Te Whakahōnere ngā Wawata o te Whānau: Honouring the Educational Aspirations of Whānau Māori in two English-Medium Primary Schools in the Otago-Southland regions in Aotearoa New Zealand

Abstract

This paper reports on the preliminary findings of a study carried out in two English-medium primary (elementary) schools (years 1–6) located in the Otago-Southland regions between 2014 and 2015. The purpose of the study aimed to explore the educational aspirations whānau Māori (i.e., Māori family) want for their children, and to build better relationships for teaching and learning in these two schools. The opportunity to bring whānau Māori together using a school hui (i.e., formal school meeting) process, not only created a culturally safe space for whānau Māori to share their thoughts, ideas and concerns about their children's education, but it also provided an opportunity for constructive feedback, and a greater awareness of the success enablers for whānau Māori and their children. A key finding to emerge, is that, whānau Māori not only see the provision of schooling and education for their children as an extension of who they are as culturally connected learners, but also as a medium for learning more about their own cultural norms, values, beliefs, strengths and attributes.

Te Pā Harakeke: Māori and non-Māori parent (whānau) support of culturally responsive teaching pedagogies

“…The New Zealand Ministry of Education has set clear goals and policy directives to improve outcomes for Māori by requiring school leaders to create a culturally rich environment which supports Māori enjoying educational success as Māori (Ministry of Education, 2009) and by ensuring all students learn material which is relevant to them and which builds on their existing cultural knowledge (Hall, 2014;Hallman, 2018;Whitinui, 2017). For the purposes of this paper, a culturally supportive learning context is understood as one where Māori students are cared for and encouraged by teachers who understand te ao Māori (the Māori world), where teachers endeavour to learn about students' strengths, interests and aspirations, and take the time to develop relationships with Māori students' whānau and the wider community (Education Review Office 2008;Hall, 2014;Hallman, 2018;Ministry of Education, 2009;Whitinui, 2017).…”

“…The educational aspirations of Māori whānau are vast and include dimensions such as their child's happiness, the development of strong cultural values, a sense of belonging, responsibility and integrity for others in the community (Barnes et al, 2012;Hutchings et al, 2012;Macfarlane et al, 2014;Whitinui, 2017). Whitinui (2017) explored whānau educational aspirations in two primary schools in the South Island of New Zealand. He found a disjunct between teacher and whānau conceptions of success.…”

“…He found a disjunct between teacher and whānau conceptions of success. Teachers were more likely to focus solely on academic achievement, whereas Māori whānau and tamariki prioritised cultural and social factors such as happiness and wellbeing, positive relationships and participation in sport (Whitinui, 2017). The literature contends that school leaders and teachers often focus on academic expectations, whereas Māori whānau expectations are more often aligned with aspirations for the development of the "whole child" (Barnes et al, 2012;Hutchings et al, 2012;Macfarlane et al, 2014;Whitinui, 2017).…”

“…Teachers were more likely to focus solely on academic achievement, whereas Māori whānau and tamariki prioritised cultural and social factors such as happiness and wellbeing, positive relationships and participation in sport (Whitinui, 2017). The literature contends that school leaders and teachers often focus on academic expectations, whereas Māori whānau expectations are more often aligned with aspirations for the development of the "whole child" (Barnes et al, 2012;Hutchings et al, 2012;Macfarlane et al, 2014;Whitinui, 2017). Hutchings et al (2012) found that Māori whānau from English-medium school settings believed that schools focused on non-Māori definitions of success, placing attention primarily on academic achievement.…”

“…Strong cultural identity is important to the success of Māori tamariki (Hall, 2014;Macfarlane et al, 2014;Hutchings et al, 2012;Whitinui, 2017). Macfarlane et al (2014) found whānau pass on cultural knowledge to their children in multiple ways.…”