Nā Whare Isaac-Sharland

E tangi e reo, mōu e ngaro haere nei.
Ko te Huia kua ngaro noa atu,
Otirā ko ana kupu tohutohu.
Kāore ko tōna reo, i waihotia mai.
Kia hiwa rā, kia hiwa rā!
(Nā Whare Isaac-Sharland rāua ko Apera Clark)

Ko Tawhiuau rāua ko Hikurangi ngā maunga,
Ko Rangtaiki rāua ko Waiawa ngā awa.
Ko Ngāti Whare, rātou ko Ngāti Koro, ko Ngāti Ruapani ōku hapu.
He uri ahau o Ngāti Manawa ki Murupara me Ngāti Kahungunu ki Te Wairoa.
Ko Tangiharuru te tangata, ko ngā tukemata o Kahungunu!
Tēnā tātou katoa.

I tērā tau, 2017, i riro i a au te karahipi iWhara a Tākuta Vince Ham, nā Tātai Aho Rau.  Nōku te whakamānawa, nōku te whiwhi, nōku te hōnore.  Ko te iWhara a Tākuta Vince Ham, he karahipi rangahau hei whakapakari i ngā pūkenga o te pouako.  Me aro te kaitono ki tētahi kaupapa whakahirahira o te ao whakaako, o te ao mātauranga anō hoki.  Mā te kaikarahipi te kaupapa rangahau e kōwhiri, māna hoki e whai.  Mā Tātai Aho Rau ngā pukenga o te kaikarahipi e tautoko, e hāpai i te roanga o te tau, kia tutuki ōna hiahia, kia eke tana rangahau. Ka mihi ki a Tātai Aho Rau e whakawhanake ana i ērā pūkenga rangahau ōku.

Ko te kapa haka me ana hononga ki ngā pūkenga ako o te tamaiti ngā whāinga matua o taku rangahau.  E pēnei ana te takoto o ōku whakaaro i te korenga o ētahi o Ngāi Māori i whakaae he kaupapa whakahirahira te kapa haka ki ngā wharekura rānei, ki ngā kura tuarua rānei. Kōtore whererei ana te rongo e noho ana ētahi ki te pae o kore whakaae!

E 23 ngā tau māua ko taku tane e whāia ana ko te reo me ōna tikanga te reo matua o te whānau, hei whakarauora hoki i te mātauranga Māori ki ō māua whānau.  Kua roa tā māua whawhai i ngā whakaaro auraki.  Heoi, i tētahi o ngā wāhanga o taku rangahau iWhara, i warewaretia katoatia aua akoranga, nā te mea i taku tuhinga e mea ana, “he iti noa iho ngā kōrero rangahau mō te kapa haka i tēnei ao hurihuri”.  Tērā pea ka pānuihia tēnei o aku tuhinga e ōku karangamaha o te motu, ā ka puku ngā rae.  Ka rongo au i ā rātou kupu e whakatika mai ana, me aro kē au ki ngā mātauranga Māori.  Ka tika hoki tēnā kōrero, kei te ao Māori kē ngā tini kōrero hei taunaki i ngā hua o te kapa haka.

E hia tau au e kite ana i ngā hua o te kapa haka mō te iwi Māori?  Pērā ki te reo, he taonga tuku iho nā ō tātou tupuna.  Nā te kapa haka, ka rere te reo rangatira, ka ako ngā tauira i ngā kōrero a te Māori, i ngā tikanga Māori, ka mutu, ka tangata whenua ēnei akoranga i roto i a rātou.

Mōku ake ko te rongoā mō ngā raru katoa e patu nei i a Ngāi Māori, kei te ao Māori, kei te mātauranga Māori. Nā tēnei rangahau iWhara kua oho anō au, kua titi ki te ngākau, ki te whatumanawa ngā mōhiotanga, ngā māramatanga o te mātauranga Māori, kia taunga ēnei āhuatanga i roto i a tātou, ka māmā ake te hīkoi i te ao Pākēhā.

Over the last few years, I’ve worked with several organisations who want to improve engagement with Māori on educational issues. As Pākehā, I’ve been involved in these kinds of projects because of experiences and commitment to building knowledge and practice about how, as non-Māori, to best affirm Māori authority. I’ve been really interested in the impacts of this type of learning, and how this can strengthen our relationships.

My basic assumption has been this: if non-Māori recognise and affirm Māori aspirations by sharing power to make sound decisions, then we can achieve a Tiriti-based present and future. This benefits everybody because we can leverage diverse forms of knowledge and skills — opening up space for co-innovation. These opportunities aren’t new — people have been building and sharing knowledge for ages in order to enhance our lives. The problem is that, when we encounter complicated topics like, how power is shared between cultural identities, that’s when people can get stuck.

Undoing harm

My Treaty Partner, tangata whenua, have long said that our education system has a long history of doing harm, and that schools have been unsafe places. Why? Because, they tend to perpetuate and privilege the worldviews and practices of people who look like me: Pākehā/European, male, middle-class, able-bodied, married hetrosexual (and bald)! This mono-cultural approach doesn’t work for Māori, because it erases their own understandings of the world. It does this by hiding its own cultural biases.

Cultural bias creates disparity in health and education. It does this by negating multiple ways of being. Cultural bias doesn’t allow for how different people experience the world, behave, and organise themselves. Cultural bias blames people for “their own educational failure”. It can also impact on teacher judgements about Māori student performance. This does intergenerational harm to individuals, families and communities. Unfortunately, this is part of the colonial reality I/we have inherited in Aotearoa. A reality that benefits some, and does huge amounts of harm to many other individuals, families, and communities.

So, what is to be done?

Cultural safety provides one of many alternatives to cultural bias and mono-culturalism. It offers an educational framework for the analysis of power relationships between professionals, organisations, and those we serve.

Irihapeti Ramsden was a key architect of cultural safety in nursing. She was a game-changer who worked tirelessly with Māori and non-Māori to improve service delivery for Māori, and consequently, for all people. She was an innovator and trailblazer.

So, how has cultural safety changed (if at all), and what are the roles of non-Māori in creating culturally safe organisations and practices? I sat down with Dr Heather Came-Friar and Claire Doole to explore this issue — two Pākehā public health experts. I wanted to see what our cousins in public health can share with us as public educationalists.

Kei ngā ringa tōhaunui, kei te mihi atu ki a kōrua tahi. Thanks for taking the time to talk with me about cultural safety. In your work, what does “cultural safety” mean?

Heather: When I think of cultural safety I think of Irihapeti Ramsden and her work in nursing. The idea has changed form over years. It’s different in different places. There’s pockets of excellence, and pockets of horror!

In public health, we don’t talk much about “cultural safety”. We talk more about a Treaty partnership or relationship, and cultural and political competencies. For us, it’s about power — noticing power, and how power is transferred via Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Claire: Like Heather, my understandings of cultural safety come from Irihapeti Ramsden. I’ve also been influenced by transcultural nursing and critical social theory.

Basically, nurses need to reflect on their position and power. But it’s impossible to reflect on one’s power and position without humility and curiosity. This is cultural safety. When professionals recognise their own power and culture, it prepares them to work with the subtle cues of diversity. It helps people understand, affirm, and check their assumptions about the cultural context of people who differ from themselves.

Recently, while working with Māori and non-Māori on educational projects, I listened to several Pākehā say that they felt “culturally unsafe” when they’ve been challenged by Māori. What struck me was this paradox: by attempting to create cultural safety, it can be unsafe for some. How would you respond to this type of experience?

Claire: Cultural safety and discussions about the Treaty between health professionals isn’t a time for safety — it’s a time for risk (for Pākehā)! When we, as Pākehā, are challenged we can become defensive — this is a human reaction. When I’ve been seriously challenged, I’ve had to work through my defensiveness.

I would say, Pākehā just have to bear with it — it’ll be ok. Naming things make a difference. If I can’t name a problem, then who is going to? Everyone has to bring their best emotional intelligence to the table, and understand that emotional expression in one culture is not the same in another. If things go off track, go back to basic conversations — stuff that isn’t loaded. This helps build the rapport. The work of Stephen Covey has been helpful for me.

Heather: Some of this work is uncomfortable — this is part of learning. We don’t always set it up to be uncomfortable. Part of the challenge is that sometimes things may have happened in the past, which triggers people. The challenge here is to enter into dialogue and stick with it.

I find going back to basic principles of facilitation — ground rules, timeout, dialogue — useful here. Basically, there needs to be goodwill and trust. If these things are broken or dysfunctional it’s really hard. I believe that, as a group Pākehā, have a dysfunctional relationship with Māori. The challenge is to find common ground and support people to heal on both sides.

So, if the challenge is to support people to build good projects for both Māori and non-Māori, what tips do you have for individuals and organisations to do this?

Claire: Firstly, I know that I don’t know. So, I decided that if I wanted to build a relationship with Māori I needed to be useful. This meant I followed Māori goals and protocols in that place. It isn’t about me setting the goals and asking them to contribute. If I sat and listened, then I could hear. This was incredibly powerful and humbling. If I was useful I’d stay in the picture longer.

I work closely with a Māori colleague, and I profoundly respect her opinions. We now have a very successful relationship — we model the relationship in public. We value each other’s input. We listen to each other. We don’t second guess one another. I’ve learnt not to act on instinct. I now ask her before I act. Respect is at the bottom of it.

Heather: Take the opportunities to engage — accept invitations. Take the opportunity to listen. I’ve been lucky to have mentors, like Whaea Makere Wano and others. She guided me. I would go with her to wānanga and just park my own stuff, and listen with an open heart. This helps be an effective ally.

It’s about reciprocal relationships generally. We respect, trust, care, and maintain dialogue with each other. The gel is taking the time to trust each other. The ToW preamble – it’s about whanaungatanga – stay in there. Don’t be scared off. We’re all learners, and I’ll be a learner until I’m an old lady.

Claire: The assumption behind cultural safety was that, if nurses know how to work in culturally safe ways, then things will change; if nurses enact this, then eventually we will have systems change. But this ignores the hierarchy of an organisation. Even if people have the best of intentions, they get overwhelmed. Nurses and teachers don’t hold all the power — despite our relationship with patients — none of that counts as you go further up the hierarchy.

Organisations need to come back to shared values. Until organisations have walked along the path and are clear with each other — you can’t take the next step. If you’re not clear about mutual values, then things won’t work. If you’re clear about the values, things will fall into place.

Heather: Creating culturally safe organisations is a powerful opportunity to recognise Māori intelligence. If people with power and authority don’t embrace Māori intelligence, the other parts of the organisation won’t. In general, Pākehā don’t seem to trust Māori.

So, leaders need to affirm and not marginalise Māori knowledges. This means being sharp and ensuring Māori can develop programmes that work for Māori. Have a shared vision for the kaupapa, and then make a plan and define the steps. It’s about building and maintaining relationships, reflecting on work-plans, sharing power and resources.

Tēnā anō kōrua! Thanks again for your work, determination, and willingness to share what you’ve been learning along the way.

Digital technologies in 2018

While holding fast to tradition, Māori have long embraced technologies, whether they have been used in the whare or on the marae to nourish, create shelter, warmth, and protection for their people. Travel forward to today — more and more kura are also embracing the potential that modern technologies can bring to learning in kura, in the whare, and on the marae.

In 2018, digital technologies will be recognised as a whenu within the Hangarau Wāhanga Ako. Learning in digital technologies will link to learning across all Wāhanga Ako in Te Marautanga o Aotearoa. To support kura with this, CORE Education’s Arareo Māori team piloted the Hangarau Matihiko ā-Takiwā (HMāT) project. This is part of the MOE’s Strengthening Digital Technologies initiative, and one of nine projects. This project is designed to involve kura in Digital Fluency and build the possibilities afforded to our tamariki with Hangarau Matihiko, and what is already working well in our kura. There are three distinct outcomes for this project:

1. Raising the level of confidence and competence of kaiako and whānau to provide digital learning experiences with a Māori worldview and with facilitation in te reo Māori
2. Strengthen the engagement between kura, kaiako, and whānau
3. Gather data from participants to evaluate the specific project objective, which is bringing kura and whānau together for learning purposes.

Why? The benefits?

• De-mystify learning associated with hangarau matihiko
• Inspire other kura to participate/engage
• Awareness of the possibilities of learning with digital technologies
• Students and whānau learn together — ako.

Snapshot of the pūrākau at a kura involved in the HMāT project

Here’s a snapshot of one of the pūrākau at a kura involved in the HMāT project.

Me mahi tahi te kura, te whānau, te hapū, te iwi me te hapori.

By inviting the whole whānau (kaiako, ākonga, and whānau) into the HMāT project, we were able to support whānau engagement in teaching and learning, thus strengthening digital fluency across the kura. The holistic approach of inviting whānau into the process ensured these key outcomes (supporting whānau engagement and growing digital fluency) were met.

The approach used was to facilitate a full day of learning in the kura, using a range of hangarau matihiko with a group of senior ākonga. The focus was contextualised, as the upcoming new classroom build for the kura meant ākonga were also invited to design their new classroom. The programme design was co-constructed with kura, and was identified as the most effective use of PLD time with the facilitators. Senior ākonga were chosen to work on the project, as they would be able to teach the other ākonga, and it also fitted into their current topics for learning. The following were identified as being crucial to the success of the day:

• Feedback from both ākonga and kaiako indicated that ākonga thoughts on what Hangarau Matihiko was, had expanded. For example, one ākonga initially talked about learning and the internet at the beginning of the day, and then realised Hangarau Matihiko was much more than they originally thought.
• As the facilitators introduced new concepts and elements of Hangarau Matihiko, ākonga could identify new opportunities and include them in their new classroom plans.

The ākonga had plenty of exploration time with the hangarau matihiko and, as a result, ākonga could identify the opportunities and demonstrate these to each other. The approach taken was driven by the authentic context of the new build the kura was about to start planning for. This empowered ākonga (with a variety of different learning styles) to engage and work independently or in groups. One ākonga confessed being a “non-engager” and, because of the day, was now working with his peers a lot better and completing his work.

Engagement levels were high and ākonga showed enjoyment of their mahi and were on task all day. At lunch time, half the ākonga didn’t want to have kai; they stayed and finished their projects despite being encouraged to have a break.

A whānau hui took place at night at the local marae to coincide with the HmāT visit. This was an opportunity for the ākonga to share their learning from the day. Ākonga spoke about what they had learned, such as using robotics, animations and design thinking, and how they had applied this to their completed designs for the new build. A sense of pride was visible, and one ākonga went so far as to ask a friend to attend so he could share his learning.

The crucial part was that whānau were heard and had the opportunity to see what their tamariki had learned during this experience. They could see the excitement on their faces, and were able to ask questions and get some answers. For example, one question was about the isolation of the community and whether this was a barrier to access further learning and employment opportunities. The opportunities —now the kura and area has access to fibre — were discussed, and how this connectivity is starting to overcome this barrier.

The biggest challenge the HMāT team faced, was to make the most of the limited face-to-face time with the kura. The desire to make the most of the face-to-face opportunity was to the fore in the programme design for the day. The design and goals of this project helped to overcome this challenge by ensuring we tailored learning experiences based on what we knew about the ākonga.

The whānau hui highlighted the success of the day and the value of this project. It was also an opportunity to share new learning led by the ākonga. Tumuaki also spoke about the use of hangarau matihiko at the kura. The HMāT team also talked about the many opportunities of the kaupapa as stated by the ākonga.

In our work with kura, we have identified several challenges and opportunities that can further enhance ākonga and kaiako use of digital learning technologies into the future. In general, these challenges and opportunities include:

• Develop culturally appropriate methods of understanding how digital technologies impact on ākonga and whānau learning.
• Ensure equitable access to high-quality and relevant reo and tikanga Māori digital resources for kaiako, ākonga, and whānau. This includes sourcing and designing digital mediums platforms that can be linked to curriculum areas and the diversity of the Māori medium sector; and
• Provide ongoing and tailored professional learning and development opportunities to assist kura to initiate, embed, and sustain effective Māori-medium content, pedagogy, and infrastructure.

Resources

CORE Education Māori Resources: Kīwaha, Whakataukī and Te Whānau Pū Cards

CORE Education’s Arareo Māori team provides several products and services to cater for kura, schools and private and public organisations. This includes professional development, te reo Māori consultancy, publications, research and events. Ki te hiahia whakapā mai, tuku īmēra ki arareomaori@core-ed.org.

History is very much a part of any culture. It shapes the way people within that culture think about themselves and about others. It shapes the way people view the world. It stands to reason, then, that history must impact on learning. This is undoubtedly the case in Māori culture. Recently, I was involved in working with Waimirirangi Whangarei Intermediate, where this was brought home to me.

Kia Māori Mai marau ā-kura

Localised curriculum embodies and personifies the rich history and cultural location of the Waimirirangi Bilingual Unit at Whangarei Intermediate. This marau ā-kura is permeated throughout with local reo, local contexts for learning, and local history showing that the ākonga stories and their history matter. Ākonga, therefore, see themselves on a learning journey that has made their learning meaningful, and keeps them fully engaged. “This is hugely attributable to the outcomes of a sound, collectively designed and owned marau ā-kura that takes seriously the whakatauki ‘Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua”.

The exercise of designing and developing their own marau ā-kura is where I believe the greatest shifts have been made. This collaborative process acknowledges the skills and talents of the whānau on the marae and in the community. When whānau know that they have skills and talents that are valued and are recognised by their own tamariki and community, this can shift the hearts and minds of whānau, who then become contributors to the learning of their own tamariki in an authentic way. It allows for generational history to become part of a living story.

Understanding the attributes of their tīpuna and the many skills and talents those tīpuna had, helps students understand themselves. They carry many of the same attributes over generations. Huge shifts are made when students and their whānau know who they are and what they can achieve and aspire to. Identity and culture are affirmed.

Whānau, hapū and iwi knowledge is affirmed and housed within the marau ā-kura of Waimirirangi . It transcends from the past to reach out into the future. It is future-focused to meet the needs of 21st Century learners. This is a credit to its authors and a legacy of Te Iwi o te Parawhau. This indigenous curriculum supports at the highest level, the teaching and learning of ākonga of Waimirirangi o Te Kura Takawaenga o Whangarei. This is not someone else’s story — this is their story.

In this video, Matua Kara Shortland, a kaiako in Waimirirangi, explains how Kia Māori Mai, the Marau ā-kura, has used the history of the iwi and their many stories, as a foundation for learning. The mountains, rivers, and whenua provide a huge source of knowledge — “It’s their history, not someone else’s”. Ākonga see themselves on a journey that is meaningful — meaningful because it’s their journey. Explore the past to determine the future.

Where to from here?

The next steps for the kura are to confirm their history as essential scaffolding for all learning and teaching.  More discourse is needed to turn aspirations into realities. History is inescapable. History is who we are. History informs our future. Māori tribal history is Aotearoa’s history.

History is not a subject, it’s a way of being.

On reflection

When whānau engagement is authentic, it captures the hearts and minds of whānau and iwi, resulting in meaningful and comprehensive kōrero. Whānau engagement supported by tumuaki and leadership, ensures meaningful dialogue, and understanding occurs throughout the process. In addition to partnerships with whānau, a dedicated commitment of time, as well as the implementation of systematic approaches will ensure the foundation for the Marau ā-Kura is authentic, has rigour, and is sustainable.

Our history does matter to our learning; it enhances our understanding and makes sense of our world and the world around us. It is what has made us who we are as a people and as a country. Our history ignites our learning. I would invite you to share your stories that demonstrate the importance of history in your mokopuna’s education.