December 2025 Newsletter
- GCSN
- Feb 1
- 3 min read
Kia ora, Mā mua ka kite a muri, mā muri ka ora a mua Those who lead give sight to those who follow, those who follow give life to those who lead We know it has been a very busy year for schools/kura, ākonga, kaiako, whānau and the wider education sector. Here at the GCSN we wanted to take the time to reflect on our own busy year. We have continued to strengthen our relationships with schools/kura across greater Ōtautahi through our range of fully funded learning opportunities delivered in partnership with Christchurch City Libraries, Plains Media, Wilj Dekkers, Write On School for Young Writers and Imagination Station. Working with these partners, the GCSN is proud to have supported a wide range of learning opportunities for hundreds of ākonga across Ōtautahi. These opportunities have included:
We would like to take a moment to thank all our amazing partners who have brought these projects to life with their endless creativity and hard work! We are looking forward to continuing to work with them to support more ākonga in the 2026 school year. We are also proud to have expanded the Hono Mai project in collaboration with EDOS, Fusion Networks, and Ciena Skinny Jump. Working with these organisations, the GCSN has supported affordable Internet connections for over 300 whānau across greater Christchurch. We are excited to see where this partnership will go and are looking forward to continuing our work to bridge the digital divide in 2026 and beyond. We are excited about what is coming up in 2026… Read on to learn about the opportunities we have coming up for ākonga, kaiako, schools/kura and whānau next year, how to get involved, and our suite of resources available to support digital equity across schools/kura. If you have any questions or want to get in touch please reach out to us at info@gcsn.school.nz or via the GCSN website. Noho ora mai rā, The GCSN Team
👀 2026 Opportunities 👀We are excited about what the 2026 school year has to offer and hope the opportunities below pique your interest. These projects and opportunities have been created with our core priorities in mind: promoting digital equity and participation, and bridging the digital divide for learners across Ōtautahi. 2026 opportunities
Please reach out if you have questions about these opportunities and how to get involved!
👩🏻💻 GCSN Research & Resources 📚AI resources & workshopsWe have created three workshops and a suite of supporting resources for kaiako to enable them to meaningfully integrate AI in the classroom in innovative and effective ways while ensuring it is used safely and responsibly. Each workshop is suitable for self-directed learning or to guide staff PLD and include examples, discussion points, questions and activities. Workshop 1: genAI Workshop 2: Keeping Safe Workshop 3: Integrating Concerns & Creative Work with genAI genAI into Learning What generative AI (genAI) is, Safety and ethical Ways that genAI can be how it works, and what it considerations of genAI and integrated to meaningfully means for schools/kura. how to ensure ākonga safely enhance learning, not replace use genAI to support learning. it. To further enhance these workshops we have also put together a suite of supporting resources:
Digital wellbeing modulesNow as much as ever it is important to ensure our tamariki are staying safe online. At the GCSN we also think it is important to teach our young people how to use digital technologies in safe, positive and creative ways to promote digital citizenship and wellbeing. Our digital wellbeing modules, alongside our suite of free, publicly accessible, online resources, can be used by schools/kura, whānau and kaiako to support learners to navigate online spaces safely. The digital wellbeing modules address the following areas:
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