New two-year teaching course in the Far North sends its first

A two-year teaching degree in the Far North is about to send its first cohort into jobs at local primary schools. The Te Hiku primary teaching degree is co-led by iwi Ngai Takoto, Te Rarawa and Waikato University with a kaupapa Maori approach. It's aimed at people with teacher aide experience or similar, combining prior knowledge with a jam-packed agenda to reduce a normally three-year programme to two. It's hoped it will address a long-standing teacher shortage in Northland which worsened this year, with students being rostered home at two different schools over winter. Waikato University professor Mere Berryman is the programme lead, and Anahera Taramoeroa is a member of the first cohort.