New report highlights success of Māori-medium education for rangatahi
Thursday, 8 July 2021
In what has been described as a “long-overdue celebration,” the people who fought for Māori-medium education gathered with ākonga (students), kaiako (teachers) and graduates to celebrate the system.
Hosted at Parliament by Associate Education Minister Kelvin Davis, the celebration was an opportunity to launch Te Kura Huanui: The treasures of successful pathways, a collaborative report from Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori, Ngā Kura ā Iwi, Te Kōhanga Reo, individual Māori-medium sites, the Education Review Office and the Ministry of Education.
Te Reo Māori advocate Dr Cathy Dewestold the crowd that, in the 1980s, Māori mobilised against the “imminent linguistic and cultural extinction”.
Forty years later, she said she was grateful that the government was now acknowledging that Māori could do it for themselves.
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“We can educate the kids who are labelled as the most vulnerable, and at-risk, and support them to achieve their potential.
“They grow to adults who are secure in their Māori identity.'
The report found that Māori-medium education, such as Te Kōhanga Reo, Kura Kaupapa Māori and Ngā Kura ā Iwi, provided models of excellence for Māori education.
It said there were five key conditions found across the sector: Mana Māori Motuhake, being Māori; Tikanga Māori; Whanaungatanga, relationships and connectedness; Ako: Teaching and Learning; and Kanohi Whakakite, leaders as visionaries.
They were essential for Māori learners enjoying and achieving success.
Minister Kelvin Davis said celebrating the success of Māori-medium education was something that was long overdue.
“This work is the first of its kind, a national report sharing these common conditions for success which have been seen across Māori-medium education since Te Kōhanga Reo was founded in 1982.”
He said the founders wanted to create a world where tamariki could learn free of racism, stigma and discrimination, and where culture, language and whakapapa were reflected in their lessons.
“Māori-medium provision remains one of the most significant advancements in New Zealand’s education history.”
Education Review Office CEO Nicholas Pole said the office had wanted to profile the amazing education that occurs in the Māori-medium space.
“Our intention was to unpack the distinctive elements of tamariki succeeding and thriving as Māori, in Māori, and by Māori in their learning contexts.
“We hope this work further legitimates an indigenous education that has the power to significantly change who we are as a nation.”
Early legislation in New Zealand had a significant and detrimental impact on Māori learners, and by the 1970s te reo Māori was in significant decline, the report stated.
Te Kōhanga Reo was established in 1982 by elders and whānau, without government funding, to revitalise language and culture.
It was followed by kura kaupapa Māori in 1985, to provide ongoing te reo Māori schooling, with whānau providing all the teachers, buildings and resources needed to establish the schools.
It was another nine years before the government provided any assistance.
Ngā Kura ā Iwi were established in 2007 to provide autonomy for iwi-based Māori language education.
The report concluded that, while the study clearly showed Māori-medium education provided a nurturing learning environment with excellent outcomes, further work is needed to ensure Māori-medium sites were supported, resourced, and enabled to deliver a strong pathway for learners.