Every connection counts
When a Student Management System (SMS) connects to Te Rito and other data sources are added, more information on ākonga and learners is available for other connected kura and schools to access. This means information is shared safely and easily when learners move from one school to another.
Tumuaki and principals are invited to connect their SMS to Te Rito to ensure learner information follows them when they change schools.
Connect today to protect learner information for the future.
Sharing Te Rito across the motu
Sector working groups Te Rau Whakatupu Māori and Te Rau Whakatupu Auraki (Ngā Rau Whakatupu), in partnership with the Ministry, are well underway with the rollout of Te Rito to New Zealand kura and schools.
Te Rito now has:
- More than 730 schools signed up, and over 330 of those have connected their SMS.
- More than 133,000 learner records, and as more schools connect, the records increase.
- Increased types of data available, which continues to grow as more is added.
- Further enhancements, including to inter-school collaboration functionality and pre-enrolment capability.
- Students, teachers and principals at pilot schools set up with their access and use.
- Full IT Certification and Accreditation (C&A) and Safer Technologies for Schools (ST4S) badging, validating its stringent security and privacy standards.
Our name
Te Rito has the tamaiti and child, and their whānau and family, at its heart. They are at the centre of everything we do.
Te Rito represents the inner leaf, the baby flax, at the heart of the harakeke. It is surrounded by protective outer leaves, which represent whānau, family, hāpori, community, kaiako, teachers, educators, kura and schools.
The name Te Rito was gifted to the programme by Te Aupouri, Aotearoa’s second most northern iwi.
Our whakatauāki
We are guided in the design and implementation of Te Rito by a gifted whakatauāki:
Me tiaki te mana o te tamaiti me tōna whānau
Protect and uphold the mana of the child and their family
The whakatauāki was established early in Te Rito's development through the mahi of Te Rau Whakatupu Māori.
All those involved in developing and implementing Te Rito acknowledge that data held about ākonga and learners is taonga and must be protected accordingly.
Hutia te rito o te harakeke
If the heart of the harakeke (flax) was removed
Kei whea te kōmako e kō
Where then would the bellbird sing?
Kī mai ki ahau:
If I was asked:
'He aha e mea nui o te ao?'
What is the most important thing in the world?
Māku e kī atu:
I would say:
'He tangata, he tangata, he tangata'.
'It is people, it is people, it is people'.
- Meri Ngaroto
We thank Te Aupouri and Te Rau Whakatupu Māori and recognise their knowledge and contribution as a taonga for the benefit of all New Zealanders.
Te Ao Māori approach
We are committed to working with Māori and iwi in a way that reflects our Treaty partnership and honours Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
We continue to work closely with Te Rau Whakatupu Māori to co-design Te Rito and lead its implementation, and we seek advice and input from the Mātauranga Iwi Leaders’ Group.
For iwi that sit outside this forum, we work with our Te Mahau regional offices to understand appropriate engagement approaches, recognising that each iwi has its own aspirations and interests.
At the heart of our engagement with Māori and iwi is our recognition that Māori wish to exercise sovereignty over the data held on ākonga by educators and education agencies.
