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Wāhanga 9 – Kua riro hei mauhere nā te kaupapa Māori?
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Clip 9 – Paralysed by kaupapa Māori?
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Sarah-Jane
Well, I’ve seen examples where particularly tikanga or kawa are used as blocks for those of us who are trying to work in these settings. And they can be used as a way of making you sit down, making you not have a chance to have your say, of you not having a chance to perhaps advance discussion, and maybe could provide some critical feedback that isn’t wanted.
And I think in those contexts, you have to be really careful in terms of, well how do you respond to that? How do you react when somebody, in your view, is deliberately using tikanga and kawa to stop you from contributing, and in effect stop you from doing your job? And, again, I think, you know you have to sort of assess the situation and see: Is it worth my while to have a battle, to fight it out? And how strong are you in terms of your own values, your own tikanga, your own understanding about what is going on, to fight back? And if you are fighting back, what are you fighting back for? For the fact that somebody has made you sit down – is that the reason? Or is it that you actually do have something valid to say and contribute?
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Ripeka
He roa rawa tō māua kōrero mō tēnei take ko Heeni. Ko tēnā kupu ‘inaction’, koirā te mea tino … āta titiro rā e māua ko Heeni he aha rā tēnā. Kua pōhēhē nei te pātai nei, ā, kei te rarurau tātou, kei te raruraru ngā mahi Māori i runga i tēnei mea te ‘inaction’.
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Ripeka
Heeni and I have discussed this issue many times. This word “inaction”, that’s the issue that Heeni and I have critiqued, what that implies. Inaction has been an issue in our work as Māori.
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Heeni
Āe, kei te whakaae au. Kei te mahia tērā mahi i roto i ā tātou kura. I raro i te maru o te … ngā kura auraki pea, e kore e mārama ana ki ngā whakahaerenga, ngā mahi i mahia ana i roto i ngā kura Māori. Engari tāpiri atu ki tērā, kei te mōhio tonu au ētahi o ō tātou kura e mahi ana i tērā mahi ki te … pea ki te … ki te … i runga i te kore mōhio, me pēhea te whakahaere, me pēhea te whaka … te ārahi i ō rātou kaiako. Ka huna rātou i raro i te reo Māori: “Kāore koe e mōhio i te kōrero Māori,” kei te … “Kāore koe e mōhio ki te pānui i ā mātou mahi, whakatakoto mahi,” ērā mea katoa. Āe, kua kitea tērā. Pēnā kei te … kei te titiro koe ki tērā āhuatanga … kei te whakatikahia tērā, nā te mea kua kitea te … kua taka te kapa pea.
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Heeni
Yes, I agree, that’s happening in our schools. In the English-medium school framework, they don’t understand the work being done in Māori schools. But in addition to that, I know that some of our schools work without knowing how to manage and guide their teachers. They hide beneath the Māori language, with comments like: “You don’t know how to speak Māori”, “You don’t know how to read our work,” all those things. Yes, we’ve observed that. And when you see those things, they’re corrected, once you realise that’s how it is.
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Dee
Does tikanga paralyse us in our work? I don’t like that word ‘paralyse’. I would definitely say it can complicate matters, but that’s only coming from me, who thinks, who over-thinks, who over-analyses, who, and that’s just the way I am. So, yes, it definitely complicates it but, he taonga, it is very precious. So I don’t think it can ever be too precious. ‘Cause it’s something that needs to be fostered and encouraged and maintained, and, to an extent, even revived in some instances.
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Leeana
Kei te kī mai koe, Dee, kei roto tonu i ngā whakaaro, nē? Kei roto tonu ... it's always in the way that we think and work, ehara pea i te tino wero, engari kei reira tonu. Me tino whai ko tā mātou hiahia kia whai, kia whai kia tutuki kia ea ngā wawata o ngā tīpuna.
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Leeana
So you’re saying, Dee, it’s there in our thoughts, aye? It’s always there … it’s always in the way that we think and work, perhaps not so much as a challenge, but it’s always there. We must pursue our goals, follow them in order to accomplish the aspirations and dreams of our ancestors.
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Ripeka
Kāore au e whakaae ki te tīmatanga o te pātai - ka huna haere i ōku mahi ngoikore i runga i aku tikanga. Ahakoa ākene pea kei te pērā rawa ētahi atu i waho nā, i runga i tēnei nā, he tika hoki me nohopuku koe, kia mutu katoa, kāore tērā i te inaction. I tō nohopuku kia whai wāhi ai koe te kōrero i muri tonu atu i ngā mahi a te kaiwhakangungu.
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Ripeka
I don’t agree with the beginning of the question, that inaction is hidden under the guise of tikanga. Even though that might be the case for some out there, in some cases, it’s okay to be silent, and that’s not inaction. While you might be silent, you will find an opportunity to speak after the leader has finished.
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Engari kua ngaro hoki tēnā tikanga o te nohopuku. He rerekē rā te nohopuku ki te ‘inaction’. He tino tikanga tērā, te nohopuku.
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But this tikanga [value] of being silent or patient is not being practised. And it is different to “inaction”. It’s an important tikanga.
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