NZCER: Critical Issues in Maori Education forum (March 2012)

On Friday 16 March 2012, I attended the Critical Issues in Maori Education forum hosted by the New Zealand Centre for Educational Research (NZCER). The forum was held at Tapu Te Ranga, Island Bay, Wellington. The purpose of the forum was to assist in the development of the research agenda for Te Wahanga, the Maori research unit within the NZCER. (For more information about this unit, please visit http://www.nzcer.org.nz/te-wahanga.)

In order to develop its new agenda, Te Wahanga has initiated an ethics-approved research project. Attendees at the forum were invited to act as research participants. Information sheets and consent forms were distributed. The collection method was facilitated focus groups. Each focus group comprised of six to eight participants. The facilitators were three Te Wahanga staff members (Jessica Hutchings, Alex Barnes, and Nicola Bright) and two Kaupapa Maori researchers (Jenny Chen and Leonie Pihama). The facilitators collected research questions and critical issues from participants. All sessions were recorded via a digital audio recorder and summaries on paper.

Attendees were from across the education sector, including representatives from a variety of Commissions, teacher unions, national provider collectives, universities, and schools. A feedback session after the completion of the data collection showed an emphasis by participants on issues of equity. Moana Jackson provided closing remarks which located the research in the place of its conduct.

The forum offered a unique opportunity to interact with visiting indigenous scholar, LisaNa Red Bear, and her son. LisaNa is an award-winning artist, scholar, and educator, and is a certified human rights educator and counsellor. Through our conversation, I learnt what education means in North American indigenous communities, particularly those affected by the boarding school phenomenon.  Spirituality is at the centre of LisaNa's work. We spoke of a world without Two Legs, where Grandmother Earth sleeps and is reawakened again. LisaNa is a guest of Fulbright Scholar Leonie Pihama and will be returning to the snows of Washington state after completing her tour of New Zealand. I wish her safe journeys. (For more information on LisaNa, visit http://www.innovativeconceptsunleashed.con/ or http://www.nativeartists.org/LisaNa.)

Attendance at this forum would not have been possible without the financial support of two sections of the University: Te Putahi a Toi / School of Maori Studies (who met all transport costs) and Te Uru Maraurau / Department of Maori and Multicultural Education (who met all accommodation costs). Further, the NZCER contributed to the attendance of each participant through provision of travel vouchers to the value of forty-dollars.

A copy of this report has been submitted to the other attendees from Massey University.  Further, a copy has been made available to other members of the Centres of Teaching and Learning (Massey University) via the service's learning management system.