Foreword

Education for Māori: Context for our proposed audit work until 2017.

Rurea taitea, kia toitū, ko tai kākā anake.

Strip away the sapwood and get to the heart of the matter.

E ai ki te rangahau, ko te wheako wairua kawa o te iwi taketake huri noa i te ao ki roto i ngā kura he taero a Kupe mō te anga whakamua. E arotahi pū ana tēnei kaupapa rangahau ki te ahuatanga me tōna hāngai ki te iwi Māori.

I whakawhiti kōrero mō te whakawhanaketanga o te akoranga Māori mai i ngā rautau o mua tae noa ki tēnei wā tonu. Mai rāno, kāore anō te nuinga o te iwi Māori kia eke ki tōna taumata nā te pēhitanga kia noho teina tonu ai ōna ake hiahia ki ngā kura. Nā reira he mea nui kia āta wherawhera ai i ngā rangahau me ngā āhuatanga ako ki te rapu he rongoā kia whakatika ai i aua hē.

I whakaae katoa mātou, he kura pounamu ngā momo āhuatanga katoa o te ao mātauranga. Heoi anō, kei tawhiti te ekenga panuku, te ekenga tangaroa mō te iwi Māori kei ngā kura.

Ki a mātou he hiahia anō tō te Kāwana kia whakarite ai i ngā rautaki me ngā kaupapa hei whakatika i ngā raru kia tū ai mō te roanga o te wā, i runga anō i te whakaae o ngā tāngata katoa. I kōrero hoki mō te rautaki mātauranga, arā, ko Ka Hikitia. Me raweke tonu kia hāngai tōna wairua ki tō te hiahia o ngā kaiako, kia puta ai i tōna ihi me tōna wehi hei ārahi, hei whakaawe i te tukunga.

E tika ana tēnei whakataukī hei ārahi, hei arataki i te Kāhui Rangahau.

He taumaha te mānuka kua takotohia. Ki te whakapono ngā kaiako o Aotearoa nei ki te whakaaro rangatira, ki te riro i ngā ākonga Māori he akoranga me tōna kounga tika, kia ārahi ai i a ia ki te eke ki tōna taumata, me timata i nāiatonunei.

Tēnei te maioha nā te Kahui Rangahau ki te Tumuaki o Te Mana Arotake me ona kaimahi nei mō tōna whakarite i te wāhi kōrero hei whakahihiko i te wairua. Ko te tumanako kia ngātahi ai tātou mō ngā tau e rima e heke mai ana.

Research shows that peoples of indigenous cultures are more likely to experience the enduring effect of educational under-achievement as a barrier to progress in life. The concern of this project is specifically to address this issue as it relates to Māori.

We discussed the evolution of Māori education through the decades and into the present. From years ago to the present, many Māori continue to be deprived of educational opportunities that directly affect their future prospects and quality of life because of inequalities and inequities in our schools. It was important, therefore, to examine the research and practices that have tried to "put matters to right".

We reached the consensus that education in all its forms is highly valued by Māori. Yet Māori experiencing success at school has been, for too many and for too long, an elusive imperative.

Our understanding of the current public sector mood is that the problem needs to be urgently addressed, with policies and practices put in place to ensure resolution that is durable and acceptable to constituent parties. We discussed whether the Ministry of Education's Strategy, Ka Hikitia, should be styled in such a way that it resonates more effectively with the sector, to make it a more influential part of that process.

We thought the whakataukī above is an encapsulation of how the Project Group ought to proceed in this matter.

The challenges are tough. If New Zealand's educators truly believe that every Māori student must be given, and deserves to be given, a high-quality education that matches their potential, then there is no time to lose.

The Māori Advisory Group would like to thank the Auditor-General for providing a forum that was motivating and engaging. We look forward to working with the Project Group during the next five years.

Mere Berryman
Lorraine Kerr
Angus Hikairo Macfarlane
Wally Penetito
Graham Hingangaroa Smith

page top