Critical Issues in Māori Education –

Building a Research Agenda

Jessica Hutchings, Alex Barnes, Trina Taupo, Nicola Bright – Te Wāhanga, NZCERLeonie Pihama, Jenny Lee – Rautaki Ltd

with Moana Jackson

Ngā Whainga

• To identify critical issues for whānau Māori in kōhanga, wharekura, early childhood education and Pākehā sectors

• Develop a Māori led and whānau informed research agenda in Māori education

Kaupapa Māori

• Kaupapa Māori conceptual framework that guided our methodological process.

• Grounded in kaupapa tuku iho

• Whanaungatanga

Kōrero-ā-whānau

• Kōrero-ā-whānau– Deliberate about

privileging the voices of whakapapa-ā-whānau and kaupapa-ā-whānau

• Kōrero-ā–whānau– Kōhanga and Wharekura– Pākehā schools and ECE– Wānanga

Kōrero-ā-whānau – Te Kōhanga Reo

“The Kōhanga provides for ‘ngā moemoeā o ngā

tūpuna”

“The people, kaupapa, history, wairua, experience, whānau, whanaungatanga, sense of belonging, welcoming, strategic shared vision”

Some Critical Issues from kōrero-ā-whānau in Te Kōhanga Reo

• Kaupapa, te reo, tikanga• Access• Choice• Rangatiratanga

Kōrero-ā-whānau - Wharekura

“Our focus is for students to tū Māori, tū pakari,

kia hūmarie te tū me onā āhuatanga engari kia tū i roto i te ao Māori i roto i te ao [whānui] … kia puāwaitia ngā tumanako” (Tumuaki, Wharekura).

Some Critical Issues from kōrero-ā-whānau in Wharekura

• Increase the usage and improve te reo• Develop inclusion of Te Ao Māori in all aspects

of the curriculum• Extend range of subjects and extra curricula

opportunities (including leadership)• Better preparation of rangatahi for wider

world

Kōrero-ā-whānau – Pākehā schools

• “That’s the thing with these schools, our children are unique. I don’t care what they say, they can call us what they like, our children are unique and the [mainstream schools] are not fulfilling their responsibilities to our children. The core is racism. A lot these teachers aren’t getting over their own sub-cultures. Therefore they can’t address things with our children in particular violence in schools, which they like to call bullying which affects the education of the children”

(Kōrero-ā-whānau – Pākehā schools)

Some Critical Questions from kōrero-ā-whānau in Pākehā schools

• Success as Māori• Recogniton of tikanga and te reo Māori• Values based education• Kaiako Māori• Whanaungatanga : whānau-school relations

Kōrero-ā-Wānanga • Re-visioning a philosophy for Māori education in Pākehā

schools• Equity, access and resources to support Māori wellbeing

and success• Identity and curriculum• Informed decisions about transitions through accessible

information• Quality te reo at all levels of learnings including in the

home• Ensuring research addresses the diverse needs of whānau

Te Puāwaitanga – A Kaupapa Māori Research Agenda for Māori education

Māori led, whānau informed1. Ngā Moemoeā – focus will be kaupapa tuku

iho, and those Māori educational initiatives grounded in the theory and practices of diverse Māori communities

2. Rangtiratanga – will investigate different models that create and demonstrate educational benefits for Māori. This research strand addresses issues of equity, access and structural racism.

3. Te Reo Rangatira – our work will contribute to the revitalisation of te reo through supporting language acquisition and transmission across diverse learning environments.