Emma Parangi (Ngāpuhi), Educational Leadership Project and the University of Auckland
Indigenous knowledges have been drawn upon to enrich education across the globe. In Aotearoa New Zealand, bicultural curricula and educational leadership which integrates Māori knowledge are the national aspiration. This blog post outlines the research my colleagues and I have been engaging in alongside early learning communities in our roles as pouako whakaako and kairangahau Māori within the Educational Leadership Project. We draw from the rich history and present of Kaupapa Māori research and practice. In this way kaiako and kaiārahi are supported in the ongoing work of understanding and integrating Indigneous knowledges into the pedagogy and practice of their places.
The following three examples highlight a common thread of the transformative and democratizing power of sharing story through Wānanga (generative discussion) and Pūrākau (cosmogony through storytelling). Māori ways of knowing and being, as with many Indigenous cultures, have been created and shaped through these oral traditions. The ECE communities involved provide insights into the potential outcomes for children, teachers and families, when Indigenous knowledge and methodologies are understood and implemented from the foundations of pedagogy and practice. Teachers who know themselves deeply, and seek supported access to Māori knowledges, can provide culturally sustaining learning opportunities for all children.
He tauira tuatahi – Kaihautū nā Emma Parangi
First I am going to outline my ongoing PhD study which involves working with a small group of wāhine taketake (Indigenous women of the Pacific Ocean) who are currently leaders in early childhood education (ECE). The group is made up of half wāhine Māori and half fafine Pasifika. Together we are examining what leadership means and looks like to us, how we navigate the colonial education system, and what our relationship and responsibilities are to one another. Using a Kaupapa Māori and Moana methodological framework this study consists of a series of Wānanga, a complex inter-relational discussion method, consisting of inherited traditions, centred on local ways of knowledge transmission and creation. Current themes emerging from the study include;
- the centrality of identity to all aspects of leadership
- the ongoing challenges of navigating Western systems and approaches which requires edge walking and operating at a high functioning capacity in multiple worlds
- future visioning through active mentoring and succession planning
Knowledges shared in this research have the potential to expand on the understandings of many complex ideas and realities for Indigenous teachers and leaders. This includes the relationship of Indigenous practitioners to the colonial education system, and how to better centre, recognise, compensate and listen to the contributions to wāhine taketake in ECE.
He tauira tuarua – Ngā reo e toru – Nā Roberta Skeoch
Turning to the next example, this research investigated how the Trissessment approach can be used to amplify the voices of children and their families in the assessment for learning process. Trissessment includes children, family and teachers in the assessment process. Beginning with the tamaiti, kaiako invite them to share their own perspective on what learning is happening for them. Their voice is documented by the kaiako and then shared with their whānau, with an invitation for them to share their perspective as well. Finally the kaiako shares their perspective on the initial learning experience, with the added richness of the voices of the tamaiti and their whānau already present.
The Trissessment approach is based on Tautuutu, a traditional Māori framework of reciprocity which is drawn from the kawa of whaikōrero. This varies between hapū, but generally involves mana whenua speaking first, then passing the right of kōrero to their manuhiri. This process, which is repeated, serves to enhance the ‘mana’ of all involved, a core value of the Māori world and of central importance to Te Whāriki. Data was drawn from a pilot project and research completed as part of a two-year NZ Ministry of Education Teacher-Lead Innovation Fund project completed in 2018.
Through an action research approach to implementing trisessment, teachers reported significant shifts in their practice including deeper listening and talking more to children about their thinking and learning. The order of the process saw parents contributing to, rather than just commenting on, assessment for learning. Teachers felt they gained a richer understanding of children and their families and parents felt included and empowered by the process. Trissessment can be used as an effective tool to deepen relationships between teachers, children and parents to support belonging and agency and enable all to contribute to learning.
He tauira tuatoru – Te mana o te atua wāhine i te pūrākau nā Maria Sydney
The final example outlines key findings from ongoing research exploring the inclusion of wisdom from pūrākau, focussing on the stories of Atua Wāhine, in learning stories. Pūrākau are a rich source of ancestral knowledges, and this study’s focus on Atua Wāhine aims to contribute towards rebalancing the patriarchal impacts of colonial education. As pūrākau and Atua Māori have reentered ECE there has been a significant lack of stories and knowledge of Wāhine. Those who are depicted are often shown only through a male lens. Research shows there are many barriers to whānau and tamariki Māori receiving culturally informed and sustaining education and care in ECE in Aotearoa. A component of this is the skewed and misogynistic view that has been created through generations of erasure or biased retellings of the stories of wāhine and Atua Wāhine.
This study is one potential pathway to reclaiming and affirming Māori identities. Through focussed inquiry, the stories of Atua Wāhine can and have been rediscovered. Many have been held by Wāhine Māori and passed down through generations. As kaiako receive these taonga and weave them into learning stories, Atua Wāhine become a connected part of the worlds we are co-creating with tamariki and whānau in our communities.
This work illustrates the potential of connecting narrative assessment and pūrākau to create reconnection to ancestral wisdoms that has been taken via colonial violence. This research highlights future pathways for transforming communities through the power of story.
Ka mua, ka muri – Looking back to move forward
These examples illustrate the enriching potential for tamariki and whānau when kaiako are committed and supported in understanding and connecting with Indigenous knowledges. As kaiako in Aotearoa we can learn from, be inspired by, contribute to, and expand on this mahi in our own learning spaces with our own learning communities.
He uri tēnei nō Ngāpuhi. Ko Ngāti Rēhia rāua ko Ngāti Moerewa ōku hapū. Nō Aerana rātou ko Koterana ko Ingarangi hoki ōku tupuna. He kaiako me he ākonga ahau. Emma Parangi is a PhD candidate at Te Puna Wānanga, University of Auckland, and a Professional Learning Facilitator with Educational Leadership Project. Her mahi focusses on supporting ECE kaiako to ensure tamariki and whānau receive culturally responsive education and care.
Cover image © Emma Parangi 2024. Reproduced by permission.
Ipu Kererū 