The Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand’s founding document, was meant to be a partnership between Māori and the British Crown. Although it was intended to create unity, different understandings of the treaty, and breaches of it, have caused conflict. From the 1970s the general public gradually came to know more about the treaty, and efforts to honour the treaty and its principles expanded.
Claudia Orange, 'Treaty of Waitangi', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/treaty-of-waitangi (accessed 15 April 2020)
Story by Claudia Orange, published 20 Jun 2012.
Demonstrate how my context implements the Cultural Competencies for Teachers of Māori Learners:
Wānanga: participating with learners and communities in robust dialogue for the benefit of Māori learners’ achievement.
At Haeata Community Campus, we encourage all educators at our school to consider Māori contexts in the design of curriculum and transdisciplinary learning. We would expect to see Te Ao Māori as an integral part of the design of transdisciplinary learning, not just as an add-on.
Whanaungatanga: actively engaging in respectful working relationships with Māori learners, parents and whānau, hapū, iwi and the Māori community.
We acknowledge our ākonga (students) learning comes from home, marae, whanau, hapu and their own wider community through developing a relationship with each tamaiti that is based on trust, respect and aroha.
Maori names and designs for open and closed learning spaces.
Mauri tau: Full school & Hāpori (Jnr&Snr learning Hubs) assemblies - Karakia & Waiata (begin and finish with Prayer & school songs).
Mihi Whakatau: Traditional Indigenous welcome for visitors.
Manaakitanga: showing integrity, sincerity and respect towards Māori beliefs, language and culture.
As an official language of Aotearoa, Te Reo Maori will be protected, nurtured and shared among our hapori (learning hubs) and whanau to enable our national language to be naturally embedded and reflected in our people, environment, curriculum and documentation.
Each child has a distinct history which needs to be respected and allowed for in the educational environment. Howard-Campbell (2016). Retrieved from: http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Leadership-development/Principals-sabbatical-reports/Report-archives-for-2007-2018/Primary-award-recipients-2016/Howard-Moira
Tangata Whenuatanga: Affirming Māori learners as Māori. Providing contexts for learning where the language, identity and culture of Māori learners and their whānau is affirmed.
The cultural narrative written by Ngai Tahu for the East of Christchurch followed the narrative of the local Māori history including the environment, tūpuna (ancestors) and species that traditionally lived in Aranui and its surroundings. This is a central feature in the development of our physical environment, school values, philosophy and ongoing learning programmes.
Ako: Taking responsibility for their own learning and that of Māori learners. Managing for success Ka Hikitia Māori achieving educational success as Māori.
Components of our Curriculum
At Haeata instead of organising learning into subjects there are three main parts of our curriculum:
Puna Ako - a smaller learning group with a range (levels & abilities) of ākonga (students) and one to three kaiako (teacher) used to plan and reflect on learning together
Kaupapa Ako - the topics and concepts that kaiako and ākonga develop learning together around
Ako Ako - A time where kaiako and ākonga are learning together in the various learning spaces we provide - makerspaces, visual and performing arts, labs, gym etc
Evaluate (e.g. Summary, Implications, Limitations) ‘Bicultural challenges for educational professionals in Aotearoa':
Conclusive thoughts after a bicultural hui with all major stakeholders in our community (which I believe has relevance across our country):
For us to become effectively bicultural our leadership of Kaupapa Māori needs to be developed within cross-cultural partnerships - as I believe “we are all treaty partners”.
As such, what is proposed below is a more sustainable structure for leadership of Kaupapa Māori that attends to many aspects that are key for us as Haeata.
Alignment from BoT through to community,
Consultation within this group and/or using their reach as conduit for deeper and wider kōrero/hui
This group would sustain the inevitable change of staff over time.
Spreads and builds leadership and decision-making capacity at Haeata.
Inclusion of student voice builds ownership and perspective in that realm.
Allied to that, this could be a prototype for a similar group(s) to lead and develop Pasifika and also our NZ European contingent of whānau.
Purpose: To bring all stakeholders together to drive kaupapa Māori throughout Haeata.
It is important to ensure that discussions and decisions around Kaupapa Māori are shared and there are a number of different voices around the table to share in these discussions and decisions.
It is important to consider the process for setting up and running this group,
This could include:
what their function is,
what they are mandated to do,
what communication lines there are,
the role and responsibilities of the group and the individual
Some notes to consider:
Representation from all areas are important: BOT, School Leadership (including SLT, Middle leaders and HODs), Kaiako, Kaiāwhina, Whānau, Ākonga, Community including kaumātua.
Consider setting the tikanga for how to manage discussions and decisions when there are different viewpoints.
Ensure this group are empowered to have honest, robust discussion that is well facilitated.
Continue to have consultation with all stakeholders to get feedback and ensure communication is open.
Questions that came out of our bicultural hui:
How are we sharing out skills/knowledge and supporting people’s learning?
Does everyone walk the talk?
How do we lead collaboratively as Maori leaders
Will our ideas about this(i.e., a healthy bi-cultural environment shift as one group?)
How to shift others what they don’t know, they don’t know?
How do we support Kaiako to move forward with Te Ao Maori?
Individual vs collective identity/expectations
Are we in danger of creating Cultural generalisations and if we are how do we protect individual safety?
Define bicultural: is the key indicator Reo?
How do employment procedures reflect our desire for biculturalism?
Support and provocative of Te Ao Maori?
How are we developing Tino Rangatiratanga?
Compare Articles to Principles
The Articles
These articles can be summarised as:
Article 1 (Kāwanatanga — honourable governance):
Principles: Protection & Partnership - In my opinion, Maori believed that one person was to be the Governor. That person's responsibility was to help protect Maori people in general, including their beliefs, language and culture. Similar to a whanau liasion between the Crown and Maori in the aim that Pākeha and Maori could work with each other at the same time protecting the rights and mana of the indigenous people -Maori.
Crown/schools to govern educational delivery in an equitable way:
In Aotearoa, the Principles of Partnership and Participation (the aforementioned as foundational) it is paramount that Maori culture, language, values and customs be acknowledged and respected as the 'norm' throughout all schools of Aotearoa. Not in the aim to put one 'culture of people' above others but to acknowledge the fact that no where else in the world, indigenous/origin-wise can you access and appreciate what we have in Aotearoa.
Article 2 (Rangatiratanga — retaining sovereignty):
Principle: Protection - It seems that the crown/pakeha at the time foresaw what was obviously potential gain for them and their people in every way. What they didn't have back in their own country, they could have now. From land, properties and possessions etc for selfish gain? to assimilate customs, attitudes etc? Or for genuine Partnership?
Tangata whenua retain control over educational delivery:
Tino Rangatiratanga is all about self-determination which in education terms could well be interpreted as self-managing learners in a personalised learning framework Howard-Campbell (2016). It's important that learners have a strong sense of Identity, belonging and place. Learners now have the opportunity to take charge of their own learning and to make it deeply personal, to the point where learning is the gift and the gift-wrap is the academic grade or result.
Article 3 (Ōritetanga — promote equity):
The principle of partnership makes sense here in terms of the same 'rights' for Pākeha and Maori - best explained under the microscope in the following 4.1:
Māori and non-Māori educational outcomes are comparable
Like all schools we have a moral obligation to provide learning for all ākonga who enrol in our school. We ensure all cultures are understood & reflected in programmes. Personalised learning plans identify unique learning and social needs in a safe and welcoming environment. Learning should be interesting, relevant and meaningful for all ākonga.
Article 4 (spoken promise — cultural/religious freedoms):
Principles: I think all principles were needed here - Partnership, Participation & Protection - language is important here, so is your word being your bond. Especially, from a people where communication through talking, conversation, discussion, teaching with actions, were part and parcel of how knowledge was passed on and passed down. So it makes sense that there were problems with the spoken word as opposed to the written word (at times this still applies today!).
taonga’ (treasures, which may be intangible). Māori understanding was at odds with the understanding of those negotiating the Treaty for the Crown, and as Māori society valued the spoken word, explanations given at the time were probably as important as the wording of the document. https://nzhistory.govt.nz/politics/treaty/the-treaty-in-brief
Cultural responsiveness and competence supporting language, culture, and identity
Cultures are embraced within our learning
Its important that we acknowledge our Mana Whenua
All cultures need to be understood and reflected across our Kura
Maori achieving educational success as Maori
We do this by:
Promoting & specifically developing identity
Deeply infusing and embedding Te Ao Maori in everything we do
Encouraging and utilising the mother-tongue of ākonga
Identify elements of Culturally Competent Leadership
The way to action Culturally Competent Leadership is through open and continual communication and the principles of the 3Ps. Leaders must also identify and maintain pou (from the diagram below) within the Kura by the vehicle of its core values, principles and strategies for learning, and character-building dispositions. At the end of it all, learners are at the heart of it all.
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