Pūrākau taketake, biculturalism and education policy

Abstract

Peter Gossage's version of how Maui found his father depicts a reality where our Tupuna Māori seamlessly traverse two worlds. This workshop draws upon the notion of ‘traversing two worlds’ as being ‘not foreign’ to contemporary Māori either. Weak versions of biculturalism in Aotearoa have necessitated in Tangata Whenua, an ability to pass between Māori and non-Māori contexts with ease. We will briefly reflect on Aotearoa's recent history (last 180 years) to the present day and how Māori have adapted to the many different iterations of biculturalism in Aotearoa that have been centered around settler interests. A 'reinvestment' into biculturalism is subsequently suggested and a '4 strand' model that draws from critical theory, kaupapa Māori and decolonizing methodologies is presented as providing the theoretical basis to a meaningful biculturalism. How this model has been applied to critique bicultural policy in a tertiary institution is also shared. (