BLAKE Inspire for Teachers 2025
Three BLAKE Inspire for Teachers programmes have run in 2025, with another 85 kaiako taking part in hands-on, experiential learning and leadership development opportunities through a range of field trips, workshops and exercises. The feedback continues to demonstrate how much of a profound impact this programme has, not only to the teachers, but to the hundreds of students they engage with throughout their careers.
“As the full-time te reo Māori specialist, I am weaving more mātauranga Māori through my programme, exploring pūrākau (in particular ‘Te Ika a Maui’), maramataka, freshwater knowledge, and environmental kupu Māori. The changes have strengthened my relationships across the kura, and I feel more connected to our students than ever before. The course was truly life-changing. It has shifted not only how I teach sustainability, but how I think about my role as a kaitiaki and educator. It lives up to its name ‘it really does inspire you to take action’.
– Paula Ritsma – BLAKE Inspire for Teachers 2025 delegate.
BLAKE Inspire for Teachers July 2025
BLAKE Inspire for Teachers September 2025
BLAKE Inspire for Teachers October 2025
What teachers say...
“It’s not often that teacher PD makes you feel so proud to be a teacher and determined to do your profession proud and make a real difference” – Teacher – Shirley Primary School
“I think that as teachers, we are so tied up in what we have to get done that we miss all the things that are in front of us. It has given me the inspiration to have my classroom more active in what is happening in their environment and what is out there to explore.” Teacher – Kawerau South School.
“A significant part of this experience was the way we were treated. We were valued, we were accommodated comfortably, we were fed very well. This felt like a really unusual experience for us as teachers who always have to scrape by and have very few perks, but being recognised for giving up our valuable non-contact time for an important kaupapa that was going to ask a lot of us, and having that effort recognised with a beautiful, comfortable place to stay was such a gift.” – Teacher – Ngati Toa School