Te Tiriti o Waitangi

Te Tiriti o Waitangi

Treaty of Waitangi principle: “The curriculum acknowledges the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi and the bicultural foundations of Aotearoa New Zealand. All students have the opportunity to acquire knowledge of to reo Maori me ona tikanga.” (TKI)

The Treaty of Waitangi articles are as follows when applied to education:

Kāwanatanga — honourable governance (article 1):

Crown/schools to govern educational delivery in an equitable way.

Rangatiratanga — retaining sovereignty (article 2): Tangata whenua retain control over educational delivery.

Ōritetanga — promote equity (article 3): Māori and non-Māori educational outcomes are comparable.

spoken promise — cultural/religious freedoms (article 4): There is cultural responsiveness and competence supporting language, culture, and identity.

The Treaty of Waitangi principles put students at the centre of teaching and learning. The three “P’s”, as they are often referred to, are the principles of

· partnership

· participation

· 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.

Ka Hikitia – Accelerating Success 2013–2017 has ensured that the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi are applied in education and that the position of Māori is considered fairly when developing policies and funding.

The Teaching Council has published two guidelines for teachers to adhere to:

(a) Tataiako: Cultural Competencies for teachers of Maori Learners

The competencies are:

Wänanga: participating with learners and communities in robust dialogue for the benefit of Mäori learners’ achievement. Whanaungatanga: actively engaging in respectful working relationships with Mäori learners, parents and whänau, hapü, iwi and the Mäori community.

Manaakitanga: showing integrity, sincerity and respect towards Mäori beliefs, language and culture.

Tangata Whenuatanga: affirming Mäori learners as Mäori. Providing contexts for learning where the language, identity and culture of Mäori learners and their whänau is affirmed.

Ako: taking responsibility for their own learning and that of Mäori learners.

(b) Our Code Our standards

The values are:

Whakamana: empowering all learners to reach their highest potential by providing high-quality teaching and leadership.

Manaakitanga: creating a welcoming, caring and creative learning environment that treats everyone with respect and dignity.

Pono: showing integrity by acting in ways that are fair, honest, ethical and just.

Whanaungatanga: engaging in positive and collaborative relationships with our learners, their families and whanau, our colleagues and the wider community.

What this means for the teaching profession:

Partnership involves:

· working together with iwi, hapū, whānau and Māori communities to develop strategies for Māori education.

· Māori being involved at all levels of the education sector

· engaging with the Māori community

· having Māori representatives on boards of trustees

· being welcoming and having genuine relationships with our Māori community.

Participation involves:

· Emphasising 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.”

· 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

Protection involves:

· 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”

· valuing, validating and protecting local knowledge (place-based learning)

· normalising te reo Māori learning and including tikanga school-wide equity for Māori

· Adding a Māori perspective to topics and inquiry is an opportunity for us to weave tikanga and Māori view point into everyday situations.

What this means for my practice as a classroom teacher:

Key questions to consider:

• How do I incorporate the Treaty articles into my teaching practice, strategic planning, and educational leadership?
• What is my place within the 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?
• 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.

Partnership involves:

· Getting to know names in a timely manner

· Pronouncing names correctly.

· Ensuring that there a regular communication between school and home.

· Attempting to use Maori language in a natural way so that it becomes commonplace – “Morena” “et tu”

· Knowing the cultural history of the local area.

Participation involves:

· Encouraging all student regardless of ethnicity or background.

· Allowing all students to access the extra tuition available in the Music Department.

· Maori musical terms on the walls.

· Maori artists and role models on the walls together with prominent New Zealanders who have made their mark locally, nationally, and internationally.

Protection involves:

· Offering student opportunities to study NZ musicians as part of their special topics.