The government’s decision to remove art history as a standalone subject in New Zealand secondary schools is drawing sharp criticism, especially from those concerned about the future of Māori art education.
From 2028, art history will be folded into visual arts, a move officials say is due to low student numbers.
Māori art historian Ngarino Ellis says the change risks erasing vital pathways for understanding Māori culture.
“We were really shocked, because art history for us is such a crucial way of understanding our past, understanding our present and going forward to the future…the reasons given seem very erratic, so they’re talking about the numbers. But then we point to a subject like physics, who actually have fewer enrollments at school. But it is continuing…” says Ellis.
She warns the change could undermine how Māori art and its stories are taught, threatening cultural literacy for future generations.
“You talked about the importance of our art forms as ways into the past. This is how we can look at how our ancestors were thinking about their world and how they were changing as we changed and evolved from being Pacific to Māori…all of that is embedded in the taonga and their movement, their whakapapa…” says Ellis.
There are growing calls for the government to reconsider, with critics warning the move could dilute the depth and significance of art history for Māori students and the nation’s cultural heritage.
