What's new

Tangata whenua and tangata Tiriti partners describe working together on a Year 7 local curriculum science unit called Plants, Place, and People. Their first plan was to look for links between mātauranga Māori, the science curriculum and an existing plants unit. After ongoing conversations with tangata whenua, mana whenua and kaiako Māori, they judged that approach misguided. They began instead with mātauranga Māori o te ao tūroa and used both mātauranga Māori and science as lenses on plants, place and people. Developing and following tikanga was central to enacting mana ōrite. The approach created space for students in a superdiverse classroom to share their narratives and experiences, which 'desettled' expectations in science.

Why it matters in Aotearoa

Local curriculum and EOTC planning often tries to 'add' mātauranga Māori to an existing unit. This account shows what changes when mātauranga Māori is the starting point and the partnership is governed by tikanga.

Putting it into practice

When designing a place-based unit, talk with mana whenua and kaiako Māori from the outset about where the unit should begin, and agree on tikanga for the partnership.

How strong is the evidence

Practitioner-researcher account of a single unit in one classroom. It offers rich insight into process but limited grounds for generalising.

What to read

The full article, focusing on how the partners changed their starting point and the role of tikanga.

Who it's for