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

this stage in Burgess‟ (2005) study included te reo Māori in their programmes
because children enjoy language learning and this was also apparent in this study.
However, teachers in this study did not so much report on children
enjoying learning another language, but instead advocated for multiculturalism and
for the rights of other ethnicities. Notwithstanding this, I note that knowledge and
understanding derived from Te Tiriti workshops enabled me to realise that
bicultural acknowledgement does not exclude other ethnicities but could instead
provide a stepping stone for an inclusive pedagogy. Achieving Tiriti-based
pedagogy, however, involves moving through being Māori-superseded to the next
stage which is that of being Māori-reliant.
There are two aspects to being Māori-reliant. First, there are some
teachers who seek guidance from a role model. Second, some teachers want to
abdicate their involvement. There is an expectation that Māori teachers will be
able to supply help to those who are Māori-reliant irrespective of the form that
being Māori-reliant assumes. In the first instance, merely seeking collegial help
seems to be a routine matter and this is to be encouraged. In this study, evidence of
the practice of seeking collegial help was apparent not only from teachers, but also
from whānau Māori. Specifically, in this study being Māori-reliant was apparent
when teachers in Case Study One and Case Study Three each noted that having
Māori staff at their centre would be valuable because it would assist them with
implementing Tiriti-based curriculum (see chapter 5). Respondents to the
questionnaire also advocated for Māori staff to assist with Tiriti-based curriculum
(see chapter 6).
The second approach, however, is not necessarily commendable because
in practice teachers abdicate their own involvement and responsibility. Fear of
getting it wrong is often the motive behind becoming Māori-reliant. A likely
explanation appears to be that teachers opt to leave implementation to others
because that task is challenging even though they respect what is involved. This
respect for the culture is important precisely because that respect is what
encourages those teachers to either seek help or to abdicate because they feel they
lack confidence and skills. Personally, in my attitude to Tiriti-based curriculum, I
began as a Playcentre parent who was fearful of getting it wrong. Eventually, I
became confident enough to emulate whānau Māori practices. However, my
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