Examining the impediments to Indigenous strategy and approaches in mainstream secondary schools

Honoring the Treaty: School Leaders’ Embrace of Indigenous Concepts to Practice Culturally Sustaining Leadership in Aotearoa**Aotearoa is the Indigenous name for New Zealand.

“…In the schools, it was acceptable for school leaders to embrace Indigenous practices, like teaching Te Reo Māori, but it was much more difficult for Pākehā school leaders to share power with Māori families and communities. Hynds et al (2015) also found barriers school leaders faced implementing culturally sustaining practices for Indigenous students, and that power-sharing was among them, In terms of emergent theory, therefore, this study suggests that power-sharing is perhaps the most challenging of all of the culturally sustaining practices, which reflects struggles present in the larger society. While Aotearoa is making progress by starting to honor the Treaty of Waitangi by embracing its dual identity as both Indigenous and Pākehā, for example, Māori and Pākehā still have differential access to power and resources.…”

“…Can a mainstream education system that was historically developed to assimilate those different from the dominant group, truly deliver an education that will fulfill the aspirations of a nondominant cultural group, which is intent on maintaining and developing its own educational future? (Hynds et al, 2015, p. 19).…”

“…For Māori, the concepts of collective vision and strategy are Indigenous approaches that have significant political, cultural, and educational dimensions (Smith,1999). “Within Aotearoa New Zealand the kaupapa, or collective vision and strategy, foregrounds Māori ethnicity and culture as it is directly linked to sustaining and revitalizing te reo meona tikanga (Māori language and cultural knowledge bases) and the well-being of tribal communities” (Hynds et al, 2015, p. 4).…”

Being, Flow and Knowledge in Māori Arts Education: Assessing Indigenous Creativity

“…In previous research work, I investigated the collaborative partnership work of Māori and non-Māori teachers who were involved in culturally responsive reform in two mainstream schools. Over time, I became more aware of particular identities in culturally responsive reform work that were related to the norms, power and authority of dominant cultural elites across particular school communities (Hynds et al, 2014). These research findings indicated that culturally responsive practice can privilege particular cultural identities over others, fuelled by hegemonic schooling processes of assimilation.…”

“…Māori students are over-represented in suspension rates and special education programs, experience lower educational attainment, and leave school with fewer qualifications compared to students of European descent (Ministry of Education, 2006). There is an increased need to focus on the quality of teacher assessment of students’ learning within schools (Timperley, Wilson, Barrar, & Fung, 2007) and the need for schools to account for Māori student achievement (Hynds et al, 2014).…”