Week 5 - Te Tiriti and Education

As a primary school teacher for 25 years, I have seen a number of curriculum documents land on staff room tables or be introduced in staff meetings. This week I have looked back at the curriculum documents that have existed in my years of teaching and how they have addressed or upheld Te Tiriti o Waitangi. 


In my first year of teaching in 1999, I used the curriculum books that came in all different colours for each curriculum area. There was a NZ Curriculum Framework but this was not gazetted so the majority of teaching was done from individual subject area curriculum documents. These documents have some mention of the Treaty of Waitangi but more in a way of recognising that it exists rather than critically examining it. There are also pages for how to educate Māori, which comes under the overall heading that also includes gender, special needs and ESOL students which does seem to label Māori as a special case rather than tangata whenua. The Social Studies curriculum (MOE, 1997) includes the development of understandings of the Treaty of Waitangi with whakatauki scattered throughout and an encouragement to consult with iwi (p.g. 21). It also states that essential learning will include “the effects of colonisation for Māori and Pākehā” (MOE, 1997, pg. 23) but does not talk about any inequalities or marginalisation.


In 2007 The New Zealand Curriculum was published and gazetted and we start to see the inclusion of Te Tiriti o Waitangi alongside the Treaty of Waitangi. The Treaty of Waitangi is listed as one of the principles of the curriculum and the vision states “ Māori and Pākehā recognise each other as full Treaty partners” (MOE, 2007, pg. 8). There is mention of various aspects of te reo Māori and tikanga throughout particularly in arts, languages, health and social sciences but it does seem to have been included in rather than informed by. 


In 2022 a refreshed curriculum was released by the Labour Government with the name of Te Mātaiaho (to observe and examine the strands of learning). There were four main reasons for the curriculum refresh, with the first being to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. MĀTAIRANGI is the guiding overarching kaupapa that expresses the centrality of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and its principles, and New Zealand’s vision for education (MOE, 2023, pg. 6). This version of Te Mātaiaho was firm in its belief that we needed to move past honouring Te Tiriti to truly giving effect to it and “to those ākonga who have historically been left behind or situated on the margins.” (MOE, 2023, pg. 8). 


In the last week we have seen the start of the National Governments refresh of Te Mātaiaho and it is disheartening to see key sections that relate to Te Tiriti missing. In the Maths purpose statement, the whole paragraph about mātauranga Māori as a distinctive body of knowledge has been removed (MOE, 2024, pg. 4). Time will tell but I await further releases with not much optimism. 


References:


Ministry of Education. (1997). Social Studies in the NZ Curriculum. Learning Media.


Ministry of Education. (2007). The New Zealand Curriculum. Learning Media.


Ministry of Education. (2023). Te Mātaiaho: The Refreshed New Zealand Curriculum. Learning Media.


Ministry of Education. (2024). Te Mātaiaho: The New Zealand Curriculum Mathematics and Statistics Year 0 - 8. Learning Media.

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