Te Rangatiratanga o te Reo: sovereignty in Indigenous languages in early childhood education in Aotearoa

Abstract

Te reo Māori, the Māori language is a taonga (something highly valued by Māori) that should have been protected under Article Two of the 1840 Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the treaty that gave Britain the right to settlement of Aotearoa (New Zealand). Article Two guaranteed Māori absolute chieftainship over their lands, homes, resources, and everything of value. Thirty-five years ago the Waitangi Tribunal found te reo Māori is indeed a 'taonga' which the Crown is obliged to protect. In this paper we consider how the dominance of English language practices in education in Aotearoa and unequal access to Māori of power and resources has caused te reo to decline. We outline how the Waitangi Tribunal has identified treaty breaches, before considering recent education policy with a specific focus on the early childhood sector. We conclude by identifying the teacher education sector as a prime site for reinvigorating te reo Māori as both the repository of Māori knowledge and a national taonga. We highlight that whilst recent policy changes signal a governmental commitment to transforming the racist and linguicist legacy of educational policies, ongoing resourcing of support to the teaching profession will be required to ensure the success of these aspirations.

Advice from Māori Experts for Bicultural Early Childhood Education in Aotearoa New Zealand

“…It is an embodiment of tikanga Māori principles and meanings, which in turn influences decision-making. These findings align with earlier research (see, for example, Skerrett, 2018;Skerrett & Ritchie, 2021;G. H. Smith, 1990;L.…”

“…An increasing concern, particularly in ECE, among Māori and scholars of te reo Māori me ōna tikanga (Māori language, heritage, and culture) (see, for example, Skerrett, 2018;Skerrett & Ritchie, 2021;Smith, 1990Smith, , 1999Pihama et al, 2015) is one that argues if we are to articulate our own application(s) of tikanga Māori, then we need to realise that te reo Māori is the catalyst that supports and authenticates our understanding of tikanga. Since 2015, the New Zealand Government and its agencies have made the positive shift of increasing capability within their organisations and beyond to use te reo Māori as an everyday language (Ministry of Education, 2019;Skerrett, 2018).…”

Anti-racism commitment in early childhood education: The limits of cultural competency

“…We argue this assumption is further masked by terminology such as bias, which implies some kind of individual moral failure rather than systemic inequality and unequal power relations. For further discussion on the tension of 'partnership' see Skerrett (2019), Skerrett and Ritchie (2020) and Skerrett and Ritchie (2021).…”

Discourses of children's citizenship in early childhood settings: A cross-national perspective in the global context

“…Compared with the British notion that harsh physical punishment is needed for child-rearing practices, Māori traditions position children as "expressive, respectful, intelligent, independent thinkers and courageous, affectionate, strong, happy, and free" (Skerrett, 2021, p. 14). The overall impact of a colonial education system, which presumed that British language, education, values, and pedagogies were far superior to Māori traditional beliefs and practices, has exerted a negative impact on Māori in terms of retaining their language and belief systems (Phillips, Ritchie, & Dynevor, et al, 2020;Skerrett & Ritchie, 2021).…”

“…Meanwhile, as per the colonial impact mentioned in the beginning of this section, it should be noted that educationists and governments transported and applied these ideas in Aotearoa "for the idealistic purposes of remaking indigenous children" (May, 2015, p. 27). The education agenda for young children, especially those from Indigenous groups, was about instilling Europeanised behaviours and habits (May, 2015), but their rights, culture, and language were neglected (Ritchie & Skerrett, 2013;Skerrett & Ritchie, 2021).…”