Clip 5: Bridging two worlds

W�hanga 5 – Te tūhono i ng� ao e rua

Clip 5 – Bridging two worlds

Wini
Ka whakauru aku tikanga i te taha o ng� mahi ngaio, n� reira k�ore au i kite he rerekētanga, mēn� ka tū i runga i ng� tikanga i ng� taha e rua, ka whai huarahi, ka whai oranga.

Wini
I include my customs and values in every aspect of my professional work, therefore I don’t see the difference. If I stand with my customs and values from both sides, it helps me to follow my pathway, to have purpose.

Dee
It’s a hard one because I walk in, I’m just as proud of my P�keh� heritage as I am of my M�ori heritage, so I can’t actually sort of say that I merge those two worlds, you know, effectively or perfectly. Somehow I balance it, but I can’t actually say that it’s done well.

And see, that, straight away, that is the first sort of no-no - it’s the fact that I have to resort to speaking in English to get across my point. But I’m going to speak in English. Yes, it’s a constant battle, because sometimes I work with teachers who are, they’re older, senior to me, and more experienced in te ao M�ori.

Leeana
Koin� pea tētahi tino p�tai ki a m�tou, me kī, me pēhea te hīkoi i ng� ao e rua? I te mea kei a m�tou tokotoru ko ng� m�tauranga, m�hiotanga, m�tauranga P�keh� … Āe, kei a m�tou ng� tiwhikete, he t�kuta, ng� tohu paetahi, paerua, kei a m�tou tēr�. Engari ki te taha o te ao M�ori, te taha wairua kei te kimi, kei te wh�ia tonu. Koin� pea te tino p�tai m� m�tou.

Leeana
That’s the important question for us: how should we walk in both worlds, because to us three, the learning, knowledge, and P�keh� education system ... Yes, we have the certificates, the doctorates, the undergraduate degrees, the postgraduate degrees, we have those, but on the M�ori side, the spiritual side, we are still searching and learning. That is the main question for us.

Ripeka
Ko te tikanga pea ki a au kia whai ai te kaiako, te kaiwhaako me pēhea r� taku tū kia noho tahi ai ēnei mea e rua nei. Koira ki a au, karekau ēnei mea e noho wehe ana, e w�w�hi ana. Haere tahi ēnei mea, noho tahi ēnei mea, mahi tahi ēnei mea e rua. I te mutunga iho, ki te kore te tikanga, ka kore hoki ētahi atu mea i raro iho, haere tahi ēnei mea.

Ripeka
I believe that the teacher needs to pursue how to have the two things integrated as one, that’s my opinion. They should not be separate, or split. These two things go together, sit together, work together. In the end, if there are no customs and values, there is nothing underlying to help bring these two things together.

Heeni
Kei te whakaae au k�ore ēnei mea e haere wehewehe, engari kei te … taku p�tai, kei ētahi o ng� kaiako tēr� whakaaro, tēr� �huatanga? N� te mea, te nuinga o r�tou kei te whakaaro tonu i raro i te maru o te anga marautanga o te kura auraki.

Heeni
I agree that these things can’t be separated, but my question is this: is that what some teachers think? Because most of them still think about things in terms of the curriculum framework for English-medium schools.

Ka tīmata ana r�tou i raro i te m�tauranga M�ori, me whakawhiti r�tou i aua whakaaro, engari m� m�tou kē, m� m�tou ng� kaiwhakangungu kaiako e �hua whakam�m� ake i tēr� �huatanga m� r�tou, n� te mea me whakaaro tonu t�tou ētahi o � t�tou kaiako i tipu mai i roto i ng� kura, i ng� m�tauranga o te P�keh�. So k�ore e tino m�m� tēr� �huatanga m� ētahi o r�tou. Me whakaaro tonu t�tou m� r�tou.

So when they move into M�ori education, they need to change that way of thinking. But it’s our responsibility, the teacher educators, to simplify that for them, because we need to be mindful that some of our own teachers were educated in P�keh� schools, so it’s not very easy for some of them. We need to continue to consider them.

Sarah-Jane
The whole positioning of M�ori medium in education is in contest with mainstream education. M�ori medium was established in response to what we always perceived as the failings of mainstream education to meeting M�ori education needs. So I think there’s always that tension of marrying yourself as a M�ori – trying to exist in te ao M�ori and your understanding of that – with being a professional educator, which to a large extent is shaped and driven by mainstream or driven by the government objectives.

I think Mason Durie talks about the interface and at what point ... and he has always talked about citizenship and for our children to be able to grow up as being M�ori, but to be able to exist as citizens of the world. And I think that’s a real tension for our children, but I think it’s also a real tension for M�ori teachers and M�ori educators who are trying to grapple with that issue, and what does that mean, and how do they translate that in the professional context in which they’re working.