A major change to New Zealand’s education policy is drawing strong criticism from school leaders, after a bill introduced yesterday proposes repealing Te Tiriti o Waitangi obligations for Boards of Trustees in the Education and Training Act.
The amendment follows the National–NZ First coalition agreement to review all legislation referencing “The Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi” and either replace those references with specific wording or remove them entirely.
Meredith Kennett, president of the New Zealand School Boards Association, says the move sends a confusing signal to boards about their ongoing Crown responsibilities.
“My message to our members is still very clear: you are a Crown entity, and therefore, you have a responsibility. That’s not going to change… because it is a really important part of what a school board does to look after everyone, and a big part of that is understanding our history,” says Kennett.
Bruce Jepsen, president of Te Akatea – the National Māori Principals Association – says the government’s actions not only undermine Māori culture but risk pushing education backwards.
“The principals, academics, iwi leaders, teachers that I speak with daily, 1000s of leaders … are worried about the invisibilization of Te Tiriti, of te reo and mātauranga Māori, and the recolonization of education as a whole,” says Jepsen.
Jepsen is calling for the bill to be scrapped and for education to remain inclusive and honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
