April 28, 2023
Māori medium education pushes case for rangatiratanga
Māori education bodies say an urgent Waitangi Tribunal hearing in Auckland this week, is vital for the future of Māori educational success.
Cathy Dewes from Māori secondary schools’ body Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori say the Government ignored its own Tomorrow’s Schools working party recommendation there should be an autonomous Māori education authority.
She says it’s insisting Māori education stays under the control of a mainstream system that continually fails them.
“So they’ve totally missed the point, and that’s why we knew we had to move, and put a stake in the ground. You’ve got to acknowledge – e te kawanatanga – that we have a tiriti right to this authority and to manage our own affairs. And we’re getting the results, we’re getting all the results which are good for Aotearoa,” Dr Dewes says.
She says Labour claims it supports Māori – but it arrogantly insists it knows best about Māori education needs.
Further hearings are planned over the next month.