The InZone Education Foundation is a New Zealand registered charitable trust that aims to inspire and support Māori and Pasifika youth to take their place in the cultural, economic and civic leadership of Aotearoa New Zealand.

We do this by providing kāinga (hostels) which are “InZone” for high performing schools and we partner with the schools to ensure students achieve top educational outcomes.  Our kāinga enable our students to live and learn in a supportive whānau environment with a Māori and Christian kaupapa.  In this environment,  we aim to support, inspire and empower our rangatahi to achieve to their full potential.

From the outset InZone recognised that educational success is not just about the school a student attends, but also about the environment in which he/she lives, the support they receive and the values that are embedded in that care.

“Me Rangatira te tu – Carry yourself like a Rangatira” is the whakatauki and behavioural mantra that drives our culture.  To support that whakatauki, our key focus is providing students with a level of care and support for their learning that would a high functioning family/whānau would provide.

Key to the success of this model is the fact that the students live full time at the hostel. They are immersed in a whanau environment that actively promotes our values –  Kotahitanga (unity, solidarity, common purpose), Kia Tika, Kia Pono (Respect, integrity, fairness),  Manakitanga (generosity, aroha, loyalty) and emphasises Kia Māia – the responsibility to strive for excellence.

Academic Support

The InZone kāinga have a strong emphasis on our students achieving their academic best.  This has been a key focus of InZone given Māori and Pasifika youth NCEA achievement rates are lower relative to other ethnicities.

Our evening Ako programme ensures rangatahi are well equipped to achieve their academic potential. We deliver academic support via personalised tutoring in partnership with Kip McGrath Education Centres who specialise in literacy and numeracy learning. Rangatahi maintain ako diaries which allows them to reflect on weeks ending and prepare for those ahead, keeping them on track and helping us to monitor and track their academic journeys.

Our Head of Boarding works closely with our partner schools, for both academic (Year Level Deans and Head of Departments) and pastoral (Careers & Guidance) matters to ensure consistency in support from both school and kāinga.  Our students are also supported in their career planning by helping them to identify courses of study, scholarships or pathways to employment.

Our academic programme is very successful and a marked increase in the academic achievement levels of our boys and girls is now evidenced through school reports and examination results. See Our Impact.

Whakawhanaungatanga Week

Every January our new intake of Year 9/ Form 3 tauira attend our Whakawhanaungatanga week to provide them with an academic “leg up” as they transition to standards expected at Auckland Grammar School and Epsom Girls Grammar School and also serve as an opportunity to bond with their cohort.  In partnership with Kip McGrath Education Centre we deliver academic sessions following PAT testing to give our rangatahi the best start possible.

Tikanga Māori

The InZone kāinga have a Tikanga Māori kaupapa underpinned by non –denominational Christian values and practices.  We aim to deliver a culturally relevant kaupapa to equip our boys and girls to move seamlessly between Te Aō Māori and Te Aō Pakeha.

In 2021 we renewed our focus on Mātauranga Māori with a strengthened program for each rangatahi to undertake over their five year journey at InZone. Our rangatahi have told us that through this kaupapa they have gained stronger relationships with each other, increased cultural connectivity and better skills to advocate and be ambassadors and leaders at InZone, at school, in their whanau and wider communities.

Our partner schools also place value on the added cultural diversity that InZone brings to the school and the cultural contributions that our Māori and Pasifika students make. 2017 was a significant year for Auckland Grammar School with the introduction of Te Reo Māori as a compulsory subject in Year 9, almost 150 years after the school was founded.

We have created a ‘Tikanga committee’ which oversees the development and delivery of our delivery framework related to all components under the korowai (cloak) of Te Ao Māori (The Maori World).