredible privilege it is to be part of that.
Related links
Keep up with what matters
Sector news, insights, and stories from across the profession. Hear challenges and triumphs of kaiako in Aotearoa and beyond, and get inspried to excel in your practice.
