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Voices from the Pacific – Lost in translation

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E lē falala fua le niu, ‘ae falala ona o le matagi.
The coconut tree doesn’t sway on its own, but is swayed by the wind.

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How do we define culture? Who is responsible for developing one’s culture? What measure and importance is given to an individual’s culture? At what age do we develop a good understanding of who we are and where we are from? What role as educators do we have in acknowledging the culture of our learners? This blog aims to challenge our thinking, question our personal judgements and encourages us to distinguish perception from reality. Information and statistics included in this blog have been developed from the perspectives and results of collated research data from 30 ākonga, both male and female, from 8 – 18 years of age across Te Tai Tokerau and Tāmaki Makaurau who identify as Tongan, Samoan, Niuean, Cook Islands and Māori.

For some of the questions posed in the opening there is not a clear answer. However, they do draw attention to the inequities, confusion, and at times frustration, felt by ākonga as they to begin to ask themselves who they really are. Do these infants, toddlers, children and young adults transition from their homes to their educational contexts with the same values, beliefs and teachings that they share with aiga (family)? Are we encouraging them to bring their kete (basket) of knowledge or are they leaving it at the door on their way in? Do we inadvertently ask them to step into another world that may be foreign to them? The Ministry of Education draws attention to this, ‘Pacific peoples are one of the larger ethnic groups in New Zealand, with the highest proportion of children aged 0-14 years. It is estimated that the number of Pacific learners will increase from 10 to 20 percent of the total school population by 2050’ (2017, p.1). As educators we have an important part to play, starting with pronouncing their names correctly.

What cultural lens do you see through?

Cultural identity through a Pasifika lens may look different from how we imagine as educators. We cannot learn about a culture from attending pre-service teacher training or from reading textbooks. We need to understand the struggle that many of our young Pasifika people face today. Growing our understanding is a critical part of changing mindsets. Our classrooms provide  forums where they can feel validated, and where their messages are heard. The research data highlighted how deeply ambivalent ākonga feelings are towards education. Despite what we perceive to be a culturally responsive curriculum and delivery in New Zealand 66.7 percent of learners have had their name mispronounced or have been referred to, and compared against, another family member who has been a past ākonga at their current centre or school. Therefore, their identity as an individual feels lost as they are always stepping into the footsteps of another member of their family.

As one ākonga stated in a 1:1 interview, ‘we are expected to respect the names of all the adults in our school…I feel that we deserve the same respect’, ‘you only need to ask me how to say it and I will help’. Another stated, ‘saying my name right is important to me’. Due to similar experiences across cultures, one ākonga in Auckland has created an app to support educators in their pronunciation of student names – Prounounce App for Educators.

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Showcase my talents

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This voice recording is taken from the voice of a 14-year-old Tongan-born male when asked to write his first speech. He took this as an opportunity to change mindsets and when thinking about one’s own culture, some pertinent messages became evident. What makes our ākonga proud? What stereotypes do they want addressed? Here are some  voices taken directly from ākonga who took part in  this research:

“We are just not your normal rugby players, fast food workers, bus drivers, road workers and that we are more than what statistics say we are”

“That I show who I am for myself and for who I want to be”

“Knowing who I am as an individual and how my heritage, upbringing and understanding of society impacts that”

“Acknowledgement of my cultures is a proud moment in itself”

“My culture values and beliefs are important to me”

When asked to name a time in their lives where they felt proud to identify as a Pasifika ākonga the most compelling statement from one Pasifika student about being a successful learner was, ‘when I achieved excellence in my NCEA results, as I often hear Pasifika students achieved low results’. The data revealed other areas that were strongly centred around six main events they consider pertinent to who they are:

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Celebrating, sharing and uniting people together through cultural experiences such as performing at Polyfest events leave a lasting memory for ākonga and families. Alistar Kata, a reporter and presenter for Tangata Pasifika captures North Shore schools’ journey to their Polyfest debut.  She follows the journey, alongside Rosmini and Carmel colleges, as they create history by entering for the first time on the Samoan stage at Auckland’s Polyfest.

Speak to be heard not forgotten

Fakatumau ke vagahau e Vagahau Niue
Keep persevering to speak the Niue language

For many, language is the gateway to learning. Fostering, encouraging and sharing in languages globally is what makes us so diverse in New Zealand. Over 75 percent of participants in this project identified the importance and feeling of connections when speaking in their mother tongue. A common thread was the desire to learn a Pasifika language at school. With greater opportunities for children to attend bilingual early childhood centres, language opportunities diminish  as they move on to primary and higher education. Opportunities to engage in a language other than English become limited with fewer resources, fewer educators who speak a Pasifika language and reduced emphasis on languages in each sector. How can languages be revived and kept alive in our education sectors? With 22 out of 30 ākonga not comfortable to speak their language in an educational setting, can we attribute any disconnect of engagement with aiga (family) and fanau (children)?

Over half of the participants felt that from early childhood onwards they perceive little acknowledgement that their culture has been cherished throughout their education. Siope (2013) argues that there is much more to being and becoming culturally responsive. It is not just about stories and legends. It is about talanoa, getting to know each family and their children, and understanding their life experiences. When questioned about who in their life believes in them 2 out of 30 responses identified a single educator that has had an impact on them in one year of their life. Aiga were the only other people stated in answers. These were not restricted to a nuclear family, rather names included extended family members both young and old.

Through sharing, celebrating and making those connections educators can make a difference. Educators do care. It’s asking those questions of ourselves. What do I do in my centre, school, learning space to ensure that those faces in front of me know they matter to me? Are there signs, messages, gestures that I share to show this? If not, what can I change in my current practice? The Ministry of Education cultural competencies framework for teacher of Pacific learners,  Tapasā (2018) describes three Ngā Turu (support). Using this framework alongside The Pasifika Education Plan 2013 – 2017 (PEP), The New Zealand Curriculum (2008) including Te Whāriki (2017), there are many opportunities to capture, transform, engage, respond and celebrate in Pasifika success.

‘In a similar way that our ancestors journeyed across the oceans in search of knowledge, prosperity and growth, Tapasā seeks to guide and support teachers and Pacific learners, their parents, families towards their ‘destination’ – a shared vision and aspiration of educational achievement and success for Pacific learners’ (Ministry of Education, 2018, p. 5). Resources and supports are available such as The Pasifika Success Compass, we just need to use them and act.

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What makes me, me?

Interviews surrounding achievements with cultural groups, for example Pasifika cultural days, Polyfest and Kapa Haka drew attention to the connectedness that encompasses wellbeing and identity. Interwoven beneath each strand is a story that seeks to tell us who they are, where they are from and what is important to them. When reflecting on what pivotal moments in their life where ākonga were proud to be able to explore their culture, the main themes that emerged were:

  1. The feeling of a sense of belonging
  2. Being able to perform in front of people and being able to gain confidence
  3. Celebrating our Pasifika heritage
  4. Singing and dancing being proud of where we come from
  5. Gaining respect from my friends, family and developing friendships

Te Whāriki Online draws attention to ‘Pacific voices’ through their spotlight with a focus on local curriculum, Pacific pedagogy and languages. The storytelling that emerges through a variety of interactions, images and experiences in the early years creates a sense of belonging that we are gradually losing as our children transition through their education. How can you prepare for the future? Is there a way to keep Pasifika storytelling alive?

Measuring engagement – How?

Is it necessary for ākonga to be facing the front of a class, watching an educator, focused during mat time or asking questions to be an active learner? Forty-eight percent of ākonga recorded that they think their educators view them as shy, quiet and reluctant learners. As one child shared, ‘Even though I am very shy, I still want to learn so if I don’t put my hand up it isn’t because I do not want to learn’. This message is clear. We must not give up. Misconceptions are sometimes ideologies we inherit as we move through our own life journey and experiences. However, it is how we respond to these that holds the most importance. Of equal importance, when speaking with ākonga of all ages, they want people to know, ‘we do care about our education’. This research revealed 73.3 percent believe that education plays a large part in their success as a lifelong learner.  Pennie Otto provides a perspective through CORE EDtalks of cultural interactions of Niuean boys in secondary school.

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Diversity at its finest

One of the CORE’s 2019 Ten Trends highlights the changing role of teachers ‘Deliberate provision of opportunities for ākonga to strengthen their own connection to their language, culture and identity which will in turn support teachers to respond to their learning needs’. Auckland, for instance, is often referred to as the melting pot of cultures. As one HOD secondary teacher shared, ‘know your ākonga. Learn the about the cultural backgrounds of ākonga. Not just Māori and Pacific Island children but Asians, Indians, Middle Eastern. We all learn differently. Islanders aren’t always quiet because we are shy. It’s respect. We grow up to respect elders’.

Cultural responsiveness is a term that for some is another new language added to the repertoire of our education system. How this looks, feels and is viewed can be different for each person. As Pasifika ākonga in today’s world they are faced with many new demands, confusion and uncertainties for the future. Our centres, classrooms and learning environments need to be stable and safe places where our children can be themselves without feeling any judgments. This is not to suggest that they are uncomfortable, it is rather to reflect, observe, and think about whether the ākonga in our care feel a sense of belonging alongside their peers and educators. How nurturing are our environments?

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In summary, when challenged on how ākonga feel about each other in various regions across Auckland, 56.7 percent believe that they are all different despite sharing the same or similar backgrounds and culture. No one area or people are the same. No two people look the same. Therefore, ‘know me, my values and where I am from’ (Pasifika Student, 2019).

edSpace is CORE Education’s online network for educators to connect with others, discuss strategies, and share information – join edSpace here. Once you’re there, join one of the discussions below to continue to conversation about Pasifika education.

Promoting Pasifika languages

How teachers can support Pasifika learners

Pasifika Leaders in Early Years

Pasifika educators across the sectors

References

CORE Education. (2019). Ten Trends. Retrieved March 19, 2019, from http://core-ed.org/research-and-innovation/ten-trends

Ministry of Education (2013). Pasifika Education plan 2013-2017. Retrieved from https://www.education.govt.nz/our-work/overall-strategies-and-policies/pasifika-education-plan-2013-2017/

New Zealand Government (2019). Ministry for Pacific peoples. Te Manatū mō ngā iwi ō te Moana-nuī-ā Kiwa. Retrieved from
http://www.mpp.govt.nz/pacific-people-in-nz

Ministry of Education (2018). Tapasā. Cultural competencies framework for teachers of Pacific learners. Wellington.

Pasifika Futures, (2017) Pasifika people in New Zealand- How are we doing? Retrieved from http://pasifikafutures.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/PF_HowAreWeDoing-RD2-WEB2.pdf

Siope, A. (2013). A culturally responsive pedagogy of relations. The Professional Practice of Teaching, 18(2), 154–171. Retrieved from http://books.google.co.nz/books?hl=en&lr=&id=bwcVWzGQ1rQC&oi=fnd&pg=PA185&dq=maori+pedagogy&ots=m8wAtLmnkc&sig=_ek3trpJa8x47e32_BTPs1uG8M0%5Cnhttp://books.google.co.nz/books?hl=en&lr=&id=bwcVWzGQ1rQC&oi=fnd&pg=PA185&dq=maori+pedagogy&ots=m8wAtLmnkc&sig=_e

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Reviving Pasifika languages of the Realm

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The Cook Islands, Niue, and Tokelau are a part of the realm of New Zealand. What could this mean for the indigenous languages of those islands?

Teanau Tuiono in the islands

As I write this it is Cook Islands Language week, which also means we are in the middle of the New Zealand winter. So for most Pacific Islanders, feeling the cold (one of my car doors was so frozen this morning it wouldn’t open!) makes the tropical pull of our home islands that much more compelling.

The theme for this year is, “Kia ngākau parau, kia rangarangatu to tatou reo Māori Kūki ‘Āirani“, translated, “Be proud of your language and protect its future”. It is a theme that underpins the perilous state of the languages and dialects of the Cook Islands. Niue also shares a similar threat.  Both the Niuean and the Cook Islands languages feature on UNESCO’s Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger. This view supported by a  2010 research publication, ‘O tatou ō aga’i i fea?/ `Oku tau ō ki fe? Where are we heading?: Pacific languages in Aotearoa/New Zealand1 by researchers John McCaffery and Judy Taligalu McFall-McCaffery which suggests that Niuean and Cook Islands Māori languages will disappear from New Zealand within a generation, unless urgent action is taken2. The research highlighted that fewer than five percent of the New Zealand-born population can speak Cook Islands Māori, and less than 11 per cent of the Niuean population can speak the Niuean language in New Zealand.

This was also highlighted in the PPTA Komiti Pasifika Paper, ‘Mind your language’, where it was noted:

‘Depopulation significantly affects the islands of Niue, Tokelau, and the Cook Islands. 91 percent of Niueans, 83 per cent of Tokelauans, and 73 percent of Cook Islanders now live in New Zealand. Because of the dominant numbers living in New Zealand and speaking English, it is likely that if they [the languages] fail in New Zealand they will not survive in the islands either. In fact, there will not be another generation of speakers of Cook Islands Māori Rarotongan in New Zealand. This language has dropped intergenerationally to levels as low as those of New Zealand Māori (5-8 per cent of school-aged children) before Te Kohanga Reo and Kura Kaupapa Māori began.3’

With my father a Cook Island Māori and my mother a New Zealand Māori this kind of makes me Māori-Māori. Confused? Then you would be like the kid I went to school with in Avarua Primary, Rarotonga, when I tried to explain to him that ‘yes’ there were Māori in New Zealand, and not just in the Cook Islands. He was amazed. There were no television stations or televisions back then in Rarotonga, so I couldn’t visually prove what I was saying. He had to take my word for it, that yes my mum was a Māori, and yes she was from New Zealand.  

Down at the Tumunu on the island of Atiu
Down at the Tumunu on the island of Atiu

It’s quite ironic that I often find I need to use the colonial terms i.e. ‘New Zealand’ and ‘Cooks’, to draw distinctions and similarities between both the New Zealand Māori and Cook Islands Māori. I use ‘Aotearoa’ in place of ‘New Zealand’, when referring to ideas or contexts outside the ‘establishment’, like the land wars, the Treaty of Waitangi, and most aspects of tikanga Māori.

When I was young, most New Zealand Māori hui I went to were conducted in English, and most Cook Islands Māori gatherings were in the Cook Islands Māori language. On the Cook Islands side, we were encouraged to speak English because this would help us assimilate better into mainstream New Zealand, while our parents’ generation spoke in our island languages. The opposite was happening with my New Zealand Māori side. Assimilation wasn’t an option. There was the historical 1975 Māori Land March led by northern matriarch, Whina Cooper, successive Māori land occupations taking place around the country, and regular protests at Waitangi calling for the Crown to honour the Treaty. My mother and her generation had Te Reo Māori literally ‘whacked’ out of them at school. Māori language revitalisation continues to be a strong part of the Māori renaissance, and as a parent of Kura Kaupapa children, it is something I am grateful for. The benefits of bilingualism and multilingualism are well documented. The cognitive benefits have associated educational advantages, as well as having the added ability to help ground people in their culture, and strengthen their ties to their identity.

Strong community organisation, and consistency in reminding the State of its responsibilities and obligations to Māori, were a key feature to advocating for Te Reo Māori in Aotearoa. Clearly, Cook Islands Māori, despite being a Māori people, are not Tāngata Whenua of Aotearoa. I understand this more acutely than most, as someone that walks in both worlds. The establishment of New Zealand as a settler colony resulted in the loss of Māori and land resources often through violence (The New Zealand Land Wars) or legislation specifically designed to take away what little land remained  The Cook Islands also experienced colonisation but not as a settler colony due in the main to its size and relative isolation. The Cook Islands and Niue became New Zealand’s first Pacific colonies in 1901 and then protectorates along with supporting war efforts in WW1. The ability of mass arrival came much later with the opening of the Rarotonga International Airport, by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, in 1974. The experiences of colonisation in both cases are as different as they are geographically apart yet the impacts continue to reverberate for generations.

Growing up, I did not know that New Zealand had a ‘realm’, and that I was a part of it. The Realm of New Zealand is the entire area whereby the Queen of New Zealand is the head of state. It is a collection of states and territories united under its monarch. New Zealand has one Antarctic territorial claim, the Ross Dependency; one dependent territory, Tokelau; and two associated states, the Cook Islands and Niue. In 1965 the Cook Islands became a self-governing in free-association with New Zealand and Niue followed in 1974. New Zealand is officially responsible for the defence and foreign affairs of the Cook Islands and Niue. However, these responsibilities confer New Zealand no rights of control and can only be exercised at the request of the Cook Islands and Niue. Tokelau came under New Zealand control in 1925 and remains a non-self-governing territory. With that relationship comes New Zealand passports which helps with access to jobs particularly in Australia where most Cook Islanders migrate to these days4. New Zealand supports the Cook Islands as a part of its development efforts in the Pacific5 and the Cook Islands supports New Zealand with imports for the tourism industry ($70.9 million in 2016)6.

All good relationships are based on the understanding that commitment is a two-way street, and the Pacific Islands communities are no strangers to this. This has culminated in an environment where Pacific Islanders continue to contribute at every level of New Zealand society, spanning from areas of sporting prowess and academic excellence, to arts and culture, and other spheres of New Zealand.

Cook Islands WW1 commemorations in Porirua
Cook Islands WW1 commemorations in Porirua

That commitment was profoundly demonstrated during World War One. The ranks of the Māori Contingent were seriously depleted during the Gallipoli campaign in 1915, and subsequently, recruitment in New Zealand became more difficult. The government looked to Niue and the Cook Islands for reinforcements. Māui Pomare, the Member of Parliament for Western Māori and Minister Responsible for the Cook and Other Islands, took personal responsibility for this recruiting. An estimated 500 Cook Islanders, and a significant number of Niueans, responded. Most of them were in the Rarotongan Company, which served with the British in Sinai and Palestine, as ammunition handlers7. Māori leaders, such as Sir Āpirana Ngata, saw participation in war as the ‘price of citizenship’. A price that both Niue and the Cook Islands paid.

The right to learn and use one’s own language is an internationally recognised human right. While New Zealand has a particular responsibility under the Treaty of Waitangi and international law, to protect and promote te reo Māori as the indigenous language of New Zealand, it also has a special responsibility to protect and promote other languages that are indigenous to the New Zealand realm.

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Recognition of the various Pasifika ‘Language Weeks’ galvanise communities to celebrate who our respective languages and culture. But we need to be doing this for more than just one week out of a whole year. As someone who works in the Māori medium education sector, I am more than aware that when communities want to throw weight behind language revitalisation initiatives, it must be matched by resourcing and commitment. I think the Cook Islands and Niue have shown substantial commitment to New Zealand over the years, and so ensuring the protection and survival of their languages would be a significant way to reciprocate that commitment. It is a conversation not only for those of us from the islands but for those who remember that Aotearoa / New Zealand is part of a wider whānau of Pacific nations. The identities and cultures of Pasifika peoples are like the Pacific ocean itself unable to be contained by borders between nation states. There is no ‘us’ and ‘them’ there is only ‘us’ and ‘ourselves’ and everything we do for Pasifika languages and education in Aotearoa must be done from the perspective of that great wide ocean.  

 

References

  1. The research draws together statistics, research, public data and community information from New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. This includes information collected during visits to the four Pacific Island nations, 2006 Census data and The Pasifika Languages of Manukau Project – a major sociolinguistic study which examined Samoan, Tongan, Niue and Cook Island dialects in Auckland between 2000 and 2008.
  2. http://pacific.scoop.co.nz/2010/09/niue-and-cook-island-maori-languages-threatened/
  3. https://www.ppta.org.nz/dmsdocument/302
  4. https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/LifeinAustralia/Documents/MulticulturalAffairs/cook_islands.pdf
  5. https://www.mfat.govt.nz/en/aid-and-development/our-work-in-the-pacific/cook-islands/
  6. https://atlas.media.mit.edu/en/profile/country/cok/
  7. http://blog.core-ed.org/blog/2015/07/ka-akamaara-ua-rai-tatou-ia-ratou-we-will-remember-them.html
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Going back to the Island

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Diving deeper into the cultures our students carry into the classrooms.

Last year, I was fortunate to go back to my home island of Atiu, in the Cook Islands. It is the place where my father was born, before the Cook Islands even became a nation (the nation of the Cook Islands is only about 50 years old plus change). I went there with Pounamu Media as the focus of a documentary where they were looking at Māori (my mother is a Ngāpuhi) who also had whakapapa connections elsewhere, and, in my case, Pasifika. The focus is on the connection to a tīpuna. I chose my grandfather, so, not someone who had passed a long time ago, but within living memory — I figure you become a tīpuna once you’ve passed on. You can still view the documentary here.

going home to the island

The journey there made me think of how being Pasifika is different depending on where you are and changes over time. As a semi-frequent visitor to the Cook Islands, like many, I try and go back when I can. We refer to the specific islands where our parents were born as our home island and, although I spent some time there in my childhood on Rarotonga (the main island), my experience of being Pasifika has been through the lens of our migrant community here in Aotearoa. Between the 1960s–1980s, being Pasifika meant you were one of the people who got off the boat or plane from the islands. We were relatively easily definable with our common community experiences of seeking employment and education opportunities. In the 1980s I did not know many kids who had both Māori and Pasifika whakapapa, however, today — in 2018 — you’re Pasifika if you got off the plane five minutes ago from the islands or you are the culmination of decades of cross-cultural interactions in melting pots like South Auckland or Porirua. What that diversity of experience means is that my experience of being raised as Pasifika minority in a predominately Palagi population, I could have more in common with say a Niuean kid from Otahuhu than, say, my own relatives born and raised on our home islands, despite our close affinity. (I say Niuean kid in Otahuhu because, yeah, I’ve had this conversation with some Niueans about my age from Otahuhu.)

Atiu

My “home island”

Atiu is an island 187 km northeast of Rarotonga, in the Southern Islands group of the Cook Islands. It is a raised volcanic island surrounded by a reef from which rise 6-metre-high (20-foot) cliffs of fossilized coral (makatea). The makatea cliff forms a one-mile-wide (1.6-kilometre) ring round the island, creating a virtual plateau. The low swampy land consists of taro plantations, marshes, and a lake, Te Roto. This fertile area also grows bananas, citrus fruits, pawpaws, breadfruit, and coconuts. The ancient name of the island was, Enuamanu, meaning, the island of insects and animals. The population is approximately 200. There are significant populations in New Zealand and Australia along with a village called Patutoa in French Polynesia.

Fun Fact: Adrian Orr, the new Governor of the Reserve Bank is also from the island of Atiu. His grandfather migrated to Aotearoa in the 1930s.

What does this mean for educators?

So, what does all this mean for educators here in Aotearoa?

It means we shouldn’t pigeonhole Pasifika students. We shouldn’t assume they all go to church or like sports. Cultures are organic, so our shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices as Pasifika peoples also change over time and context. Because of this, we can assume that each student will have his or her own singular experience about what it means to be Pasifika. There is a rich diversity in what it means to be Pasifika.

I had the privilege over a number of years to work with Ruta Mackenzie, and she would often start her workshops with the following saying:

O tu, aganu’u, ma agaifanua a le tamititi o le a le mafai ona ulufale atu i le potuaoga sei vagana ua fa’atauaina ma faaulufaleina muamua I le loto ma le agaga o le faiaoga.

The culture of the child cannot enter the classroom until it has entered the consciousness of the teacher.

A perfect reminder to have an open mind when working with our Pasifika students, and that we have to go beyond merely pronouncing names properly (this is the basics, guys!). We can take a closer look at how we are meeting our learners’ needs by developing further inquiry into best cultural, inclusive practice. While most schools acknowledge cultural responsiveness in their school charters and strategic plans, this doesn’t always translate well into practice.

This is also what the research tells us:

Alton-Lee (2003) stated “that effective teaching requires teachers to take responsibility for every student’s achievement, to value diversity, have high expectations, and build on students’ experiences. For Pasifika students this requires teachers to understand their day-to-day experiences, their cultural background and the dimensions that make this up including language and cultural values”. (Education Counts: Quality teaching for diverse students in schooling)1.

It’s about creating environments with students at the centre, where Pasifika students have the focus and learning support they need to lift their academic achievement patterns.

In an earlier blog post, Anthony Faitaua showed it like this:

Level One: Surface level — greetings, pronunciation
Level Two: Environmental — the walls reflect diversity
Level Three: Curriculum — a diverse range of texts and authors are represented
Level Four: Pedagogical — teaching style is varied to reflect diversity and to cater to specific cultural needs
Level Five: Assessment — students are assessed in culturally diverse and appropriate contexts

 

We need to appreciate our students with the fullness of cultural diversity that they bring with them when they step into the classroom. It is a cultural diversity that encompasses Aotearoa as a Pacific nation where Pasifika identities continue to grow as they did back in our island homes.

 

1 Ministry of Education Te Tāhuhu o Te Mātauranga. Education Counts. (2003). Quality Teaching for Diverse Students In Schooling: Best Evidence Synthesis Iteration (BES). Wellington, New Zealand: Author.

Image credits:
Photos taken from video of author: Pounamu Media
Photo of island beach scene: the author.

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Treaty-based multiculturalism: Making sense of diverse New Zealand

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treaty talks: te tiriti o waitangi

At CORE Education I have had the wonderful privilege of being able to learn more about what it means to be a New Zealander by attending various noho marae (staying overnight on marae) with whānau Māori (CORE Māori-Medium staff and staff who identify as wanting to engage and learn about Māoritanga and speak te reo Māori). I have valued the cultural learning in this space because, by staying on marae in different iwi around the country, I have learned to understand the importance of land and the emphasis that tangata whenua place on belonging to the land. This is a critical construct to remember where indigenous people often view themselves as belonging to the land, rather than the land belonging to them. Even though I was born in Aotearoa and people would say, as I grew up, that my English was quite good (an expectation if you are born in an English-speaking country), I was aware of the importance of tangata whenua, the indigenous people of Aotearoa, and what I can do as a staunch and confident Samoan New Zealander to respect and absorb similar values that resonate with my own cultural identity.

Te Tii MaraePart of the learning in these noho marae has centred on understanding the historical significance of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the implications for how we see it in our daily lives. The last time I have really focused on learning about Te Tiriti was in high school for 7th Form History. I have used these opportunities of access to learning about Māoritanga to chronicle my journey through previous CORE blogposts. These have surfaced in three blogposts entitled:

I focused on the Treaty principles in the July 2014 blogpost, but have since learned from Alex Hotere-Barnes, Anahera McGregor and Rosalie Reiri that the Treaty articles are the main areas of focus that need to be at the forefront. This is because it is essential to have the words of the Treaty itself guiding us in ways that cause us to understand its implications for our lived reality. These articles can be summarised as:

  • Article 1 (Kāwanatanga — honourable governance):

Crown/schools to govern educational delivery in an equitable way

  • Article 2 (Rangatiratanga — retaining sovereignty):

Tangata whenua retain control over educational delivery

  • Article 3 (Ōritetanga — promote equity):

Māori and non-Māori educational outcomes are comparable

  • Article 4 (spoken promise — cultural/religious freedoms):

Cultural responsiveness and competence supporting language, culture, and identity

For me, the articulation of these articles in these noho marae has also acted as internal professional learning. I wasn’t really familiar with Article 4 before because it was a verbal promise, but I could immediately see the scope of how this connects with me as a Samoan and a Pacific Islander in how I live my life, and how I work as a consultant for CORE Education.

Last year I delivered breakfast seminars in Auckland, Christchurch, and Dunedin entitled Multiculturalism: Navigating the spaces between ethnicity, identity, and diversity. I touched on Treaty-based multiculturalism in these seminars as I felt that we should be moving towards trying to make sense of a diverse New Zealand that still has Te Tiriti o Waitangi at the heart of the foundation of our nation. I have since conceptualised this thinking into a model that includes six main phases in our timeline from a Pacific Island perspective:

pathway to treaty-based multiculturalism

The pathway to Treaty-based multiculturalism/diversity

1. Historical — 1840
The signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi was an agreement between Māori (M) and Pākehā/the Crown (P). The Māori translation of the document was the version that was signed by most of the Māori chiefs, whilst the English version of the document had different terminology, with different translations of kupu Māori, which was interpreted by the Crown to be upheld and binding. This historical view of the Māori and Pākehā partnership is what people who have migrated to Aotearoa need to understand and learn about as the founding document of the nation.

2. Introducing Pasifika — 1910s
The first major wave of Pacific Island (Pas) migration was during the First World War, with the success of colonisation following the signing of Te Tiriti, thanks to the advent of Christianity from the missionaries in the previous century. Niueans, Tongans, and Cook Islanders would serve as New Zealand soldiers in the Great War. Following on from the distinct bicultural partnership between Māori and Pākehā, the inclusion of peoples from the Pacific Islands would signal a subtle shift in the identity landscape. Niue, the Cook Islands, and Tokelau would remain in the protectorate of the realm of Aotearoa and be afforded New Zealand citizenship. Samoa, as a result of being under New Zealand administration during the Great War, would also enjoy New Zealand citizenship towards the end of the century. In this stage, with the introduction of the Pacific Islanders into Aotearoa, Māori, and Pākehā’s historical bicultural partnership bound them together as the founding partners of the nation.

3. Māori and non Māori — 1970s
The cultural renaissance of the 1970s in the Pacific region saw a revival of an indigenous movement — valuing the heritage languages, cultures, and identities of the Pacific. This revival of cultural focus would contribute to leading the charge for the revival of te reo Māori and the introduction of the Māori Language Act in 1987, particularly where te reo Māori was able to be used in legal proceedings. This is a huge contrast to the New Zealand of the 1870s, where the Native Land Court, a key product of the Native Land Act 1865, enabled Māori land to be purchased by Pākehā, which ultimately lead to some Māori dispossession of lands. Language being attached to the land is significant, and this third stage makes it very clear that the distinction of non-Māori to be grouped and defined as Pākehā (P) and Pacific Island (Pas), even as the Pacific nations themselves at this time were also experiencing a resurgence of indigeneity with their respective cultures.

4. Nationalism
Pacific Islanders in Aotearoa understand what it means to have affinity for the indigenous people of the land, as they have similar values and beliefs when it comes to traditional notions of the village and iwi, hapū and kāinga. Pacific Islanders also understand what it means to adopt a national identity, being a New Zealander in the sense that undertaking Kiwi aspects of life that include embracing the common language of communication — English — sees Pacific Islanders being able to navigate their way through Pākehā systems and processes. This means that Pasifika occupy a ‘third space’ where we contribute to a national understanding of identity because we are able to adapt and engage in both worlds — that of Māori and that of Pākehā.

5. Introducing Diversity
The introduction and subsequent increase of diversity in a historically bicultural Aotearoa happened for a variety of reasons. Economic growth with industry,  tourism, and education funded by foreigners, became a mainstay and ultimately resulted in the purchasing of farmland, state assets, and housing. New Zealanders started associating diversity with international foreign fee-paying students who arrived to take advantage of tertiary education offers. However, a 2011 report released by the Ministry of Education recording the numbers of enrolled international students showed a decline in student enrolments. This tunnel-vision perception also neglected to account for the population growth of our very own domestic diversity — New Zealand citizens with multiple ethnic backgrounds growing in a multicultural society that was still struggling to honour its Te Tiriti o Waitangi obligations. If we think about this idea in terms of our multicultural children, we often find this domestic diversity reflected in their ethnic makeup, an example of which is highlighted in Shannon Vulu’s story of Growing a multi-cultural family.

6. Treaty-based multiculturalism
The final stage of the evolution in the presence of the Pacific Islands and other non-Māori ethnicities in Aotearoa New Zealand culminates here. What needs to happen in this space is that it is only when the historical importance of Te Tiriti o Waitangi — the partnership between Māori and the Crown — is acknowledged in all of its entirety, including how that applies to modern Aotearoa, that we will be able to entertain the very notion of Treaty-based multiculturalism. By understanding and having empathy for the human rights of indigenous peoples in their homelands, we will begin to walk the identity journeys of the ancestors that form the foundation for the diversity, and the continuing multiple diversities, that must be underpinned by the Treaty articles. This may also mean that recent migrants, who represent notions of international diversity, must also understand the domestic diversity that has preceded them. This learning could also be reciprocal in nature, where Māori, Pākehā, and Pasifika also learn about the wider world that is represented by international diversity.

As a consultant for CORE, I think about this in the ways that we support children in our schools. Are we serving the interests of our Māori learners, to champion how they see and act for themselves as Māori? Are we able to increase our own cultural intelligence by being able to locate Te Tiriti o Waitangi at the heart of what it means for us to be New Zealanders?

Key questions to consider for your next steps:

  • How do you incorporate the Treaty articles into your teaching practice, strategic planning, and educational leadership?
  • Where is our collective responsibility as a nation to ensure that we continue to thrive as a nation with our bicultural history, our multicultural present, and our ever-increasing diverse future?

I think about these questions in how we can raise the bar with our cultural intelligence to understand international diversity and our own domestic diversity in Aotearoa. These questions can only be answered if we are willing and motivated to push through, rather than pass by, our past.

 

References

Jon Fraenkel, ‘Pacific Islands and New Zealand’, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/pacific-islands-and-new-zealand (accessed 22 November 2017)

‘The Rarotongan Company’, URL: https://nzhistory.govt.nz/war/pacific-islanders-nzef/rarotongans, (Ministry for Culture and Heritage), updated 2-Dec-2016

‘Native Land Court created ‘, URL: https://nzhistory.govt.nz/page/native-land-court-created, (Ministry for Culture and Heritage), updated 17-May-2017

International Division, Ministry of Education (April, 2011). International Student Enrolments in New Zealand 2004-2010.

treaty talks: te tiriti o waitangi

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pasifika leaders' forum

Pasifika Language Weeks – Why should we celebrate them?

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The last New Zealand Census conducted in 2013 recorded the following information for the most common languages spoken by multilingual people. There are distinct regional differences and the rise of European and Asian languages. Despite more French-speaking people in Wellington and Christchurch, Hindi has replaced French as the 4th most spoken language.

language stats new zealand

Source: Statistics New Zealand.

The most commonly spoken languages in New Zealand are:

  • English – spoken by 3,819,972 people (96.1 percent of people who stated at least one language)
  • te reo Māori – 148,395 people (3.7 percent)
  • Samoan – 86,403 people (2.2 percent)
  • Hindi – 66,309 people (1.7 percent)
  • Northern Chinese (including Mandarin) – 52,263 people (1.3 percent)
  • French – 49,125 people (1.2 percent).

Every year the Ministry of Pacific Peoples launches various language weeks from the Pacific. The reason for this may not be clear in terms of the origins of these weeks. You would be correct in guessing that the language weeks celebrate the different indigenous or heritage languages of those Pacific nations who have made their home in Aotearoa New Zealand. But, probably what is not commonly known, is that the purpose of these language weeks has a wider vision that includes the Pacific Languages Framework.

The Ministry of Pacific Peoples has a vision that the Pacific Languages Framework is a commitment to ensuring that Pacific languages are flourishing. This vision will be realised by evidence of more people using Pacific language with skill and fluency in everyday situations, particularly children and young people. Those Pacific languages now at risk will be revitalised, and their future assured. Pacific people’s sense of personal and cultural belonging in New Zealand will be enhanced by the support given to Pacific languages. New Zealanders will appreciate and value Pacific languages as a source of pride in New Zealand’s rich cultural diversity. The government and Pacific communities will be working in partnership to maintain and promote Pacific languages.

Samoa, Cook Islands, and Tonga have celebrated their Pacific languages in May, July, and September this year. And just this month, October, the following have celebrated their languages:

Tuvalu – Sunday 1st October – Saturday 7th October

Fiji – Sunday 8th October – Saturday 14th October

Niue – Sunday 15th October – Saturday 21st October

Tokelau – Monday 23rd October – Sunday 29th October

Did you celebrate any of these weeks?

Challenge:
How can we ensure that our Pacific Languages will continue to be spoken, to keep them alive in our communities?

If you are interested in learning multiple languages, why not make one of them a Pacific language?

To celebrate the Pacific Language Weeks in your centre, school, or organisation in future, or to carry the point of these “Weeks” further, seek further information from:

  1. NZ Online
  2. Coconet TV
  3. Your local library
  4. Your local city council
  5. Pacific Education Centre

The Pacific Language Weeks are a great way to start recognising, valuing, and celebrating Pacific nations in Aotearoa, but you might be asking yourself, how can I offer some meaningful and practical support that will enhance the work we are doing in our team, in our school, and in our communities? How can we offer support beyond the Pacific Language Weeks? This would involve being able to help people who have yet to develop a disposition for working with people of other cultures, different to their own. This process is called developing your “cultural intelligence”.

I have blogged about this concept in a previous blog post about Multiculturalism. If you would like to attend a CORE Breakfast seminar and workshop, there is the final one for the year in Auckland on Friday 10 November. Be sure to register as places are limited!

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