TAUĀKĪ ŌKAWA
E tautoko ana a Ngā Kura ā Iwi o Aotearoa i ngā kitenga a te Taraipiunara o Waitangi mō te whakahounga marautanga
24 o Hepetema 2026
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E ai ki a Ngā Kura ā Iwi o Aotearoa, ko te mana o te whānau, o te hapū, me te iwi ki te whakatau i te ara ako e tika ana mō te uri, tētahi whakatinanatanga o tēnei mea te tino rangatiratanga. Koinei hoki te mana whakatau i te reo, i ngā tikanga, i te mātauranga me ngā momo ara e ako ai te uri, ko wai ia, nō hea ia.
Kua puta ngā kōrero i te Taraipiunara e mea ana i hē tā te Karauna ū ki tēnei hononga i roto i tana whakahou i Te Mātaiaho. I whakaae te Taraipiunara ki ngā taunakitanga a Ngā Kura ā Iwi e mea ana kīhai a Ngā Kura ā Iwi i whai wāhi atu ki ngā mahi whakahou i Te Mātaiaho, ā, ko te iti hoki o te whai wāhitanga o Ngā Kura ā Iwi ki ngā mahi whakahou i Te Marautanga o Aotearoa, kāore i eke ki te taumata e tika ana.
I kitea e te Taraipiunara, i takahia te mātāpono o te kōtuinga, ā, kīhai hoki te Karauna i whakamana i Te Kawa Whakapūmau, arā, te kawenata ōkawa i waenga nui i te Karauna me Ngā Ringa Raupā o Ngā Kura ā Iwi.
Waihoki, kāore i eke tā te Karauna tiaki i te āhua motuhake o Te Marautanga o Aotearoa hei marautanga e whai tūāpapa mātauranga Māori ana. Me te aha, ka toko ake te pātai: “nō wai te mātauranga?”
E ai ki a Ngā Kura ā Iwi, koinei te uho o te mana motuhake. I whakatūria ngā kura ā-iwi e ngā whānau, e ngā hapori, e ngā iwi hei ako i ngā uri ki tētahi marau i hoahoatia ai ki tō rātou ake reo, ki ā rātou ake tikanga, ki ō rātou ake mātauranga, me ō rātou ake wawata. Me mātua whai wāhi atu ngā whānau me ngā iwi i te takinga mai o te marau, kia kaua kē rātou e tonoa kia urutau, kia whakawhiti rānei i tētahi anga i hangaia i wāhi kē.
I tūtohu te Taraipiunara i te Karauna kia whakahoua āna mahi mā:
E mea ana a Ngā Kura ā Iwi he hirahira ēnei kitenga mō te whakatika i te hononga.
E whakahau ana mātou i te Karauna me te Minita o Te Tāhuhu o Te Mātauranga ki te hoki atu ki Te Kawa Whakapūmau, ki te whakahōnore i ana herenga, me te mahi tahi ki nga kura ā-iwi e kitea ai te mana motuhake me ngā wawata o ngā hapū, o ngā iwi me ngā kura i ngā marautanga e whakawhanakehia ana ā haere ake nei.
Ko te pūrongo o te rangi nei te wāhanga tuatahi o ngā wāhanga e rua o ngā kitenga kaupae tuarua a te Taraipiunara. Ka puta he pūrongo anō e hāngai ana ki ngā huringa o ō ngā kura pōari me ōna herenga Tiriti ā tōna wā.
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Ngā Kura ā Iwi o Aotearoa welcomes Tribunal findings on curriculum reform
For Ngā Kura ā Iwi o Aotearoa, the right of whānau, hapū and iwi to shape how our uri learn is an expression of tino rangatiratanga. It includes the right to determine the reo, tikanga, mātauranga and educational approaches through which uri learn who they are and where they belong.
The Waitangi Tribunal has found that the Crown failed to adequately uphold this relationship in its redesign of the national curriculum. It accepted evidence that Ngā Kura ā Iwi was excluded from the New Zealand Curriculum reset and that limited participation in the review of Te Marautanga o Aotearoa did not amount to meaningful engagement.
The Tribunal found the Crown breached the principle of partnership and failed to honour Te Kawa Whakapūmau, the formal relationship agreement with Ngā Ringa Raupā for kura ā-iwi.
It also found the Crown had not adequately protected the distinct character of Te Marautanga o Aotearoa as a curriculum grounded in mātauranga Māori, raising the question: “rich in whose knowledge?”
For Ngā Kura ā Iwi, this goes to the heart of mana motuhake. Kura ā-iwi were established by whānau, communities and iwi so uri can learn through marau shaped by their own reo, tikanga, mātauranga and aspirations. Our whānau and iwi must therefore be involved from the outset, rather than asked to adapt or translate frameworks developed elsewhere.
The Tribunal recommended the Crown reset its approach by:
Ngā Kura ā Iwi considers these findings an important opportunity to reset the relationship.
We call on the Crown and the Minister of Education to return to Te Kawa Whakapūmau, honour its commitments, and work alongside kura ā-iwi so future curriculum development reflects the mana motuhake and aspirations of our hapū, iwi and kura.
Today’s report is the first of two parts of the Tribunal’s stage two findings. A further report on changes to school boards’ Te Tiriti obligations is still to come.
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Ngā manaakitanga ki a koutou katoa,
Nāku iti nei,
Nā Watson Ohia,
Pou Kōkiri - CEO o Ngā Kura ā Iwi o Aotearoa
ENDS
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E ai ki a Ngā Kura ā Iwi o Aotearoa, ko te mana o te whānau, o te hapū, me te iwi ki te whakatau i te ara ako e tika ana mō te uri, tētahi whakatinanatanga o tēnei mea te tino rangatiratanga. Koinei hoki te mana whakatau i te reo, i ngā tikanga, i te mātauranga me ngā momo ara e ako ai te uri, ko wai ia, nō hea ia.
Kua puta ngā kōrero i te Taraipiunara e mea ana i hē tā te Karauna ū ki tēnei hononga i roto i tana whakahou i Te Mātaiaho. I whakaae te Taraipiunara ki ngā taunakitanga a Ngā Kura ā Iwi e mea ana kīhai a Ngā Kura ā Iwi i whai wāhi atu ki ngā mahi whakahou i Te Mātaiaho, ā, ko te iti hoki o te whai wāhitanga o Ngā Kura ā Iwi ki ngā mahi whakahou i Te Marautanga o Aotearoa, kāore i eke ki te taumata e tika ana.
I kitea e te Taraipiunara, i takahia te mātāpono o te kōtuinga, ā, kīhai hoki te Karauna i whakamana i Te Kawa Whakapūmau, arā, te kawenata ōkawa i waenga nui i te Karauna me Ngā Ringa Raupā o Ngā Kura ā Iwi.
Waihoki, kāore i eke tā te Karauna tiaki i te āhua motuhake o Te Marautanga o Aotearoa hei marautanga e whai tūāpapa mātauranga Māori ana. Me te aha, ka toko ake te pātai: “nō wai te mātauranga?”
E ai ki a Ngā Kura ā Iwi, koinei te uho o te mana motuhake. I whakatūria ngā kura ā-iwi e ngā whānau, e ngā hapori, e ngā iwi hei ako i ngā uri ki tētahi marau i hoahoatia ai ki tō rātou ake reo, ki ā rātou ake tikanga, ki ō rātou ake mātauranga, me ō rātou ake wawata. Me mātua whai wāhi atu ngā whānau me ngā iwi i te takinga mai o te marau, kia kaua kē rātou e tonoa kia urutau, kia whakawhiti rānei i tētahi anga i hangaia i wāhi kē.
I tūtohu te Taraipiunara i te Karauna kia whakahoua āna mahi mā:
- te whakaora i te whakapono i ngā pouako Māori me ngā hapori, tae atu ki ngā āheinga me ngā awenga ki ngā kaiwhakatau;
- te āhukahuka i te mātauranga Māori hei pūnaha mātauranga anō me te tautoko i te tukunga ihotanga o ōna mātauranga;
- te mahi ki ngā mātanga marautanga Māori, me te whakamahi i ngā whakaaetanga kupu matatapu (non-disclosure agreements) i ngā wā motuhake anake; ā
- te hoki ki ngā mahi whakahou ki te waihanga i tētehi marautanga e motuhenga nei te taketake mō te ara reo Māori me te kaupapa Māori.
E mea ana a Ngā Kura ā Iwi he hirahira ēnei kitenga mō te whakatika i te hononga.
E whakahau ana mātou i te Karauna me te Minita o Te Tāhuhu o Te Mātauranga ki te hoki atu ki Te Kawa Whakapūmau, ki te whakahōnore i ana herenga, me te mahi tahi ki nga kura ā-iwi e kitea ai te mana motuhake me ngā wawata o ngā hapū, o ngā iwi me ngā kura i ngā marautanga e whakawhanakehia ana ā haere ake nei.
Ko te pūrongo o te rangi nei te wāhanga tuatahi o ngā wāhanga e rua o ngā kitenga kaupae tuarua a te Taraipiunara. Ka puta he pūrongo anō e hāngai ana ki ngā huringa o ō ngā kura pōari me ōna herenga Tiriti ā tōna wā.
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Ngā Kura ā Iwi o Aotearoa welcomes Tribunal findings on curriculum reform
For Ngā Kura ā Iwi o Aotearoa, the right of whānau, hapū and iwi to shape how our uri learn is an expression of tino rangatiratanga. It includes the right to determine the reo, tikanga, mātauranga and educational approaches through which uri learn who they are and where they belong.
The Waitangi Tribunal has found that the Crown failed to adequately uphold this relationship in its redesign of the national curriculum. It accepted evidence that Ngā Kura ā Iwi was excluded from the New Zealand Curriculum reset and that limited participation in the review of Te Marautanga o Aotearoa did not amount to meaningful engagement.
The Tribunal found the Crown breached the principle of partnership and failed to honour Te Kawa Whakapūmau, the formal relationship agreement with Ngā Ringa Raupā for kura ā-iwi.
It also found the Crown had not adequately protected the distinct character of Te Marautanga o Aotearoa as a curriculum grounded in mātauranga Māori, raising the question: “rich in whose knowledge?”
For Ngā Kura ā Iwi, this goes to the heart of mana motuhake. Kura ā-iwi were established by whānau, communities and iwi so uri can learn through marau shaped by their own reo, tikanga, mātauranga and aspirations. Our whānau and iwi must therefore be involved from the outset, rather than asked to adapt or translate frameworks developed elsewhere.
The Tribunal recommended the Crown reset its approach by:
- restoring trust with Māori educators and communities, including access to and influence over decision-makers;
- recognising mātauranga Māori as a knowledge system in its own right and supporting its transmission;
- using recognised Māori curriculum experts, with non-disclosure agreements only in rare and exceptional cases; and
- returning to the refresh work to design a genuinely indigenous Māori-medium and kaupapa Māori curriculum.
Ngā Kura ā Iwi considers these findings an important opportunity to reset the relationship.
We call on the Crown and the Minister of Education to return to Te Kawa Whakapūmau, honour its commitments, and work alongside kura ā-iwi so future curriculum development reflects the mana motuhake and aspirations of our hapū, iwi and kura.
Today’s report is the first of two parts of the Tribunal’s stage two findings. A further report on changes to school boards’ Te Tiriti obligations is still to come.
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Ngā manaakitanga ki a koutou katoa,
Nāku iti nei,
Nā Watson Ohia,
Pou Kōkiri - CEO o Ngā Kura ā Iwi o Aotearoa
ENDS
