22 FEBRUARY 2008 NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE, No. 32 743

• insist that competence in Māori language and culture, along with a commitment to the Aho
Matua be the hallmark of Kura Kaupapa Māori teachers and parents but that there be
accommodation for those who are still in the learning phase.

• believe that, where there is a commitment to the language, mastery will follow.

PART 3

NGĀ IWI

Having established the nature of children with respect to their physical, mental, emotional and
spiritual needs, and determining the most effective approach to language learning, this part of
the document focuses on the social agencies which influence the development of children, in
short, all those people with whom they interact as they make sense of their world and find
their rightful place within it.

In traditional society whānau was the socialising agency of children, and the fragmentation of
this fundamental social structure in the urban drift of Māori away from their tribal centres is
one of the variables which has contributed to the “lost generations” of Māoridom.

It seemed immensely desirable that the whānau which, in this context, are all those people
associated with the kura and its children, should be established as a fully functioning
socialising agency, where each member of the whānau contributes to the education of all of
the children. This communal responsibility for all children has to be one of the most positive
moves of accommodating single-parent and dysfunctional families whose children are most at
risk, while at the same time providing a haven where such families and their children can
recover both stability and dignity in their lives.

All people derive from a unique culture which shapes their perception of self as belonging to,
participating in and contributing to the continuum of life. The uniqueness of Māori social
structures must therefore be reflected in the entirety of the kura, allowing the children to
consolidate their place among their own people as the safe ground from which they can begin,
with expanding consciousness, to explore the life ways of other people.

Given that these two important factors contribute to the special nature of Kura Kaupapa Māori
and are particularly relevant to the curriculum, to the functioning of boards of trustees and to
the interaction of the kura with its whānau, it follows that teacher training should also be a
major consideration for kura.

It cannot be assumed that the graduates of mainstream teacher training will meet the
requirements of kura. In fact, kura may need to target potential teachers from within the kura
whānau and to seek a suitable training package which allows such people to qualify as
teachers for their kura.

As a further consideration, experience has shown that school size is a significant factor. A
small school allows greater whānau participation with all the children. This same participation
tends to dissipate as kura get larger. Kura may need, therefore, to set the parameters as to
what their ideal population should be in order to fulfil the promise of success for all their
children.

In summary, then, Ngā Iwi focuses on the principles which are important in the socialisation
of children. Kura Kaupapa Māori therefore:

• emphasise the importance of genealogy in establishing links within whānau, hapa and iwi
including iwi Pākehā.

• emphasise the importance to children of knowing their own ancestral links and of
exploring their links with other iwi.