MissKay-Lee Jones, Sr
Senior Lecturer Above the Bar
School of Leadership and Professional Practice
Orcid identifier0000-0003-2983-1548 (opens in a new tab)
- Senior Lecturer Above the BarSchool of Leadership and Professional Practice
- +6433694658 (Work)
- Rehua 501
BIO
Dr. Kay-Lee Jones (Te Aitanga a Māhaki, Ngāti Porou, Te Whānau a Kai, Te Whakatōhea) serves as a Senior Lecturer in Teacher Education at the University of Canterbury. With extensive experience in kaupapa Māori and bilingual education in Aotearoa New Zealand, she teaches Initial Education and Postgraduate courses in Mātauranga Māori, culturally responsive practice, and language revitalization. Kay-Lee was a recipient of an Ako Aotearoa Teaching Excellence award in 2020 and also a UC Teaching Excellence award in the same year.
Kay-Lee’s research focuses on the experiences of teachers and ākonga (students) in bilingual education within Aotearoa New Zealand. Her work aims to foster culturally empowering practices, educational equity, and leadership. Currently, she is exploring alternatives to streaming (tracking) in education as part of treaty-based practice. Another research project she is engaged in addresses early literacy needs of bilingual tamariki through place-based pūrākau (narratives) using a kaupapa Māori approach. Her research emphasizes equity and Indigenous perspectives, employing qualitative analysis and kaupapa Māori methodologies. Kay-Lee has developed te reo Māori and bilingual teaching resources, serves on an editorial board, and has contributed to conference committees and an Educational Research Association's Early Career Group. Kay-Lee has contributed to book chapters and has produced peer-reviewed articles. She has presented her research nationally and internationally. She has delivered keynote and public lectures on Mātauranga Māori Teacher Education, equitable practices in education, culturally empowering pedagogies, and bilingual education.
She is a dedicated Board of Trustees member at Te Pā o Rākaihautū, (a kura mana Motuhake- special character schooling) delivering Māori medium 21st-century pā (village) style education. Kay-Lee serves as a Programme Coordinator in the Faculty of Education, she is a Māori Caucus Co-chair and sits on both the Faculty Board and university wide Teaching Awards committee.
Kay-Lee’s research focuses on the experiences of teachers and ākonga (students) in bilingual education within Aotearoa New Zealand. Her work aims to foster culturally empowering practices, educational equity, and leadership. Currently, she is exploring alternatives to streaming (tracking) in education as part of treaty-based practice. Another research project she is engaged in addresses early literacy needs of bilingual tamariki through place-based pūrākau (narratives) using a kaupapa Māori approach. Her research emphasizes equity and Indigenous perspectives, employing qualitative analysis and kaupapa Māori methodologies. Kay-Lee has developed te reo Māori and bilingual teaching resources, serves on an editorial board, and has contributed to conference committees and an Educational Research Association's Early Career Group. Kay-Lee has contributed to book chapters and has produced peer-reviewed articles. She has presented her research nationally and internationally. She has delivered keynote and public lectures on Mātauranga Māori Teacher Education, equitable practices in education, culturally empowering pedagogies, and bilingual education.
She is a dedicated Board of Trustees member at Te Pā o Rākaihautū, (a kura mana Motuhake- special character schooling) delivering Māori medium 21st-century pā (village) style education. Kay-Lee serves as a Programme Coordinator in the Faculty of Education, she is a Māori Caucus Co-chair and sits on both the Faculty Board and university wide Teaching Awards committee.
TE WHARE WĀNANGA O WAITAHA - UNIVERSITY OF CANTERBURY APPOINTMENTS
- Senior Lecturer Above the BarUniversity of Canterbury, School of Leadership and Professional Practice, Faculty of Education19 Jan 2015 - present
ACADEMIC POSITIONS
- Kāhui Māori - Māori Caucus ChairUniversity of Canterbury, New Zealand
- Faculty BoardUniversity of Canterbury, Faculty of Education, Christchurch, New Zealand
- Teaching Award Sub-CommitteeUniversity of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
DEGREES
- Bachelor of Teaching and Learning, PrimaryThe University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand2006
- Bachelor of Arts Honours, Māori and Indigenous StudiesUniversity of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand2010
- Master of EducationUniversity of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand2015
- Bachelor of Māori Performing Arts, Māori Performing ArtsTe Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi, Whakatane, New Zealand2017
- Doctor of EducationUniversity of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand2022
CERTIFICATIONS
- Teaching Certification- FullTeaching Council Aotearoa, New Zealand2025Registered Teacher Certification NZ 301803
POSTGRADUATE TRAINING
- Post Graduate Certificate in Leading Change for GoodThe Mind Lab, Leadership, New Zealand9 Sep 2022Leadership
LANGUAGES
- MāoriCan read, write, speak and understand
- EnglishCan read, write, speak, understand and peer review
FACULTY
- Faculty of Education
GRADUATE RESEARCH SUPERVISION
- Registered to supervise Master's/Doctoral students