The importance of understanding Te Ao Māori in my practice....

I was challenged by Associate Professor Sonja Macfarlane and Melissa Derby, University of Canterbury's blog post about authentic approaches and if Kaupapa Māori values were more than just words in New Zealand educational settings, which they referred to as rākau - derived from the Te Reo Māori word peni rākau or pencil being a metaphor for ticking the Māori culturally responsive check box.  The approach that was compared was ngākau which means from the heart, where the approach was authentic and where having a deeper meaning of Te Ao Māori concepts and values drives every part of the school. 


I was drawn to read this because of the behaviour management example that was used to consider whether Te Ao Māori values were truly integrated in the learning environment's culture.  I want my approach in my role as Special Education Advisor in the Behaviour Service to come from a ngākau position where restorative approaches are used in a school's behaviour management policy, where the focus is on restoring relationships and building harmony, developing accountability for those involved. 


This approach also really resonates with the learning design of Haeata Community Campus where I was working for the last two years and the difference this can make for our ākonga and rangatahi where mana not only remains intact but is enhanced by taking a strengths-based and learning (ako) approach to behaviour management.  This approach values manaakitanga, aroha and whānaungatanga which are all vales incorporated in the Haeata Community Campus learning design: the school values of manaakitanga, alofa (aroha) and the underpinning phrase, "Relationships are at the heart of all we do" (whānaungatanga).


Macfarlane and Derby went on to explain how the ngākau approach would focus on Māori cultural content within the school's curriculum or learning design and this included the use of Te Reo Māori.  It discussed content being driven by place-based pedagogy and cultural narratives and experiences, understanding the significant and stories associated to place names and local or national areas.  If I think about this in terms of my practice and professional context, if I were to have a ngākau approach it would be to really understand individual ākonga backgrounds, their whānau, their turangawaewae and whakapapa. 


This made me think of one case I am working on currently, supporting a young boy who identifies as Māori although has been displaced from his cultural heritage for some time due to safety issues with his biological father.  The boy was transitioning from one school to another following being excluded from one school and the transition was from a primary school setting to a secondary school setting.  Both the boy and his mother were very open and keen to connect more and learn more about this so it was about listening, whānaungatanga and manaakitanga - understanding what was really important.  I have learned so much about the ngākau approach because of this young boy and it is so amazing to see when his mana is protected, how this supports him to gain confidence in his identity both as a learner and as Māori. 


References:


Haeata Community Campus (n.d.) Curriculum. Retrieved from www.haeata.school.nz


Macfarlane, S., & Derby, M. (2018). From the rākau to the ngākau: Exploring authentic approaches to leadership, policy, and pedagogy. Ipu Kererū: Blog of the New Zealand Association for Research in Education (NZARE).