Kōtui: School & Policy Updates - Term 3 Issue 1 2024 (NZCEO)

TĒNĀ KOUTOU KATOA: Editorial by Dr Kevin Shore, CEO

Kia ora koutou 

There are several changes in education currently that have created some uncertainty in the environment that APIS operates within. The Ministry of Education (MoE) restructure and the property review have created a tension for APIS given key staff in the MoE may not continue in their current roles. APIS has a very positive relationship with the team in the MoE who service state integrated schools and who are knowledgeable and constructive in dealing with the challenges and issues that arise in our sector. It will be disappointing to lose their experience and intellectual capital should the restructure lead to redundancy or reassignment. APIS acknowledges their professionalism and wishes them every blessing as this complex and emotional process continues.

APIS has been involved in making a submission on the Education & Training Amendment Bill 66-1 (2024). The focus of our submission has been on the legislative changes in support of Charter Schools. While APIS has not opposed the development of Charter Schools there are some changes that we believe need to be considered carefully as it progresses into law. The most significant threat in creating a third state school type is the possible drain of scarce financial resources away from the state school system to support the implementation of charter schools. This could have a negative impact on the ability of proprietors in state integrated schools to successfully gain funding including for Policy Two thereby continuing to increase the burden on our parents through attendance dues. APIS shared this submission with executive members of AIS and board members of NZCEO before submission. Note that submissions are public documents and can be viewed online through the government website.

The other bill that is likely to need careful consideration is the upcoming Treaty Principles Bill. APIS will need to make a submission on this Bill as well. APIS asks that proprietors share their views with us if our submission is to reflect the voice of the sector. The difficulty over the last two terms of government is that legislative changes happen at pace and in a very tight timeframe for submissions. It can be almost impossible to gather representative voice in the time available hence the importance of proprietors and school boards sharing your views with APIS.

APIS Meeting with Minister Stanford

Minister Stanford has agreed to meet with APIS once more on 6 August. The Minister is very engaging, listens well and she continues to impress me with her communication skills and her desire to want to further understand our sector. Two issues at the top of our agenda will be Policy Two and efforts to involve proprietors of state integrated schools within network planning as currently happens in the Christchurch region. If it is possible to make progress here it will make a big difference in meeting the challenges ahead. Minister Stanford spoke beautifully at the recent opening of the gymnasium complex at Baradene College and I was impressed by her focus on gratefulness and appreciation. She has agreed to speak at the opening of the AIS Conference in September.

Minister Seymour attended the social occasion on the Thursday evening of the National Catholic Education Convention in July. He stayed for 30 minutes and enjoyed the welcome he received from those delegates he was speaking with while acknowledging that we live in a democratic society and not everyone will share his views. I was able to invite Minister Seymour to the AIS Conference in September and he has confirmed that he will speak at the conference dinner on the Monday evening.

To have a Minister of Education and an Associated Minister of Education attend a state integrated school conference has been a rarity in my time as CEO of APIS so is a great opportunity for our sector.

Essential Property Maintenance Package (EPMP)

Thank you to all our proprietors and property managers and staff who have now completed their EPMP projects. These funds were hard won and they have played an important part in supporting our students and staff to have school facilities that are warm, dry and of a high quality. ‘No funds left behind’ has been the mantra of the EPMP team who alongside proprietors were keen to ensure that students and staff in every eligible school benefitted from these funds. Given that this is my last report on EPMP before the package closes on 31 August, I want to express my gratitude to all of our stakeholders who have contributed to the programme as I know in many cases it has come with a significant increase in workload. I believe the reputation of APIS and our proprietors has been enhanced by the very effective and efficient way that these funds have been allocated and used and that has been very much a team effort. Jenny Gordon who has worked on this programme for the last three years, finishes on 31 August and it is important that I mention her stellar efforts in communicating with, and where necessary pushing along, proprietors and their representatives to ensure timelines have been met. She would say it was a team effort and, while it was, it was her efforts working with individual proprietors that made a significant difference. Thank you, Jenny!

Finally

NZCEO/APIS has now released the History of Integration video for our sector. It is approximately eleven minutes in length and captures what we believe are the key moments in our shared history. This video is available  on the NZCEO website. The next piece of work which is happening under urgency is to capture conversations that we have recorded and turn these into short, informative videos capturing the role of the proprietor, special character, property and focused moments in history with further clarification and explanation. This work is now in the final stages of production and may well be completed by September 2024.

Please remember that we have the AIS conference coming up on 9 and 10 September and I know Mark Larson and Ronda Thorpe have been working hard to put together a quality programme. They inform me that registrations have been going very well so thank you for your support. The conference dinner will also be the opportunity to thank Mark Larson (CEO AIS) who is resigning from this role after fourteen years of service to state integrated schools. As I said in one of my reports to the Catholic school sector recently, Mark has been a delight to work with – he is a very humble and pragmatic person who lives his Christian faith and is a great role model for our sector. He is someone that all previous and current CEOs of APIS have worked with and his wisdom and relational approach will be missed. We still have a few months to enjoy his company and tap into his knowledge and wisdom. Every blessing, Mark!

 Kevin Shore, Chief Executive Officer 

Opening of New Mission House at Sacred Heart College, Lower Hutt

The newly rebuilt Mission House at Sacred Heart Girls College Lower Hutt was officially opened at a predawn ceremony on Saturday 20 July. The opening started with a blessing of the Mauri stone by Mana Whenua representative Wiremu Moeahu, followed by speeches by Archbishop Paul Martin, Mission House Trust Board representative Michael McDonnell, and Principal Katrina Kerr-Bell. CEO Dr Kevin Shore and CFO Heather Richardson attended the opening. IR Group and Maycroft Builders with Robinson Architects completed this project.

The original Mission House was designed and build as a convent in the 1970’s. The building was later converted to provide administration and teaching facilities for the school. In September 2017 Mission House was closed at short notice following structural engineering advice that there was a risk of collapse.

The rebuild was mostly funded by Te Puna Tāmata – Emergency Policy One Pool. Te Puna Tāmata has been designed to ensure more Policy One resources can be delivered directly to proprietors while at the same time providing a pool of Policy One funds to support a proprietor should a school suffer a catastrophic failure of a building or other immediate threat to the health and safety of the community. This fund provides particular benefit to our smaller proprietors who may not have the same level of reserves and flexibility to manage such an event as a diocesan proprietor who has the benefit of being able to pool their Policy One funds.

Using a pataka, a traditional storehouse on stilts, as a metaphor, the design is envisaged as a timber form raised off the ground containing the library and teaching spaces. The more highly glazed ground floor, representing its accessibility, contains the administration and students’ services spaces. A large open stair off the entry lobby connects the two floors. This can be used as theatre steps for presentation or places to sit and work. The required extent of shelving for the library has been designed into the various settings allowing visibility across the floors.

2024 New Zealand Catholic Education Convention Tūhono Whakapono: Together, one faith community

The National Catholic Education Convention was held at the TSB Arena in Wellington from Wednesday 19 June through to Friday 21 June. Due to the pandemic, this was our first convention for six years and the response was indicative of a sector who wanted to come together in fellowship after such a long period where we could not gather. There were approximately 700 in attendance from across the Catholic education sector in Aotearoa including all of our bishops, a number of priests and religious, principals, DRS, staff (and in some cases students) representing the 235 Catholic schools in NZ.

Congratulations to Tony Shaw, winner of a $100 gift voucher in the Convention feedback survey competition. 

Keynote addresses by our two international speakers are now available 

Videos, speaker biographies, and PowerPoint presentations are available on the NZCEO website at the link below:

The keynote addresses are also on the NZCEO Youtube channel

We teach who we are – drawing on the curriculum as a source of wisdom for ourselves, Dr Sandra Cullen

Resembling God: Five Ways Catholics Live in the Image and Likeness of God, Dr Joe Paprocki

Dignitas Infinita and The Treaty of Waitangi

This article was originally published in the June/July 2024 Issue of WelCom. Reprinted with permission.

By John Kleinsman & Daniel Kleinsman

We live in times of great change and conflict which pose significant challenges, along with many opportunities for growth and transformation.

Step up to the mark Pope Francis and the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. In the midst of all the turmoil and violence in the world, the Church reminds us we need unchanging points of reference, the most important of these being respect for the “Infinite Dignity” of persons that is God’s unsolicited gift to each of us.   

Understanding Human Dignity

Published in April 2024, Dignitas Infinita clarifies and unpacks a specifically Catholic understanding of the concept of human dignity, differentiating it from what is referred to as ‘attributed’ dignity (the type that is conferred by choice or on the basis of social mores). Rather, the “ontological dignity” that Pope Francis often appeals to is “not something granted to the person by others based on their gifts or qualities, such that it could be withdrawn. Were it so bestowed, it would be given in a conditional and alienable way, and then the very meaning of dignity (however worthy of great respect) would remain exposed to the risk of being abolished” (n. 15).

Acknowledging our ontological dignity as infinite also highlights that it has an eternal dimension, and recognising its origins in God gives it a sense of mystery and sacredness. Considered together, this informs an understanding of human dignity as neither attributable to our merits nor subject to our faults; able to be neither extinguished nor exhausted; and unable to be measured. While it demands recognition, it also delights in and invites expression, by which it expands. It is neither fixed nor static, but fluid and dynamic and, most importantly, it is fundamentally relational (nn. 26-28), meaning that it “encompasses the capacity, inherent in human nature, to assume obligations vis-à-vis others” (n. 27).

We do not need to look too far to see how, in our world, people currently speak and think of dignity as if it were “conditional and alienable”. Dignitas Infinita identifies thirteen “grave violations” and recognises the impact of these on specific groups, among them disabled people, the sick, people who are incarcerated, the unborn and the elderly. People in these groups are routinely regarded as ‘lacking in dignity’ because they are unproductive and/or a burden”, making them vulnerable in at least three ways because: (i) they are seen as unworthy of being included in society; or, (ii) living with limitations that they were either born with or developed and finding themselves alone, they perceive they are unwanted; or, (iii) they are seen as expendable in the name of certain economic models of prosperity that are driven by a vision of growth that excludes many people.

Dignity and Difference

As ‘good’ Catholics, we may sign off whole-heartedly on the important principle of infinite human dignity while inadvertently continuing to use language or promote ideas that undermine people’s intrinsic dignity. Like us, you will have witnessed this in the way some speak about people categorised as ‘different’ or ‘other’ than ourselves, including, for example, migrants and refugees or transgender persons, to name two further groupings referred to in Dignitas Infinita.

This is not to exclude the importance, or even obligation, we have to bring our different theoretical (philosophical and theological) ideas and life experiences to our conversations about contentious issues such as assisted dying, abortion or gender theory. As we do this, however, our commitment to the equal dignity of each person, if we take it seriously, proscribes all forms of violence. This includes the violence we effect through gestures, words, attitudes and/or actions which are the product of unjust intellectual categorising or labelling of other people as ‘them’, including unjust labelling that is justified by reference to religious doctrine. Such labelling often originates in our fears and mistrust of those we perceive to be different and is a way of distancing ourselves from them.

Pope Francis’ puts it eloquently in Fratelli Tutti (n. 27):  

Respect for the infinite dignity of others invites us to create spaces without walls.

Dignity and the Treaty of Waitangi

For those of us living in Aotearoa, a commitment to the infinite dignity of others requires us to reflect deeply and carefully on the place of the Treaty of Waitangi in our laws, policies and methods of governance and leadership. We who align with and benefit from the current political, social and cultural structures (that research shows favour certain groups over others) fail in our relational obligations vis-à-vis Māori to the extent that we fail to realise the negative realities of systemic racism, including the injustices that are the consequences of long-standing political structures that have resulted in poorer social and health outcomes.

This failure may well be exacerbated by an alternative “flawed” understanding of human dignity criticised in Dignitas Infinita for being based on political structures that reduce it “to the ability to determine one’s identity and future independently of others, without regard for one’s membership in the human community” (n. 26). In our case, this means without a proper regard for the ‘community’ and associated rights guaranteed for Māori as part of the legally binding agreement made between the Crown and Māori in 1840.

We must remember that infinite dignity finds expression and demands recognition in infinitely diverse and unique ways. Recognising and providing for the needs, interests and identity of others, including Māori people (as their dignity demands), does not diminish, extinguish or exhaust our own dignity. The “one rule for all” campaign, seeking to promote the status quo in the interests of the majority, reflects a flawed understanding of human dignity because it applies a ‘deficit’ model of dignity – treating it as if it is a finite resource. When we buy into this flawed approach, we deny the needs of others out of fear that, otherwise, we will lose our own dignity (and power). When we do this, we place our own fears above the infinite dignity of others.

In the face of such fears, we would do well to follow the example of Māori and the principle of manaakitanga as embodied by the Treaty. This principle, which we understand incorporates hospitality, is central to relationships between iwi Māori and whenua, as recently articulated by the New Zealand Court of Appeal (in Re Edwards Whakatōhea [2023] NZCA 504, [2023] 3 NZLR 252, at [427]). It also strikes us as being central to relationships between tangata whenua and tangata Tiriti. When Māori signed the Treaty and welcomed newcomers to this land, they did so on the basis that their exercise of manaakitanga did not diminish, but gave expression to, their mana (which we understand to incorporate dignity and authority) and mana whenua.

Conclusion

Nothing less than an absolute commitment to the infinite and intrinsic dignity of each person will help us overcome the many “grave violations of human dignity” that are all around us, help us breakdown the walls that separate and isolate us from others, and help us build a just society that is the rightful fruit of the God-given infinite dignity of all living in Aotearoa – no exceptions!

Daniel Kleinsman is a lawyer who practises in the area of public law. He is married to Muzhgan with two young children and a third whose birth is due later this year.

John Kleinsman is a lay moral theologian and researcher who works in the area of bioethics. He is married to Kerry with three adult children and five grandchildren.

Life Teen Leadership Convention

We’re so excited to share with you that our Life Teen Aotearoa Leadership Convention is back!! Running in partnership with The Archdiocese of Wellington we're happy to be offering the first National gathering of Catholic Youth Leaders since 2019. 

The Life Teen Aotearoa Leadership Convention is open to Year 13s, Youth Ministers and Staff of our Catholic Schools. The Convention's focus is Youth Ministry, discipleship and accompaniment of young people, the challenges facing young people today and how to help young people develop faith. It will be beneficial for Special Character leaders, Religious Studies Teachers and school Chaplains. 

At the Convention you will receive dynamic talks and youth ministry training from Life Teen International staff and local youth ministry experts; the opportunity to discuss youth ministry and network with others involved in youth ministry from around Aotearoa. You will have faith input, prayer and worship, and the chance to receive, be filled and be renewed in your own faith. This Convention is an opportunity not to be missed.

30th August - 1st September 2024

Sacred Heart College Lower Hutt, Wellington

$120 Per Person 

Year 13 +

For more information  and to register visit the links below:

Life Teen Aotearoa Leadership Convention Planning Team

Association of Integrated Schools (AIS) Conference 2024

If you have any questions regarding the AIS Conference please email Rhonda Thorpe on info.aisnz@gmail.com

'A Taste of Theology' Lecture Series

These mini-courses in Theology offered through Te Kupenga Catholic Theological College cover a range of topics including Scripture, dogmatic, moral and spiritual theology, Church history, Philosophy, pastoral and liturgical studies and Canon Law. Presenters are lecturers of Te Kupenga Catholic Theological College.

General Information:

Courses will be online via Zoom on Tuesdays, 5:30-6:30PM. Click the link(s) to register. Fee for all courses is $60 (one-off). You can register to all or as many as you want. Sessions will be recorded and made available to all registered participants.

Topics:

What is Philosophy? A short introduction to the fascinations and frustrations of philosophical questioning.

06 August 2024 Rev Dr John Owens, SM

Register here

Christian identity, life and mission in Lumen Gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church

03 September 2024 Rev Dr Mervyn Duffy, SM

Register here

Vatican II in context: The age of Vatican II

01 October 2024 Mayte Ramos

Register here

Christian identity, life, and mission in the Third Millenium (Revisiting Gaudium et Spes, the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World)

05 November 2024 Dr John Evangelista

Register here

Application of Moral Theology to bioethical issues: Working with the Mercy Healthcare Group

03 December 2024 Rev Dr Bernard Teo, CSSR

Register here

Management of Church Organisations (Micro-credential)

This micro-credential will provide specialised training and development for leaders and managers of faith-based organisations in Aotearoa New Zealand. It is designed for those who wish to further develop their skills, as well as aspiring leaders who seek to gain the knowledge and competencies to lead faith-based organisations in the future including but not limited to parishes, dioceses, faith-based schools, healthcare facilities, and other related organisations and groups.

Graduates can expect to learn about effective leaderships practices, strategic planning, organisational development, governance, ethical considerations, and community engagement. You will acquire the necessary skills and knowledge to sustain and develop faith-based organisations effectively, and be equipped with leadership and management skills that align with the values, principles, and unique challenges faced by these organisations.

This micro-credential aims to empower leaders and managers to make a positive impact within their faith-based communities and contribute to the overall well-being and growth of these organisations.

For further information, and to apply, follow the link below:

Incorporated Societies: Navigating Registration

This guide will be relevant to any proprietor that has been set up as an incorporated society, and wants to learn about the changes to the Incorporated Societies Act and how they will effect governance processes - email krismorrison@parryfield.com for your free copy

Congratulations to New Principals

Our warm congratulations to the following new principals:

Auckland Diocese

Peter Kaho, St Joseph's School, Onehunga

Tanya Rodrigues, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart School, Epsom

Hamilton Diocese

Fay Warnock, St Mary's School, Tauranga

Aimee McMillan, St Patrick's School, Te Awamutu

Wellington Archdiocese

Amélie Kelder, St Catherine's College, Wellington

Sarah Parkinson, St Mary's College, Wellington

School security case study from Gallagher Security

With over 1,300 students and staff on campus daily, St. Peter’s School in Cambridge is one of the largest boarding schools in New Zealand. But with size comes an increased responsibility for safety, especially with 450 students living on site throughout the year. To maintain an environment optimised for learning and with all the safety of home, St. Peter’s employs around-the-clock site security and facilities management to ensure students and staff can focus on their studies and activities without distraction. To achieve that goal, the school utilises Gallagher’s integrated security system, which not only delivers increased safety, but also helps St. Peter’s reduce energy consumption, increase cost savings, and provides a comprehensive database for efficient administration and data management. “In buildings where we have purely installed the Gallagher system and nothing else, we are achieving a 30% energy savings,” says Gareth Pryce, ICT Manager at St. Peter’s School. “A return on investment [was] seen within 6 to 24 months of a complete solution being installed, dependent upon the type of heating system and the staff within the building,” he elaborates.

Read more about how St. Peter’s makes these benefits happen by reading the full case study at the link below: