✨ Explanation of Te Aho Matua o ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori
740 NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE, No. 32 22 FEBRUARY 2008
An Explanation in English of Te Aho Matua o ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori
INTRODUCTION
Presented in the Māori language, Te Aho Matua has been written by the pioneers of Kura Kaupapa Māori as a foundation document for their kura.
As such, the document lays down the principles by which Kura Kaupapa Māori identify themselves as a unified group committed to a unique schooling system which they regard as being vital to the education of their children.
Te Aho Matua, therefore, provides a philosophical base for the teaching and learning of children and provides policy guidelines for parents, teachers and boards of trustees in their respective roles and responsibilities.
Te Aho Matua is intended for inclusion in the charters of Kura Kaupapa Māori as the means by which their special nature can be clearly identified from mainstream kura.
Te Aho Matua also provides a basis from which curriculum planning and design can evolve, allowing for diversity while maintaining an integral unity.
Te Aho Matua has been written in a typically elliptical Māori style which implies meaning and requires interpretation rather than translation.
Te Aho Matua is presented in six parts, each part having a special focus on what, from a Māori point of view, is crucial in the education of children for the future.
PART 1
TE IRA TANGATA
This part of the document focuses on the nature of humankind, and more particularly on the nature of the child. The Māori perception of the child is encapsulated in two well-known whakatauaki, or proverbs.
The first, which says, Ahakoa iti, He iti mapihi pounamu, refers to the singular beauty and immense value of even the tiniest piece of fine greenstone.
There are two related interpretations of the second proverb, which says, He kakano i ruia mai i Rangiātea, E kore ia e ngaro. The first interpretation refers to the child as the seed which was dispersed from Rangiātea, the island in the Society Group from which the ancestors of the Māori migrated. The second interpretation refers to the child as the seed which was dispersed from the marae, also named Rangiātea, of the supreme deity, Io-matua.
The last line in this proverb affirms that the seed will never be lost. This statement implies a strong physical orientation for life, like that of the ancestors who faced the unknown on the high seas in search of a new home. It also implies the certainty of spiritual life since humankind emanated from the marae of Io.
When both proverbs are applied to the child, the nurture and education of that child takes on a significance which is fundamental to Kura Kaupapa Māori philosophy.
The statement which follows the proverbs suggests that the teaching fraternity ought to have full knowledge of the make-up of humankind before an effective system of teaching and learning for children can be devised.
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Online Sources for this page:
VUW Te Waharoa —
NZ Gazette 2008, No 32
Gazette.govt.nz —
NZ Gazette 2008, No 32
✨ LLM interpretation of page content
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Official Version of Te Aho Matua o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori and Explanation in English
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🎓 Education, Culture & ScienceEducation Policy, Māori Language, Kura Kaupapa Māori, Te Aho Matua