Governance & Management Policies at a Glance
The board of Ko Taku Reo is responsible for the governance of our kura and the tumuaki manages the day-to-day administration of the kura. Our kura board and our tumuaki work together to govern and manage the kura. .
Kura governance
As required by the Education and Training Act 2020 (s 127), the paramount objective of the board in governing the kura is to ensure that every ākonga at the kura is able to attain their highest possible standard in educational achievement.
To meet the paramount objective, the board meets the following supporting objectives by:
- giving effect to its obligations in relation to:
- taking all reasonable steps to ensure that ākonga attend kura when it is open
- any national curriculum statements
- teaching and learning programmes
- monitoring and reporting on the progress of ākonga
- ensuring that the kura:
- uses good quality assessment and aromatawai information to monitor and evaluate ākonga progress and achievement, including any assessment or aromatawai specified in a national curriculum statement
- is a physically and emotionally safe place for all ākonga and staff
- gives effect to relevant ākonga rights set out in the Education and Training Act 2020, the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990, and the Human Rights Act 1993
- takes all reasonable steps to eliminate racism, stigma, bullying, and any other forms of discrimination within the kura
- is inclusive of, and caters for, ākonga with differing needs
- seeks to achieve equitable outcomes for ākonga Māori
- takes all reasonable steps to provide for ākonga to be taught, and to learn, in te reo Māori on request of their parents or immediate caregivers
- takes reasonable steps to ensure that the policies and practices for the kura reflect New Zealand's cultural diversity
- performing its functions and exercising its powers in a way that is financially responsible
- complying with all of its other obligations under the Education and Training Act and any other legislation.
The board may choose to delegate some of its functions and powers, either generally or specifically, but remains accountable for any delegated acts (Education (School Boards) Regulations, s 8). Any responsibilities delegated to others are recorded in writing (i.e. in a schedule of delegations).
The board develops and follows strategic planning documents and is responsible for setting policies for controlling and managing the kura and giving general policy directions to the tumuaki (Education and Training Act, s 125, s 130). The board monitors progress against the strategic plan and annual implementation plan and regularly reviews kura rules, policies, and procedures.
We cooperate with the Education Review Office (ERO) to strengthen our systems, plans, and practices through evaluation and continuous improvement. The kura Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report, published on the ERO website, shows that our board has attested to meeting regulatory and legislative requirements and shows progress towards addressing any non-compliance.
Kura management
The tumuaki is an employee of the board and must comply with the general policy directions of the board. The tumuaki is also a full member of the board and is the chief executive of the board in relation to the control and management of the kura, with complete discretion to manage the day-to-day administration of the kura as they think fit (Education and Training Act, s 130).
The tumuaki has specific responsibilities under the Education and Training Act and as delegated by the board. The tumuaki may further delegate some responsibilities to other staff members.
The tumuaki keeps the board informed of all information relevant to its governance role as needed for the board to carry out its responsibilities.
Summary of related policies
Below is a summary of the SchoolDocs policies and procedures. If you'd like to read the full version, there's a link that will take you directly to the complete policy on SchoolDocs. You can find the login details on the SchoolDocs page.
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Our kura is committed to honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi and supporting Māori student success.
As required by law, our Board:
- Works to close outcome gaps for ākonga Māori
- Provides te reo Māori learning when whānau request it
- Ensures our policies reflect NZ's cultural diversity
- Recognises Māori aspirations and involvement in our employment practices
Our strategic plan, developed with our kura community, sets goals in these areas and links to national strategies like Ka Hikitia – Ka Hāpaitia. We regularly review our progress.
We engage with whānau Māori by creating real opportunities to meet and easy ways to communicate with us, especially when shaping our goals.
Day to day, our teaching and programmes follow the NZ Curriculum's vision of Māori and Pākehā as equal Tiriti partners, giving all ākonga the chance to learn te reo Māori me ōna tikanga, in a kura that reflects Aotearoa's diversity.
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Board's role: Governs Ko Taku Reo and is accountable for its performance.
How the Board operates:
- Structured and appointed per the Education and Training Act 2020
- Members follow a code of conduct (breaches can be penalised)
- Follows set procedures for meetings and decisions
- Acts on advice from bodies like the Ministry of Education, Teaching Council, and NZQA
- Can delegate tasks (e.g. to the tumuaki) but stays accountable; delegations are recorded in writing
Following the law: The board ensures compliance with legislation (e.g. Education and Training Act, Human Rights Act, Employment Relations Act, Health and Safety at Work Act). Non-compliance found through reviews, audits, or complaints is fixed immediately, with responsibilities set out across our kura policies.
Tumuaki's role: Both a board employee and full board member. Manages day to day running of the kura with full discretion, while following the board's direction and any delegated responsibilities.
View policy in full.
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Our kura follows a Ministry of Education planning framework (Te Whakangārahu Ngātahi) and produces three key documents, all published online:
- Strategic plan: Sets our vision, goals, and priorities, developed with our kura community - including how we'll achieve equity for ākonga Māori, provide te reo Māori teaching on request, and reflect NZ's cultural diversity. It also links to national strategies (like Ka Hikitia) and explains how we'll measure progress.
- Annual implementation plan: Breaks the strategic plan into yearly targets and actions, including teaching/learning strategies with a focus on literacy, numeracy, te reo matatini, and pāngarau, especially for ākonga whose needs haven't been well met.
- Annual report: Covers our finances, how our results compared to our targets, ākonga progress and achievement, and compliance with employment policies.
We consult regularly with our kura community to shape these goals and review our progress, and we make sure everything we publish meets privacy requirements.
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The board sets the kura's policies to ensure it operates effectively and meets legal obligations.
Developing policies:
- The kura uses SchoolDocs, an independent service, to provide core policies meeting legal requirements
- The tumuaki manages this with SchoolDocs, which keeps content updated as laws change
- Policies are accessible to the community via the SchoolDocs site
Implementation: The tumuaki puts board policy into practice and manages daily operations, reporting back on areas needing board oversight.
Review:
- The tumuaki and board regularly review policies, following SchoolDocs' review schedules, to confirm they're current and working well
- The community can give feedback
- The board may set up an audit committee or delegate someone to check compliance and report back
Keeping informed: SchoolDocs updates the board and tumuaki on changes, noted at board meetings; the tumuaki informs staff, students, and the community of relevant changes.
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Ko Taku Reo must keep certain records for set periods to meet legal requirements, and follows an official schedule to manage this properly.
- Why records are kept: To comply with tax, education, and archiving laws, state and state-integrated kura have extra obligations to preserve some records long-term.
- The retention/disposal schedule: Sets out how long different kura records must be kept, why, and what to do with them once no longer needed, either destroy them or send them to Archives New Zealand.
- Benefits: Following the schedule saves space and admin costs by disposing of records once they're no longer needed, while ensuring valuable records are properly identified and kept.
- Strict rules: Records can't be destroyed or disposed of without Archives New Zealand's authorisation, except as allowed by the schedule.
- Who's responsible: A board-appointed records officer (at Ko Taku Reo, the executive assistant) makes sure the kura meets Public Records Act requirements and that staff and board members understand their responsibilities.
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Ko Taku Reo releases official information when requested, unless there's good reason to withhold it.
- Handling requests: Simple ones are managed by staff; complex ones go to the board.
- Which law applies: Board meeting requests follow LGOIMA; general information requests follow the OIA; requests for your own personal info follow the Privacy Act (someone else's info too, only if you're their authorised representative, otherwise OIA applies).
- Parents' rights: Entitled to reports on their child's progress; if some personal info is withheld, they're told why and can appeal to the Privacy Commissioner or Ombudsman.
- Costs: May apply, but only with the requester's agreement, requests can be narrowed to reduce cost.
- Board meetings (LGOIMA): Meeting times/locations, agendas, reports, and minutes are publicly accessible, except confidential ("public-excluded") parts.
- OIA requests: No need for a written request, a stated reason, or reference to the law. The kura helps clarify vague requests, may ask for urgency reasons, can request narrowing for overly broad requests, and can release partial documents with sensitive parts removed.
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Ko Taku Reo releases official information when asked, unless there's a valid reason to withhold it under the Official Information Act. When a request comes in, we follow these steps:
- Record the date the request was received.
- Check and record who made the request.
- If another organisation holds the information, ask the requester if they'd like it transferred there; this is done within 10 working days if agreed.
- Consider whether the request is urgent.
- Within 20 working days, decide whether the kura holds the information, whether there are grounds to withhold it or refuse the requested format, whether any charges apply, and whether more time is needed.
- Let the requester know the outcome, what will be released, in what form, and any costs.
- Provide the information in the requester's preferred format where reasonable (e.g. letting them view it, giving a copy, transcript, verbal explanation, or summary).
- If the request is declined or information withheld, explain why and let the requester know they can complain to the Ombudsman.
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- Copyright protects original work, and everyone in our kura community has a role to play in respecting it.
The basics
- Copyright automatically protects original work the moment it's created, no © symbol needed.
- The kura follows the Copyright Act 1994, including the rules around using material for teaching and libraries.
- Our default assumption: everything is copyrighted unless we know otherwise, so we get permission before using someone else's work, except in specific cases like fair dealing or educational use, where the law allows some use without asking.
Who owns what
- Work created by staff as part of their job belongs to the school board (not the individual staff member), unless their employment agreement says otherwise.
- Student work belongs to the student, the school doesn't claim ownership. However, student work may be shared with parents as part of reporting on progress.
How we get resources
We access teaching materials three ways: buying original copies, copying material within legal limits, and using licences (including Creative Commons).Everyone's role
- Staff: use resources within copyright rules and any licences the school holds; teach students about copyright and how to use/reference material properly.
- Parents/whānau: help their kids understand copyright for home learning and projects.
- Kura community: if an event (like a school play) has copyright restrictions, we'll let people know.
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Applies to original works only.
- Creative Commons licences let us share and use content more freely than standard copyright allows.
- The kura uses Creative Commons under the Government's open access framework (NZGOAL) to share resources, including with other kura.
- If a resource clearly shows a Creative Commons licence, we can use it without contacting the copyright holder, as long as we follow the licence conditions.
- Staff and students can use Creative Commons content and apply it to their own work.
- By default, the board applies a CC BY 3.0 NZ licence to staff-created teaching materials, with exceptions at its discretion.
- The board helps students understand copyright and Creative Commons.
- Ownership disputes are handled under the Concerns and Complaints Policy.
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- The board is responsible for setting and reviewing kura policies under the Education and Training Act 2020.
- The board checks how well legal requirements are being met and fixes any gaps. The tumuaki regularly reports to the board to confirm the kura is compliant, policies are current, and necessary actions have been taken.
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This procedure outlines the expectations of the public attending School Board meetings. The Ko Taku Reo School Board welcomes public attendance at board meetings and hopes that members of the public enjoy their time observing them. To ensure that members of the public understand the rules that apply to them when attending board meetings, this procedure will be provided and followed unless otherwise authorised by the board.