A Kāhui Ako is a group of education and training providers working together to help ākonga achieve their full potential. "Kāhui" means a grouping of people and "ako" means learning and teaching processes. A Kāhui Ako or "community of learning", can include early learning services, schools, kura, and post-secondary education providers. This approach supports a focus on lifelong learning and enables effective transition to school, kura, and beyond. 

Schools and kura within a Kāhui Ako are funded to enable teachers time to work together to help ākonga achieve their full potential, drawing on each other's skills, knowledge, and experience. 

How Kāhui Āko work 

Each Kāhui Āko works in different ways and has different resources. The Kāhui Āko works with ākonga, their parents, whānau, iwi, and communities to achieve set goals based on the particular needs of its ākonga.  By collaborating and sharing expertise, ākonga learning pathways are supported, and their transitions through the education system are improved.  

Early-years leaders interested in joining a Kāhui Ako should talk to an Education Advisor first about their options.   

Communities of Learning | Kāhui Ako has more information on how they work. 

Whānau can be confident their children are getting the best start to their education when early learning services (ELS) work closely with kura (schools) and other services in a Kāhui Ako. ELS can contribute by considering the shared links between Te Whāriki, The New Zealand Curriculum, and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa – and identifying what progress might look like across the child’s learning pathway. 

Building effective relationships takes time, culturally respectful interactions, and persistence. When services and schools understand each other’s teaching practices and share expertise and resources, overall teaching quality improves, leading to better outcomes for children at every stage of their educational journey.  

Useful Resource

• Early learning representation 
  Early learning services (ELS) can play an important role in Kāhui Ako. Ministry of Education staff can support discussion between services, and Kāhui Ako can provide useful data to help inform achievement challenges. 

Young children look forward to going on to school or kura, and they expect it to be different, but they do not always anticipate quite how different the expectations, structures, and routines may be.  

For Māori, relationships between whānau members span generations. Children inherit the legacy of the past and they reach for the future. This past-present-future relationship can be seen in Te Whāriki, Te Marautanga o Aotearoa, the principles of Te Aho Matua and in the conceptual framework Te Tamaiti Hei Raukura. As the child learns in kaupapa Māori and early childhood settings, relationships at each stage will continue to take account of the past, present, and future. 

Transitions can become seamless when the relationships between whānau, the early learning service, and the kura (school) are well established before the time of transition. Start early and get to know the schools that tamariki are going to attend. By working together, kaiako, new entrant teachers, parents, and whānau (and, where involved, specialist support services) can support children’s learning continuity as they make this crucial transition.