Te
Tiriti o Waitangi – living the values
Anna Clements Tuesday, November 1, 2016 6,579 Views
We all know the importance of reflecting the
principles of the Treaty of Waitangi in the classroom, but what exactly does
this mean and how do we know if we’re getting it right? Michele Coxhead, from
The te reo Māori Classroom, explains.
I often tell the
story of a friend, an extremely capable teacher, being interviewed for a
teaching position. The question, “How does your teaching practice reflect the
Treaty of Waitangi and its principles?” made her break out in a sweat. She repeated
the question back to the panel, looked around the room then responded with a
bit of a ramble which, upon reflection, was probably not what they had been
hoping to hear.
Later, when we
discussed the question, she realised that she was in fact reflecting the Treaty
principles in her practice in very many ways, she just hadn’t understood the
question. So many of us don’t. We appreciate the importance of the
Treaty, but we sometimes lack confidence in demonstrating our understanding.
This is unsurprising
given that it is difficult to find any Ministry documents explaining exactly
what is meant by this question, and what the principles look like reflected in
your teaching practice.
The New Zealand Curriculum states: “The Treaty
of Waitangi is one of eight principles in The New Zealand Curriculum that
provide a foundation for schools’ decision making.
The Treaty of
Waitangi principle puts students at the centre of teaching and learning,
asserting that they should experience a curriculum that engages and challenges
them, is forward-looking and inclusive, and affirms New Zealand’s unique
identity.”
Still confused? Let’s
begin by looking at the principles.
The three “P’s”, as they are often referred to,
are the principles of partnership, participation and protection. These
underpin the relationship between the Government and Māori under the Treaty of
Waitangi. These principles are derived from the underlying tenets of the
Treaty. They are used to bridge the gap between the literal differences between
the Māori and English texts.
Partnership
Partnership involves working together with iwi, hapū, whānau and Māori communities to develop strategies for Māori education.
Partnership involves working together with iwi, hapū, whānau and Māori communities to develop strategies for Māori education.
Partnership
encourages and requires Māori to be involved at all levels of the education
sector, including decision-making, planning, and development of curriculum.
Partnership is:
· engaging with Māori
community
·
inquiry- place based learning-finding out about the Māori
origins of your rōhe, mountains, rivers, history
·
having Māori representatives on boards of trustees
·
equity for Māori
·
power sharing
Partnership relies on
us welcoming and having genuine relationships with our Māori community.
Historically for many Māori there have not been “open door” policies and Māori
have not felt welcomed and valued in some schools.
Sometimes these relationships
take time and effort. For most communities, once they feel there is genuine
relationship building, they will be more than happy to be a part of the school
and add expertise.
Protection
Protection means actively protecting Māori knowledge, interests, values, and other tāonga. Identity, language, and culture are important expressions of what it means to be a culturally located learner. Ka Hikitia (Ministry of Education, 2007) emphasises that “culture counts” and describes a commitment to “knowing, respecting and valuing where students are, where they come from and building on what they bring with them”
Protection means actively protecting Māori knowledge, interests, values, and other tāonga. Identity, language, and culture are important expressions of what it means to be a culturally located learner. Ka Hikitia (Ministry of Education, 2007) emphasises that “culture counts” and describes a commitment to “knowing, respecting and valuing where students are, where they come from and building on what they bring with them”
Protection is:
·
valuing, validating and protecting local knowledge (place-based
learning)
·
normalising te reo Māori
·
learning and including tikanga school-wide
·
equity for Māori
As classroom teachers
we are able to implement these principles every day. Normalising te reo not
only in your classroom, but in staff meetings, the staff room, on duty, at
assemblies and in other areas.
Adding a Māori
perspective to topics and inquiry is an opportunity for us to weave tikanga and
Māori view point into everyday situations.
Participation
Emphasise positive Māori involvement at all levels of education, as expressed in NEG 9: “Increased participation and success by Māori through the advancement of Māori educational initiatives, including education in Te Reo Māori, consistent with the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi.”
Emphasise positive Māori involvement at all levels of education, as expressed in NEG 9: “Increased participation and success by Māori through the advancement of Māori educational initiatives, including education in Te Reo Māori, consistent with the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi.”
Participation is:
· working to strengthen
home-school relationships
·
Māori participating in school decision making
·
School environment reflecting the biculturalism of Aotearoa
·
aspirations of Māori whānau reflected in school planning
·
equity for Māori
If you begin working
on strong partnerships, participation will happen organically. I have always
felt that as soon as your whānau and community see that you genuinely want to
move forward with Māori participation, the help is always offered. Coming from
the place of honesty and wanting to make a difference for the ākonga puts you
in a perfect space to be treaty partners. Māori participants are an asset to
our school communities.
Whare Runanga, a gallery of Māori art at
Waitangi had meaning for Michele
While writing this I
found myself reflecting back to my secondary school years in the Bay of
Islands. Sixth form art class was spent at the Whare Runanga (Meeting house) on
the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, a remarkable gallery of Māori art. We learnt the
meanings of all the whakairo/carvings and the carving styles of the different
iwi of Aotearoa.
We could have stayed
in the confines of the classroom and studied the Impressionists and Modernists
through books and pictures. But Waitangi was real for us; place-based
learning, history, and living art with its stories. For me this was when I
really felt a connection to a place, and I still feel strong connections to
Waitangi. This learning from outside the classroom remains with me and by
passing on what I have learned I am protecting Māori culture, language
and art knowledge.
Whaowhia te kete mātauranga
Fill the basket of knowledge
Fill the basket of knowledge
About
Anna Clements
Anna Clements is the School News print
and digital editor. She has a background in newspapers, magazines and television,
and spent six years working as an editorial advisor to a group ECE centres.
