Mātauranga Māori

This course engages tauira with mātauranga Māori as a living knowledge system and its significance for education in Aotearoa New Zealand. Grounded in te ao Māori, the course explores Māori worldviews, values, tikanga, and pedagogical principles, and examines how these have shaped—and continue to shape—education within historical and contemporary contexts.
Tauira critically examine Māori educational experiences and the history of schooling in Aotearoa New Zealand, including the ongoing impacts of colonisation, and consider how mātauranga Māori contributes to culturally sustaining and socially just educational practice. The course engages with relevant Māori educational frameworks and pedagogies, supporting tauira to understand how these inform everyday teaching and learning across educational settings.
Informed by Te Tiriti o Waitangi and te Rongopai, the course invites tauira to reflect on personal philosophy, identity, and calling as teachers in Aotearoa New Zealand. Tauira also develop elementary proficiency in te reo Māori for educational contexts, building confidence in conversational language and classroom use. Learning is supported through participatory and relational pedagogies, including noho marae, which provide opportunities to engage authentically with Māori ways of teaching, learning, and being.