Te ao kori as expressive movement in Aotearoa New Zealand physical education teacher education (PETE): A narrative account

Ordinary and Extraordinary Stories from Aotearoa New Zealand: A Teacher Educator's Autoethnographic Account of the Struggle to Be Bicultural

“…In developing the BPE programme, I combined the semester coursework for te ao kori and contemporary dance together. I saw that through practical expressive movement, te ao kori was an avenue and medium to work towards cultural understanding between Māori and other people who have different ethnic backgrounds (Legge, 2011).…”

“…Knowing in this way inscribes the Māori concept of whakawhanaungatanga (kinship relationships), implying connectedness and a sense of group responsibility between class members, teacher and others outside of the institution (Legge, 2011).…”

Autoethnography and Teacher Education: Snapshot Stories of Cultural Encounter

“…The significance of my work is that I am not of Māori descent however, through my work as a teacher educator, in physical education and outdoor education, I found an entry point into Māori culture. I have developed a particular interest in addressing issues concerned with teaching te reo kori-the language of Māori movement (Legge, 2011). Māori culture has been integrated into mainstream physical education since the 1940s.…”

“…Te reo kori was situated alongside physical education aspirations such as games, aquatics, dance, gymnastics, and athletics. Since 1999, the concept has broadened to te ao kori-the world of movement, encompassing the body, mind and spirit, and includes teaching a spectrum of Māori traditions in recreational games and pastimes, music, medicine, art, and movement (Stothart, 2002;Legge, 2011).…”

“…Coursework includes, expressive movement through traditional and contemporary dance, roleplays, peer teaching, practical participation in Māori games and pastimes, and links to outdoor education via a four day cultural immersion, staying on a marae (spiritually, the marae is a Māori tribal meeting-ground where traditional customs and protocols are upheld. Physically, a marae is a complex of buildings that include a wharenui-meeting house, wharekai-dining room and wharepaku-bathroom) in Northland, Aotearoa New Zealand (Legge, 2006;Legge, 2011).…”