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Chapter 1: Introduction and Overview of the Study
Introduction
Above all, we need to continue the process of reclaiming indigenous
discourses by placing greater emphasis on our cultures and venacular
languages in our curriculum planning, teacher education and research
activities. We need to continue to analyse indiginous structures, processes
and emphases, and to find out about assumptions that underlie teaching and
learning in our traditional societies. In this way we may finally succeed in
bringing about the kind of synthesis of the best of our cultures…for the sake
of learners in the twenty-first century. If we delay or fail in our task, we will
continue to witness the erosion and/or disappearance of our cultures and
languages as well as the type of education (ako) that provided the link
between the two (K. H. Thaman, 1995, p. 10)
In this chapter, I offer a story of how the Tongan migrants came to be the core of the
study. The chapter introduces Tongan migration and the reasons for their migration.
Following the aim of the study, the title and the research questions are discussed. The
chapter ends with the assumptions and the significance of the study, followed by the
overview of the study.
A story of our many stories.
Coxon and Mara (2000) stated that the quality and well organised nature of formal
education in Aotearoa New Zealand persuaded people to migrate to New Zealand from
the Pacific Islands including the Island Kingdom of Tonga. From a Tongan perspective,
the quality education includes qualified teachers, that is, most teachers are registered.
There are varieties of institutions with a wide field of career subjects allowing students
to choose according to their interests. The well equipped classrooms and available
facilities in schools enable and support both students and teachers in their roles in
education. The availability of literature with many outstanding and brilliant ideas of
great thinkers and writers upgrade the knowledge of migrants. Those are the
characteristics of quality education that Tongan people assume to have in New Zealand.
Tongans who are migrating to New Zealand are experienced travellers. Tongan people,
long ago, travelled within the islands in Tonga and even travelled abroad. The reason
for travelling was mainly to seek the best for their families. The ‘best’ refers to the
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