supporting tiriti-based curriculum delivery in mainstream early ...

what we hope to grow. I would say we‟re not hundred per cent there but
we are in the process. This is their centre, their children and it is not that
we are an expert and you are receiving it. It‟s a partnership, so if you
have some strength you do it and we have some strength we bring it. So
this is our common platform where the parent and teachers come
together for children‟s learning and we have done in a few other areas
(not just in bicultural curriculum per se) like community life and Active
Movement (FG: D, 15/12/08).
The second element of this concept is Māori specific and involves
processes of involving whānau Māori through rituals of welcoming, farewelling,
and sharing kai (Ritchie & Rau, 2006a). In this study there was evidence of this
practice in Case Study One and Case Study Two. In Case Study One, teachers
built relationships with whānau Māori by inviting them to make Māori bread with
the children. Subsequently, one of the Māori fathers introduces new waiata to the
children and spent time singing these with them. In Case Study Two, development
grew from teachers‟ introducing artefacts into the environment through to children,
teachers and families participating in a pōwhiri.
These examples show that educators, with the help of whānau Māori, can
increase their “fluency in te reo to enable them to authentically model waiata and
pakiwaitara and incorporate knowledge of local iwi tikanga and kawa” (Ritchie &
Rau, 2006a, p. 17). Whakawhanaungatanga, or the building of relationships, can
thus be an effective way to develop Tiriti-based curriculum (Ritchie & Rau,
2006b).
In Case Study Two, parents and younger siblings came to afternoon
sessions, which enabled several Tiriti-based curriculum developments to unfold.
First potential kindergarten children began to know the teachers. Second,
tuakana/teina relationships between older and younger siblings came to be nurtured
within the educational setting. Most importantly, though, it was an opportunity for
whanaungatanga to develop as parents from the marae came to visit:
I have noticed in the afternoon session how many parents stay for a while
to let younger siblings have a play. Today there were four. This is so
important, as the parents are chatting to each other and the children are
developing relationships with us. Also, children at the kindergarten are
able to nurture the younger ones and peer tutor. Parents have
commented [that] they think they belong here! And that is wonderful. K
(mum) brought a couple of parents from the playgroup at the marae, to
visit this afternoon. One has enrolled and hopefully will start soon. K is
a great advocate for us and that is so great. Her son came with a bag of
carved rocks that Dad had made. We will add them to our other works of
art (Jl: A, 2/6/04).
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