About CoP - treatyeducation.nz

About Communities of Practice in a Treaty Context

Communities of Practice (CoPs) are small, focused groups of people who share a passion or challenge in their mahi — and want to deepen their thinking, grow their practice, and support one another over time.

Whether you’re working in education, community development, research, or policy, a CoP offers a space to reflect with others walking a similar path.

You might be:

A facilitator refining how you support Treaty learning in your sector
A policy advisor grappling with how to embed Te Tiriti in complex systems
A team lead trying to shift organisational culture
A Treaty learner or ally looking to explore a specific kaupapa
All of the above

CoPs are not just discussion groups. They’re spaces to build trust, share resources, challenge thinking, and learn together — with a focus that stays consistent, and a rhythm that feels sustainable.

This space supports multiple CoPs to grow and thrive — each with its own focus, its own heartbeat, and its own community.

Here are some common questions about CoPs and how they work

What is a Community of Practice (CoP)?

A Community of Practice (CoP) is:

“A group of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly.”
— Etienne Wenger-Trayner (2002)

On this site, a CoP is more than a discussion group. It’s a space for people actively working on a shared aspect of honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi to connect, share, learn, and support one another over time.

What makes a Community of Practice different from a forum, workshop or one off session?

A CoP has three essential features:

• Domain — a shared area of interest or focus (e.g. embedding Te Tiriti in early childhood education).
• Community — regular interaction, relationship-building, and trust between members.
• Practice — a shared body of resources, tools, language, stories, and ways of doing.

A CoP is not a one-off workshop or session. It’s a place to build something together over time.

How big should a CoP be?

Research (including from Ako Aotearoa and the Wenger-Trayners) suggests:
• Ideal size: 6–15 active participants.
• Larger CoPs often benefit from subgroups or breakout sessions.
• Smaller CoPs can be powerful if the focus is tight and the group stays engaged.
It’s not about quantity — it’s about quality of connection and shared learning.

What kinds of CoPs might exist through this site?

You’re likely to see multiple, small, focused communities emerge, such as:
• Educators implementing Treaty principles in the classroom
• Session hosts seeking peer feedback on Treaty workshops
• Practitioners working on co-governance models
• Researchers exploring decolonisation in health or social services
Each CoP will have its own rhythm and kaupapa.

Who can start or join a CoP?

Any registered user can:
• Start a CoP by proposing a focus and gathering initial members
• Join a CoP by expressing interest and contributing to kōrero

We encourage kaupapa- and values-aligned engagement. CoPs flourish when members are:
• Willing to give and receive
• Committed to regular interaction (even if it’s just monthly)
• Open to reflecting, questioning, and learning

What tools on this site support a CoP?

We’re building features that support CoPs to thrive:
• The Hub (Forums) for structured, ongoing kōrero
• Session proposals to spark shared learning events or organising CoP meetings
• Private group spaces (coming soon)
• Tagging and filtering tools to find relevant content or discussions.

What would a “private CoP space” look like on this site?

Most content on this site is part of the central community, and visibility is generally open to all registered members. This open, transparent approach was our starting point — and it still underpins much of the platform.

However, as people begin leaning into the vulnerable spaces where real learning happens, privacy and safety become critical. With that in mind, we’re developing a few new options to support private or semi-private engagement.

Sessions can be private
Individual sessions can be restricted to a specific group or cohort, with registration managed by the site administrator. These sessions won’t appear in the public session listings.

What might a private CoP space include?
We’re exploring dedicated pages or “home bases” for each CoP — for example, a “Treaty in Early Childhood Education” group — with access limited to confirmed members.

A private CoP space might include:

• A private forum in the Community Hub — part of the wider site, but visible and accessible only to group members.
• A shared resource library, such as a restricted page or folder for uploads, slides, and notes.
• An event list showing upcoming sessions, filtered or tagged to that CoP.
• Optional email notifications for new posts, updates, or session reminders relevant to the group.

These features are in development — and we’re learning as we go. If you’re part of a group that might benefit from a private CoP space, get in touch and let’s kōrero.

How do we know if a CoP is working?

Ako Aotearoa’s research shows strong CoPs share:
• A sense of belonging and shared purpose
• Regular, self-organised interaction
• Visible evidence of practice evolution (e.g. new tools, strategies, approaches)
• A rhythm — even if light touch — that people can count on

Reflection questions for your CoP:
• What do we have in common?
• What do we want to build, test, or change?
• Are we making progress — together?

Where can I learn more?

• Ako Aotearoa: Funded Research on Communities of Practice — Establishing Communities of Practice
• Wenger-Trayner’s website: https://wenger-trayner.com