From the 19th to the 20th century, a separate system of education existed for Maori learners in New Zealand in which health, hygiene, and manual work were emphasised. This system was based on beliefs that Maori students were less capable, therefore they needed a reduced curriculum to that provided for non-Maori in state schools. Known as the…

In this paper, we consider New Zealand's education system to understand what can happen when we focus only on excellence and students reaching their potential, without simultaneously investing in their sense of belonging and wellbeing. National statistics suggest we are alienating and shortchanging an increasing number of students and, for…

We have collaborated for 25 years as indigenous Maori and non-Maori researchers undertaking research with Maori families, their schools and communities. We have endeavored to meet our responsibilities to the Maori people (indigenous inhabitants of New Zealand) and communities with whom we have researched, as well as meet the requirements and…

As our education systems become more culturally, ethnically and linguistically diverse, rather than benefiting and learning from each other, we still expect all students to be represented within the same curriculum, pedagogy and testing regimen or we form separate enclaves resulting in marginalizaton. When diverse students have physical and/or…

Behavioural and learning difficulties experienced by students from minoritised cultural groups often arise because their cultural beliefs, values and preferred practices differ markedly from those of their teachers and their school. Research in New Zealand has shown that if inclusive education is to have real meaning for these students and their…

This paper examines Early Intervention (EI) service provision from within one Ministry of Education region in New Zealand. It does this in order to better understand what works well and what needs to change if children from Maori families, of Early Childhood age, are to be provided with the most effective EI services. By engaging with Maori…

"Te Kotahitanga" is a research and professional development project that seeks to reduce educational disparities between indigenous Maori students and their non-Maori peers in New Zealand secondary schools. While evidence of the impact of the project on teachers' practice and the associated gains made by Maori students has been published…

This paper considers the relationship between a professional development programme designed to bring about changes in teacher practice through iterative cycles of implementation and evaluation and associated changes in Indigenous students' educational performance. The paper does this by documenting the outcomes of the implementation of the Te…

Te Kotahitanga is a research and professional development project that aims to support teachers to raise the achievement of New Zealand's indigenous Maori students in public/mainstream classrooms. An Effective Teaching Profile, developed from the voices of Maori students, their families, principals and some of their teachers, provides direction…

The major challenges facing education in New Zealand today are the continuing social, economic and political disparities within our nation, primarily between the descendants of the European colonisers and the Indigenous Maori people. These disparities are also reflected in educational outcomes. In this paper, an Indigenous Maori Peoples' solution…

The time has come for kaupapa Maori ideology and epistemology to move from the margins and claim legitimate space within the discipline of education. Kaupapa Maori ideology provides a dynamic framework within which Maori are better able to make meaning of the world and work for change. Increasingly, kaupapa Maori is being used to inform policies…

Teachers and community in a small rural Maori-medium school in New Zealand were concerned that their students who were highly literate in Maori experienced difficulties in reading and writing in English on entry to secondary school (where English was the medium of instruction). Consequently, this school and community introduced a 10-week…