Schools

**Empower tamariki with the skills they need to thrive in the classroom, the playground, and beyond.**

The Empowering Tamariki Programme equips educators with ready-to-use lessons that build confidence, character, and safety across five key wellbeing topics. Simple to deliver, powerful in impact.

Empowering Tamariki Through Life Skills Education!

The Empowering Tamariki Programme is a comprehensive, values-based teaching resource designed to support the social and emotional development of tamariki (children) in a positive, engaging, and age-appropriate way. This programme consists of five individual yet interconnected programmes, each focused on building essential life skills and promoting wellbeing both inside and outside the classroom.

The five core topics include:

✅ Bully Awareness and Prevention

✅ Good Manners and Positive Behaviour

✅ Emotional Regulation

✅ Good Character and Leadership

✅ Stranger Danger Safety

Each module is structured with ready-to-use lesson plans, activities, and supporting resources, making it easy for teachers and support staff to confidently deliver the content. The programme is designed to encourage meaningful discussions, positive behaviour, and self-awareness, empowering tamariki to make respectful and responsible choices in a safe and supportive learning environment.

By embedding these programmes into the school curriculum, educators can help tamariki build resilience, empathy, and leadership skills. Foundations for lifelong success.

Bully Awareness & Prevention

This programme equips students with the knowledge, confidence, and practical strategies to recognise bullying, respond safely, stand up for themselves and others, and build respectful, inclusive relationships. The programme fosters empathy, resilience, and positive communication, helping to create calmer classrooms, stronger peer connections, and a school culture where bullying is less likely to thrive.

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Manners & Positive Behaviour

This programme teaches tamariki the value of showing respect (whakaute), using good manners, speaking with kindness, and making positive choices that strengthen relationships. By encouraging empathy, responsibility, and respectful behaviour, the programme helps create positive classroom environments where students feel valued, connected, and ready to learn.

COMING SOON

Emotional Regulation

This programme supports tamariki to recognise and understand their emotions, use practical calming strategies, and express their feelings in healthy, respectful ways. By building resilience (manawaroa), emotional wellbeing (oranga hinengaro), and self-awareness, the programme helps students develop the confidence and skills to manage challenges, strengthen relationships, and thrive both in and beyond the classroom.

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Strong Character & Leadership

This programme helps students develop strong values such as honesty (pono), responsibility (haepapa), and courage (maia). By encouraging integrity, positive decision-making, and leading by example, the programme empowers tamariki to build confidence, strengthen their mana, and inspire and uplift those around them.

Coming soon

Stranger Danger Safety

This programme teaches tamariki how to stay safe around strangers, trust their instincts (whakaaro tūpato), and seek help from trusted adults when needed. By building confidence, awareness, and practical personal safety skills, the programme empowers students to make safe decisions in everyday situations and respond confidently when something doesn't feel right.

Coming soon

Free Resource for Teachers

Presenting Practical Strategies and Role-Play Activity

We also have aligning Children's Books

Interested In Fundraising?

Use our beautifully crafted 'Sensei Shane says' Children’s Books as a powerful school fundraiser and help bring the Empowering Tamariki Programme into your School.

It’s a meaningful way to raise funds, while promoting reading, kindness, and resilience. Whether it's our course you're wanting to fund or something else to help your school, we have a fundraising programme for all our children's books. For every book sold through your fundraising your school receive a set amount per book.

Huirangi School

New Plymouth

"The Empowering Tamariki Programme has been an invaluable asset to our school for the past two years. Initially introduced to address and reduce playground behaviour incidents across the school, it has far exceeded our expectations. The programme has successfully provided our staff, teachers, students, and wider community with a common language, fostering a more cohesive and understanding environment. We've seen a profoundly positive impact on our students, who are now equipped with diverse strategies for being a good friend and navigating tricky situations where unkindness arises. The inherent physicality and fun embedded in each lesson truly uplift our students; their excitement to participate is always palpable. As Hauora is a huge focus across our school, the Empowering Tamariki Programme aligns perfectly with our holistic approach to well-being. We are committed to continuing this programme for as long as our community and students benefit from its empowering lessons."

- Natalie Looney | Tumuaki

BEd (Teaching), Post Grad. Diploma (Physical Education), Master of Contemporary Education.

St Joesph School

Waitara

"The Empowering Tamariki Programme with Sensei Shane has been running at St Joseph’s School Waitara for over a year now, and we’ve seen a clear, positive impact on student behaviour and wellbeing.

Since introducing the programme, incidents of bullying have reduced, and our wellbeing data shows significant improvements in how our tamariki manage themselves and relate to others.

We’ve found it to be a highly effective, values-based programme, and we fully recommend it to other primary schools looking to strengthen positive behaviour and support student wellbeing."

- Rachel Gibbons | Principal

St Joseph School Waitara

Puketapu School

Bell Block

"Puketapu School has had the privilege of having the Empowering Tamariki Programme in our school over the last year and the results are amazing!

Our tamariki love working with the team, they relate to them, they reach them and they make learning about how we treat each other authentic.

Student relationships, friendships and the way our tamariki support each other is improving. Our school leaders working on the programme are more confident in themselves and their abilities.

There is flexibility in the programme to meet our tamariki's needs so we get a tailored programme for them that they love attending!"